Solved - NEH 2996: Autotune Mirage

[Carnut]

What's this, for 1 point?:

ANYONE FOUND GIVING ANSWERS OBTAINED BY USING GOOGLE SEARCH BY IMAGE MAY BE BANNED FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD!

[Lofotleif]

The Marcos Mantis M70 ?

[Carnut]

The Marcos Mantis M70 ?

It's not a Marcos (despite appearances..)

[Lofotleif]

Of course it is not - nothing is quite as it seems. It's the carnuts equivalent to QI ;-)

[Carnut]

Of course it is not - nothing is quite as it seems. It's the carnuts equivalent to QI ;-)

You've got it!  Don't forget this is AutoPuzzles, where things are rarely quite what they seem to be!

[Carnut]

Experts?

[WayneB]

Autotune Mirage

[Carnut]

Autotune Mirage

That's it, yes.
Why anyone would want to take this ugly duckling on is anyone's guess.
I always thought of the Mantis as a dismal failure, but when researching this one I found a website which refuted that, saying that is popular folklore but untrue.  I don't believe it.  And I don't think the Autotune Mirage did any better either..
Incidentally it was a kit-car, whereas Marcos had sold (or rather tired to sell..) the Mantis as a fully-built car.

[WayneB]

Dennis Adams was never afraid of taking a different route when designing cars, his designs were somewhat ahead of their times, I guess Autotune thought the world was finally ready for the Mantis in the mid/late 80's.

Not my cup of tea styling wise, but the fellows that own a Marcos Mantis seem to love them with a passion.

Maybe they will look  better in 20 years time?

[Carnut]

Maybe they will look  better in 20 years time?

It's true they don't look quite as outrageously weird as I remember them 30 or 40 years ago!  I knew a guy had one and I thought he was totally nuts..