When Badges go bad: Daewoo LeMans out of box

[Faust]

You know how, at this time of year, there’s a big push for “out with the old, in with the new”? Well, certainly you MUST have known that I would do just the opposite! 

Just in time for New Years, then, I thought I’d treat everybody to a great remind of just how far we’ve come from some of our darker days in motoring history. Nothing makes the past look better than distance, but it’s still going to take a few years to make anyone miss,  pine for or maybe even forgive this horrible little toad of a car: The Daewoo Lemans!

Remember when the great LeMans nameplate got stuck onto a horrible sputtering little Korean junkbox? If not, you will when  you check out the out of box like below! Have a peek, and be glad that, with each passing day, ever fewer of these things can be seen on the roads!

Happy New Year!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/model-kits/out-of-box-reviews/academy-124-daewoo-lemans-gse-oob/

 

Edited December 31, 2015 by Faust

[JTalmage]

I remember seeing a beige one sitting on the street as a kid down the road from my grandma and grandpa's house. And as a kid, I had a hard time wrapping my head around how they went from a GTO-looking body style.... to that.

[SfanGoch]

ACK! This period was the nadir of the American automotive industry. Thanks again for another entertaining and informative review. The kit has as many parts as the real car. better motor, too. I'd like the box so I can store spare parts. 

[Luc Janssens]

It's a mid '80s Opel design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Kadett#Kadett_E_.281984.E2.80.931991.29

 

[Faust]

Yeah, Joe, I think you're right. 

At least the motor you get with the model is likely to run for a bit without belching black smoke! 

I don't think there are enough parts of these left in the world to store in that box! 

[GeeBee]

Also known as the Vauxhall Belmont here in England, it was a booted version of the Vauxhall Astra

[Faust]

Why do they have different names for different body styles? I've never understood that. 

So it's a Belmont in England? Was it as terrible a car in England as it was here in Canada? They really didn't seem to like winter or road salt at all. 

[unclescott58]

Another car people like to bad mouth that I kind of like. Never cared for the 2-door hatchback version they also sold here in the U.S. But, I always thought the 4-door was okay looking.

For years, a local hobby store, Scale Model Supplies, had several of the above kits still in stock. In fact, they may still have one or two on their shelves. I finally broke down and bought one a couple of years ago. Typical Asian curbside kit. No opening hood or engine. But not too bad otherwise. 

[SfanGoch]

Typical Asian curbside kit. No opening hood or engine.

That there is an exact scale model. Those are the hallmark features of the actual car.      

[SfanGoch]

Why do they have different names for different body styles? I've never understood that. 

So it's a Belmont in England? Was it as terrible a car in England as it was here in Canada? They really didn't seem to like winter or road salt at all.  

 

A pile of junk by any other name is still a pile of junk. Although, Vauxhall Terrible Car is a catchy name.

[Tom Geiger]

Adam, I always enjoy your choice of cars and your commentary!  

I don't know why Academy did the dark glass thing on their car models. I have this one and the Hyundai and never built them because of this. Sometimes the clear plastic is painted rather than molded in color. I'm curious enough to dip some of the blue sprue in my stripper tank to check this out.  I know these were not popular model kits as I bought both of mine off the final clearance table at shows.

A buddy-0-mine, a Pontiac guy, owned one of these LeMans as his commuter car.  Aside from being a small put-put, I don't believe it was troublesome. He had it for years. The early Korean and Japanese cars were pretty solid performers though not fast nor memorable.  And importantly,  Daewoo  didn't go out of business, in it's quest for world domination GM bought them and eventually phased out the Daewoo name.  As many Korean companies go, they were into a wide variety of manufacturing.  Back in that era Bradley's, a long defunct discount store,  advertised 13" color TVs (no brand mentioned) for $59 on Black Friday from 6-7am.  My young daughter was campaigning for her own TV so I got up early and got on line. I was expecting the TVs to be mythical, but they had a whole skid of them Daewoo brand 13" color TVs with remotes!  As I stood there I remembered that I didn't have a TV like this in my model room so I bought two of these that day.  I had to hide mine until after Christmas not to give up the secret to my daughter.  I can say that both of these TVs provided excellent service. Mine is in working order and is in my storage room, only retired because I found a TV with built in DVR at Goodwill for my model room.  

Also important to note that these puppies are still in production today by GM.... in Uzbekistan where they share the assembly line with Chevy Cobalts meant for third world consumption!  

Edited December 31, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[GeeBee]

Why do they have different names for different body styles? I've never understood that. 

So it's a Belmont in England? Was it as terrible a car in England as it was here in Canada? They really didn't seem to like winter or road salt at all. 

Not sure, as I've never owned one, but the hatchback version, the Astra was very popular, a family friend has had nothing but Astra's ever since the MK1, and now he has the latest version.

[MrObsessive]

I use to see these from to time here in Central PA back in the late '80's/early '90's. I don't remember hearing anything really bad about them, 'cept I used to cringe at seeing the name on the car. The first time I saw one I thought "No, that is NOT a LeMans!!"

Having SEEN plenty of the real Pontiac LeMans out of the '60's and '70's growing up, this just didn't cut it. I've always hated how they'll take the name of what was a good and memorable car, and stick it on any 'ol thing.

[Tom Geiger]

 The first time I saw one I thought "No, that is NOT a LeMans!!"

I guess we should count our blessings that there wasn't a GTO version!   

[MrObsessive]

I guess we should count our blessings that there wasn't a GTO version!   

[SfanGoch]

My friend Richy bought a new '89 GSE for around $6200. A week after driving it off the lot, the muffler fell off. About a month later, the ball joint on the right side broke while driving on the Northern State Parkway in Long Island. The best happened around a year later. He was in the drive-thru at the Mickey D's in our neighborhood. The dash started smoking and caught fire. Never even had the chance to pick up his order.  

[Zarana-X]

I remember buying that kit because it was clearanced at $5. Got it for the figure mostly. Hilariously it has a decal sheet so you can guild a racing version, which has some usable stuff on it like, Marlboro, Magnetti Marelli and stuff. 

[ChrisBcritter]

On the lower right corner of the instructions there's a wiring diagram for lights - are they in the kit?

[Mark]

You've got to understand, this was GM.  The same GM that puts a few plastic parts and a stand-up hood ornament on a Chevy Tahoe, and sells it as a Cadillac.  The same GM that took a Subaru, moved the ignition switch to the console, and called it a Saab...

[dartman]

I remember buying that kit because it was clearanced at $5. Got it for the figure mostly. Hilariously it has a decal sheet so you can guild a racing version, which has some usable stuff on it like, Marlboro, Magnetti Marelli and stuff. 

Yeah,I love the guy in the racing suit.....

[Sport Suburban]

I just have to add that Daewoo went out of business before GM acquired what was left of there operations. The Korean government was auctioning off the assets to both Ford and GM with some stipulations. GM purchased the plant and all the tooling and put the manufacturing back in business and sold the cars in China. The average Korean could not afford the car. GM did eventually update the plant and modernize the products and bring them into other countries as well as the US. 

 

[Faust]

Adam, I always enjoy your choice of cars and your commentary!  

I don't know why Academy did the dark glass thing on their car models. I have this one and the Hyundai and never built them because of this. Sometimes the clear plastic is painted rather than molded in color. I'm curious enough to dip some of the blue sprue in my stripper tank to check this out.  I know these were not popular model kits as I bought both of mine off the final clearance table at shows.

A buddy-0-mine, a Pontiac guy, owned one of these LeMans as his commuter car.  Aside from being a small put-put, I don't believe it was troublesome. He had it for years. The early Korean and Japanese cars were pretty solid performers though not fast nor memorable.  And importantly,  Daewoo  didn't go out of business, in it's quest for world domination GM bought them and eventually phased out the Daewoo name.  As many Korean companies go, they were into a wide variety of manufacturing.  Back in that era Bradley's, a long defunct discount store,  advertised 13" color TVs (no brand mentioned) for $59 on Black Friday from 6-7am.  My young daughter was campaigning for her own TV so I got up early and got on line. I was expecting the TVs to be mythical, but they had a whole skid of them Daewoo brand 13" color TVs with remotes!  As I stood there I remembered that I didn't have a TV like this in my model room so I bought two of these that day.  I had to hide mine until after Christmas not to give up the secret to my daughter.  I can say that both of these TVs provided excellent service. Mine is in working order and is in my storage room, only retired because I found a TV with built in DVR at Goodwill for my model room.  

Also important to note that these puppies are still in production today by GM.... in Uzbekistan where they share the assembly line with Chevy Cobalts meant for third world consumption!  

My Lord, Tom! You have the Hyundai?? Is it a Pony or an Excel? You sir, are a lucky man! What a pair. The loser car fanatic in me is turning green with envy. I do mean the seriously, as sad as it may sound.

I never thought of trying to strip the clear sprue. I've seen that with red plastic though, now that you mention it. I should give it a go too, but I'd be worried about the clear fogging if that happened. Still, might be worth a try. 

I'm amazed about anything Daewoo being worth more than a plugged nickel! We had a Daewoo dealership here in town, right near the University; perfect place, right? Cheap cars for students, etc. Nope. The cars sucked so bad they were in the shop more than on the road. It folded after a couple of years. I thought Daewoo was a dead name, and that Hyundai had bought them out. 

Somehow, Uzbekistan seems to be a good place for these cars. They're basic and (apparently?) rugged-ish, so they're better suited to that environment that metropolitan North America!

[charlie8575]

When I was in 8th grade, one of the custodians bought one of these LeMans 4-doors. I remember him saying he liked driving it. 

What I thought was most interesting was about fifteen or twenty years ago, I was in the showroom of a longtime Pontiac dealer, and the owner was saying "the most comfortable seats of any car I've sold or had, and I've sold thousands and driven hundreds, were in that cheap little six thousand dollar Pontiac LeMans the Koreans built." 

I guess even a generally not-great car can have one or two redeeming features?

Charlie Larkin

[fumi]

I just find it interesting that when badged as an Opel the car was European Car of the Year and when badged as a Daewoo/Pontiac it became a POS.

[Faust]

Wow. 

I will admit that I've never driven one, but I've seen them rusting and sputtering and being towed away lots.  I'm amazed about the seats, Charlie. That's very impressive indeed! 

Maybe it's a relative thing, Silvester? I find it hard to believe that a car like that could compete and win against things like Audis, nicer Renaults and even VWs for "car of the year"! Huh. I remember them being something of a laughing stock here. It may have a lot to do with the name, though. That car is NOT what people expected a "LeMans" to be.