A few years back on Top Gear, Hammond and Mays attempted to launch and return to Earth a Reliant Robin – a herculean task if there ever was one. Of course, as anyone who has seen that episode knows, they nixed the idea of putting Clarkson in the death chair pilot’s seat, choosing  instead to guide it back remotely.
That in hindsight may have been the prudent choice as the Robin failed to separate from its rocket lifters and augured into the English moors like a caffeinated gopher. Bad result, but good TV. As our – occasionally equally unsuccessful – Shuttle program winds down, I got to thinking, what car sold in the U.S. today would make for the perfect sub-orbital NASA replacement?
It’d have to be aerodynamic. It’d have to be reasonably light. And most importantly, it would have to look good. That was where the Brits made their fatal mistake, and whether it was budget-driven, or because they actually thought it would fly, the Reliant proved not only as sky worthy as a road paver, but also less than spectacular as a sacrificial lamb. No one felt any pangs of sorrow when it became one with the English countryside.
But a U.S. car, now that would be tragic to see suffer the same fate, as everything we make is priceless, right? And that is possible – it’s not just the British who can’t seem to get high-tech right every time, we Yanks have seen recent instances where our rockets have gotten bored with their duties and tried to take a dip in the Pacific instead of the cold, unforgiving expanses of space.
So, considering that something is going to have to take the place of America’s shuttle fleet, what do you think would be the best car to do so? Can you hear me? Ground control to Major Tom?
Image source: [ TopGear.uk]