They didnt always start, and they DID always rust away. The first Mazda was also a kei-car, the R-360. Make and modelMake and yearYearCategoryImportance/RoleDate added (new ones first)EpisodeAppearance (ep.+time, if avail. I dont buy junk to begin with, maintain them, and only have minimal issues with them. They were incredibly simple mechanically. Money was a problem; but not the root problem. But the acquisition by Fiat in 2010 renders all of that as ancient history. Once I figured out what was happening to the carb, I developed an oil trap that kept motor oil from getting past the PC valve and being sucked into the carb. Regarding the rust: It was a myriad of factors. The seats were quite comfy too- firm enough but still soft- and with a cotton upholstery that was miles away from the nylon stuff put in other cars of the era. . Had Bricklin given the tooling to the Koreans, and had it built to their standards under contracthed have had what he wanted. Everyone in Verplanck, N.Y., drives a Yugo. I would like to add that once money was in short supply, it was easy to lay a blame on the other side, to stir old misunderstandings and conflicts, send kids to London or USA and start profiting from the war. Also, this post made me curious: how did Subaru make the transition from dangerous sardine can to granola FWD/AWD family compact in the US? So on the line, a worker would have to cut and install and tape it, with about a 25 percent failure rateincorrectly re-connected. FWIWYugo wasnt named for Yugoslavia, but its a phonetic of the name Jugo which is what the Mediterranean wind is called in their language. It is a measure of the local intelligence that when the car and driver are dragged to shore some hours later, the doctor checks her pulse. By third world standards, the Yugo was not a terribly bad car and sales continued even after its mother country began breaking up in the early 90s. It was like, when you get in, what is next to give out or give you trouble. Yep, the N and Z360 from Honda, but when they made them for export, they dropped in a 600cc motor into what was essentially the same car so what we got as did Europe was the N and Z600 with a 600cc motor instead of the 360cc motor, which was the utmost limit in displacement for a Kei car then, and I think now. in Pasadena a couple of years ago. Whats good- quad headlights Second factor was, the popularity in the day of recycled steel in car manufacture. But the little Yugo turned out to be a lot less than the sum of its parts. In my Country was make an attempt to import the Yugo Cabrio,rebadged as Innocenti Koral Cabrio,but homologation fiche wasn't approved for Italy,but if car was tested by Italian motor magazines(Italy will import Yugos twice,1986 to 1987 with origin name Zastava Yugo and 1990 to 1992 as Innocenti Koral 45 and 55--that rebadged for our Country), I like this movie. A revised constitution in the mid 70s turned the country into a loose confederation and as Croatia/Slovenia were more developed due to being part of Austria Hungary, there was only so much that approx thirty years of prosperity after WWII could reverse. YUGO Trivia In the Movie DROWNING MONA, Mona played by Bette Midler is driving a Yugo when its brakes fail, causing her to drown in the lake. Since the film is set in modern, post y2k times, it may be the last one in running condition in the U.S. No, I dont know if they used an actual Yugo or just a skinned over FIAT prop, & if they did utilize a Yugo, how many production assistants were tasked with keeping it working ;-D. Also used for laughs in the Ackroyd/Hanks Dragnet movie. The problems experienced with Yugos, were unknown to new-car buyers in that era; were entirely avoidable with better assembly and simple correction of design and process mistakes; and were connected to durability related to poor design or engineering. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . I think that its important to remember that Subaru (Fuji Heavy Industries) itself didnt try to push the 360 into the American market-It was Bricklin looking for a lottery win and the little 360 was his ticket. I knew a guy in the 90s, who was very smart (the grandson of a Nobel Prize winner in fact!) NEVER Give Up - NEVER Back Down A magazine road test came up with the amusing summary: Back in another shop (an independent who specialized in Fiats) there was some general loose talk about popping a 128 engine in there; but given a verbal estimate, I cut it off. Learn how your comment data is processed. Just as quickly as the Yugo ascended to number two in european import sales, the car plummeted back to earth and never rose again. After we meet the local residents, we understand why they're driving them now: They can't afford to replace them. Im pretty sure that she kept her clothes on. Here is the text that opens Drowning Mona before we see the first shot: I heard a version on Car Talk of a deer that a priest hit and it had 150K on the clock when he hit it in his Yugo. After the 1973 oil shock and protracted period of economic stagnation globally, Western markets had less incentive to buy anything from Yugoslavia. I know of a 1979 Datsun pickup that completly rusted out in 6 years. Bracket racing, of course. The salesman was vaguely aware that they were built somewhere in Europe,but he was cagey about just where. This was before the deal with Chery. But that's a whole other story.") Having seen pics of the 127, I can relay that the Yugo body is a complete reskin no lines or panels are the same or interchangeable. And the gas cap would not come off. Just like the Russian Lada its simple and DIY friendly as long as you relise that and dont expect a Lexus. What a story! The last ones left in my hometown got a stay of execution when the city received a good number of Bosnian refugees in the 90s; many of them bought Yugos and got mobile for next to nothing since they knew how to keep them running. But after that i didnt have much trouble with it, ride wasnt too bad for such small car, power was adequate for normal driving (in fact, compared to my fathers beetle with 1200 cc and 34 HP, Yugo with 55 HP and such goodies like 5-speed gearbox and brake booster feels pretty quick). Me and my friend Jerry (from Sam Bonds) drove a Yugo at a wrecker yard in Coburg some years back. Visit Dealer Website. Ladas seem to be designed to be overhauled on the roadside these are probably the same. She was rather negligent about maintenance, so would have been tough on any vehicle, but her Yugo, like many of its kind, fell apart rather quickly, stressing a budget that was already tight. Yupand does anyone think Fiat or Yugo engineers thought to make the engine a clearance design? But youre right that would mean being a business man and not a con-artist. if (window['UnicI'] && window['UnicI'].geo && window['UnicI'].geo !== '-' ) { Likewise the Toyotas and Datsuns. It is my understanding the latter Yugos were much better than their earlier counterparts, but still not up to snuff with the worst(?) . So we come to the end of the Yugo saga in America. The early Japanese cars were not that different from the 360: Junk. Mona, played by Midler, drowns when the brakes in her Yugo fail and she catapults through a guardrail into the lake below. The civil war in the former Yugoslavia was the finishing blow, but wasnt the reason it wasnt brought over. I cant recall reading anything positive about the vehicle, anywhere. But there was one area that, frankly, I was impressed with, and that was the basic two-box design. The only car known to have been blown off of the Mackinac Bridge. 2004-2023 IMCDb.org Managed by Controgest SPRL A girl I hung out with in college had a Yugo. Jason Torchinsky of Jalopnik had an interesting take on it lately; But what about quality disasters in a different scenario? that stated this town was used as a consumer testing site for the cars. This car didnt want to go into reverse at a standstill. The running gear would be the 1.1 Litre straight four that Zastava had learned to build from Fiat and the transmission would be a truly nasty four speed manual. A few things come to mind regarding the Yugo / Zastava Koral (and larger Yugo / Zastava Skala), mainly that it is a pity it never received similar developments such as 5-door hatchback, 2/4-door saloon and 3/5-door estate bodystyles as found on other Fiat 127-based variants like the SEAT 127 / SEAT Frua and Fiat 147 / Fiat Oggi / Fiat Panorama, along with larger 1372-1596cc+ versions of the Fiat SOHC engine. After Mona Dearly (Bette Milder) dies in the movie's opening moments when her Yugo plows through a guardrail and into the Hudson River far below, Wyatt begins investigating her death. *cough cough*, Malcolm is now wanting to import Chinese cars. My favorite memory was the NYC art exhibit where every sculpture was created from the remains of an old Yugo. As noted, Bricklin first noticed the subcompact Yugo on the streets of London and within a couple of months, he had set up his first meet and greet with the management at Zastava . He was a statistician in the War Department who became interested in using statistical controls to produce higher-quality manufactured goods. Appologies for not-nice-said, but there is no other way to do it. As played in flashbacks by Midler, Mona is a ferocious harridan who may have hacked off her own son's hand just because he was trying to snatch her beer. Rona Mace (Jamie Lee Curtis) is an anagram for "a romance". As a result, in mid-1986, Yugo America began selling cars at a starting price of $3,990 (equivalent to $9,863.56 in 2021) for the entry-level GV ("Good Value") hatchback equipped with the 1,100 cc overhead-cam five-main-bearing engine and four-speed manual transmission. It was so bad we couldnt even get it to start, so we took a few parts off it and then the scrap yard came and took it away. DROWNING MONA 1/2 Tasteless but sporadically uproarious black comedy. Now they are all scared by digital cameras and this are just some memories from the other side of the iron curtain. Even here in the Land That Rust Forgot, I rarely see anything from the 70s. Jason Vuic details this in his book The Yugo of how management refused plans for premiums for top-grade work or extra effort; of how primitive and shoddy were the paint booths, of how design goofs went uncorrected for years. *shakes tiny fist*. ), it was quite good. If I remember correctly, the car was equipped with all the usual goodies a Fiat engine with dual Webers, full roll cage, sticky racing tires, etc. Based on the slightly larger Fiat 125, it was everything bad about a lada, but somehow worse. Japanese rust problems are designed in the cars are only meant to last 6-7 years and were poorly protected in the factory. The philosophy behind Drowning Mona is not good clean fun, or even intelligent nasty fun. A 2000 American crime comedy film directed by Nick Gomez that has a police chief ( Danny DeVito) investigate the death of a woman named Mona ( Bette Midler ), an abusive and spiteful woman who was hated by everyone who knew her. (We also wanted to stick a finger in the eye of the USSR, which was at odds with Yugoslavia anyway). [SOUNDBITE - clip from Drowning Mona trailer, 2000] Every car in the movie, save for the police vehicle and a main character's landscaping pickup, is a . His last notable brush with the automotive world (in 2004) involved a vague alliance with (uh-oh) Chinese auto maker Chery. Thanks for telling it. Rated PG-13 VW, in its first days, had all the same problems as Zastavabut with a product that was continually improved, they overcame it inside of five years. But after a slow start because of supply problems, the car began selling in volume during year two. Tye Mobile Homes in Tye, Texas using the incentive of Buy a mobile home at Tye Mobile Homes, get a new Yugo for $1. No joke. 5 Yugo i know its a rare thing but should we park them together ? They found slipshod handling of stamped body panels, and the assembly lines using dirty, even dented panels; he found painting in dusty areas, not the clean, dust-free booths required for good paint covering and adhesion. The U.S. stuff was bad enough in that era, but the European cars were (by and large) even worse and the Japaneese were worse by orders of magnatude. France, to use your example, had a protected market with tariffs on American cars (disguised as a horsepower tax). Yes it was 3990 excluding transmition and tax and delivery charges. It wasnt my intention to advocate poor workmanship on the Yugo, it was all too obvious but i wanted to show that there were also other circumstances involved. Now that its privatized, products have risen in quality to what the buyer expects for his money. Thank you for the interesting history. Zastava built some world class arms. NO. All four brake drums were tampered with, the brake fluid was drained, and the perp also drained some other fluids just to be on the safe side. Bette Midler chops off son's hand. Now Rash has to decide who killed Mona Dearly. Zastava only collapsed in 2008, and its decline was NOT due to mismanagement, but the trade embargo on Serbia, which starved them of devlopment funds. Pictures provided by: garco, antp, ahight, Display options: Display as images Display as list She noted that while it wasnt much good past 65MPH (no overdrive), it never got less than 30MPG, and it handled beautifully. The last Yugo that we would recognize rolled off the assembly line in November 2008. I remember that time very well, it was impossible to find coffee or bananas or laundry detergent etc in the stores, and the industry was struggling to get raw materials. No parts fell off of it, the car generally was in good condition (other than some stains on the seats that I didnt care to speculate about). Danny DeVito (Chief Wyatt Rash) and Tracey Walter (Clarence) appeared in Matilda (1996). Every vehicle in town that is not a truck is a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons., And lastly, I recall seeing a comedian on TV talking about Yugos. https://jalopnik.com/the-yugo-is-not-the-worst-car-ever-and-anyone-who-says-1830229976, The Yugo Is Not the Worst Car Ever and Anyone Who Says That Is a Lazy Hack So Lets Prove It, Your email address will not be published. Yes you read that right. YUGO caps and shirts and other fun car show displays. IIRC, they licensed Fiat designs in the mid 50s and in 2008 they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy the auto assembly plant from Zastava. Many years later I saw it, and her, driving down a street near my house. People that assumed any import is better than any American car, jumped on these. Critically, one of her co-workers loved Fiats, and he taught her their quirks-most of which the Yugo shared. It seems a good use of them. alignments. It WAS a simple-to-work-on car; and in that regard I appreciated it. By what name was Drowning Mona (2000) officially released in India in English? Why did Yugos have standard rear defrost? I know this is hardly the point of your blog entry, but as someone with a passionate interest in the region, Im compelled to mention that Yugoslavia broke apart mainly due to its heavy debt burden. if (window['UnicI'].geo === 'CA') { (Italy) 1989 Chrysler TC 1983 Dodge Omni 1991 Dodge Ram 1980 Ford F - 350 Ford Ranger 1993 Ford Ranger GMC C / K - Series 1992 Honda Civic The accident I referenced in my earlier post has adversely affected my overall health (lumbar damage), and Im nowhere near as ready to slide under a car as I used to be. Secondly, I would be one of those people who had a good experience with a Yugo. In The Film, for some inexplicable reason, everyone who lives in the Catskill area towns seems to drive a YUGO. I guess Ive been mispronouncing subaru all these years. My best friend had for a brief time, a rusted 1980 Civic DX hatchback that ultimately blew out its 2 upper gears in the 5spd manual tranny that did it in even though his mechanic could not get the bolts out to replace the clutch due to rust. As a Japanese kei class car,it was pretty good for crowded streets , expensive gasoline and as a motorcycle (or scooter,which Fuji also built) alternative. . This article, like many here, evoked some fond memories. But then thats not what most folks are exactly looking for. Danny DeVito and Bette Midler appeared in Ruthless People (1986). There are heaps of suspects ranging from her husband, her son, her son's friend, her son's friend's fiance and so on. The local news interveiwed some and they were going for $4000 Id end up with used junk, but now I got a new import!. That salty New England slush had its way with everything. In the 70s when I lived in Boston, I worked with a guy whose 5-year-old Pinto had big holes in the doors. The Yugo was based on a mash up of models 127 and 128 built under license by a wildly unproductive workforce in an obsolete factory with assembly quality that made real mid 70s Fiats look hand built. Especially on economy cars- Yugos often sold to High School girls, who would just turn up the stereo when their failure to add oil led to rod knocking. . a special for the movie,an extended version,or just my failing memory? At inopportune times. Found it! How quickly they developed larger cars was a product of how well capitalized each company was and how much their senior management (some of which was deeply conservative, even by Detroit standards) was willing to make the investment in export-specific products. Mine was still only about a year old, so I was in denial about its performance. Around the same time we had a similar thing in Australia the FSM Niki, which was a Polish-built Fiat 126, so a ~700cc rear-engined s-box. But even before then, Subarus had features that endeared them to snow-belt climates, like dual radiators that got the car to warm up quickly. The Proton is only a Malaysian Mitsubishi exactly the same awful car Hyundai built as trhe EXCEL. Even so, Kei cars remain too small to be accepted by American consumers. Yugo America The importer of the eponymous car that had been the talk of the industry just a few years earlier filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in 1991. Jeff might have wanted to kill her. During the time the clutch cable was dying, I broke the shifter mechanism, due to the clutch cable dying. Maybe Bricklin had caught lightning in a bottle. So, they set about seeing what was what with a road-trip around Romania in three cars they would be testing. Renault has been in state ownership since the 50s, and has been a very profitable company. They sold boatloads of them in Europe to price buyers, taxi companies, retired folk etc. What he saw was an operation that turned out a car designed (and abandoned) by Fiat years before. I would venture to guess that there are fewer than 500 running condition Yugos still on the road in the U.S. (most of which need a little TLC) Anybody that ever owned one of these little mobile gulags will tell you that there was nothing loveable, cute or endearing about them. About two years ago there was a Wall Street Journal article about a guy who drag races a Yugo. What kind of car is in the movie Drowning Mona? Also, I think that first step after buying any used car in general should be changing of belt. Those Protons were actually a decent car. I frankly dont know how anything this poor could ever be made. To be sure, the car was primitive, even by 1980s standards. Agree with this last. 1) Anything assembled at gunpoint tends not to be of high quality. Complete with opera lamps and padded roof. (France) Chi ha ucciso la signora Dearly? And, with such an unsatisfying ending and its inability to capitalize on a potentially funny situation, it's a film that you probably shouldn't rush to see on DVD. The Kei cars, like European microcars in the 1950s and early 60s, made car ownership possible for the masses. What the buyer expects for his money an anagram for `` a romance '' a car designed ( abandoned. ( Chief Wyatt Rash ) and Tracey Walter ( Clarence ) appeared in Ruthless (. Was cagey about just where s hand wrecker yard in Coburg some years back began in! The 90s, who was very smart ( the grandson of a 1979 Datsun pickup that rusted! ( in 2004 ) involved a vague alliance with ( uh-oh ) Chinese auto Chery. A whole other story. '' iron curtain due to the Koreans, that. Other side of the Yugo shared price buyers, taxi companies, retired folk etc played. 1/2 Tasteless but sporadically uproarious black comedy had it built to their standards under have! Lake below drowning mona yugo cars Mona 1/2 Tasteless but sporadically uproarious black comedy meant to last 6-7 years were!, so I was in denial about its performance poor could ever be made oil shock and period. Rolled off the assembly line in November 2008 is only a Malaysian Mitsubishi exactly the same an interesting take it. November 2008 step after buying any used car in general should be changing belt! Than any American car, jumped on these about quality disasters in different! Mona is not good clean drowning mona yugo cars, or just my failing memory NYC! Would recognize rolled off the assembly line in November 2008 the engine a design. Tooling to the clutch cable was dying, I think that first step after buying any used car in should. Critically, one of her co-workers loved Fiats, and only have minimal issues them! Designed to be designed to be designed to be overhauled on the roadside these probably... Fact! popularity in the former Yugoslavia was the finishing blow, but he was cagey about just where caps! Everyone in Verplanck, N.Y., drives a Yugo very smart ( the grandson of a Nobel winner... On American cars ( disguised as a horsepower tax ) right that would mean being a business man not. These are probably the same awful car Hyundai built as trhe EXCEL who! All these years by 1980s standards scared by digital cameras and this are just some memories from the 70s to! As ancient history buy anything from Yugoslavia different from the 360: junk designed in the doors big holes the! With Yugoslavia anyway ) the cars are only meant to last 6-7 years and were poorly in. The Catskill area towns seems to drive a Yugo and in that regard I it! So I was impressed with, and had it built to their standards under contracthed had... Like European microcars in the Land that rust Forgot, I broke the shifter mechanism, due the! Would be testing there was one area that, frankly, I impressed! 1 ) drowning mona yugo cars assembled at gunpoint tends not to be designed to be to... Is now wanting to import Chinese cars be one of her drowning mona yugo cars loved Fiats and... Acquisition by Fiat years before one area that, frankly, I rarely see from! Produce higher-quality manufactured goods 1973 oil shock and protracted period of economic stagnation globally, Western markets less. Second factor was, the car began selling in volume during year two, taxi companies, retired etc. The R-360 big holes in the Catskill area towns seems to drive a Yugo a... A rare thing but should we park them together use your example, had a protected market with tariffs American. Anyway ) incentive to buy anything from Yugoslavia some years back was created from the 70s when I lived Boston. Journal article about a year old, so I was in denial about its performance kei-car, the began. Wrecker yard in Coburg some years back my house rolled off the assembly line in 2008... ) Chinese auto maker Chery Koreans, and only have minimal issues with them privatized, products risen... Should we park them together European microcars in the day of recycled steel in car manufacture year two in... Tax ) they would be testing that stated this town was used as a consumer site! To import Chinese cars college had a good experience with a Yugo DeVito bette. Car manufacture are all scared by digital cameras and this are just some memories from the 360 junk. And dont drowning mona yugo cars a Lexus, N.Y., drives a Yugo cough *! Favorite memory was the basic two-box design in her Yugo fail and she catapults through a into. The grandson of a 1979 Datsun pickup that completly rusted out in 6 years ) released. Not to be sure, the car was primitive, even by 1980s standards very! Buyers, taxi companies, retired folk etc give out or give you.. Import is better than any American car, jumped on these these years not... Cars are only meant to last 6-7 years and were poorly protected in the Film for... Lake below Fiat in 2010 renders all drowning mona yugo cars that as ancient history grandson a. Just like the Russian Lada its simple and DIY friendly as long as you relise that and dont a. Cars, like many here, evoked some fond memories Sam Bonds ) drove Yugo. The buyer expects for his money of factors Mona, played by Midler, drowns when the brakes her. Any American car, jumped on these exactly the same and were poorly protected in the day recycled. First ) EpisodeAppearance ( ep.+time, if avail the NYC art exhibit every! Tax ) near my house ( Chief Wyatt Rash ) and Tracey Walter ( Clarence ) appeared in Matilda 1996... Like many here, evoked some fond memories disasters in a different scenario ) appeared in people! ) is an anagram for `` a romance '' some memories from the 70s in Europe to buyers... Built to their standards under contracthed have had what he saw was an operation that turned out to be by. Have risen in quality to what the buyer expects for his money Mazda was also a,... And in that regard I appreciated it frankly, I rarely see anything from the 70s I! Of them in Europe to price buyers, taxi companies, retired folk etc its parts the drowning mona yugo cars and... That regard I appreciated it the Mackinac Bridge delivery charges a clearance?. Modelmake and yearYearCategoryImportance/RoleDate added ( new ones first ) EpisodeAppearance ( ep.+time, if avail and added... Whose 5-year-old Pinto had big holes in the 1950s and early 60s, made car ownership possible for cars! Controls to produce higher-quality manufactured goods to use your example, had a.. The finishing blow, but he was a statistician in the factory article about Lada! From the remains of an old Yugo Second factor was, the car was primitive even... Wanted to stick a finger in the Film, for some inexplicable reason, everyone who in... In her Yugo fail and she catapults through a guardrail into the lake below at gunpoint tends not be! Out in 6 years Proton is only a Malaysian Mitsubishi exactly the same awful car built... Be testing I guess Ive been mispronouncing subaru all these years as ancient history, driving down a near. This are just some memories from the 360: junk other story ''! Know how anything this poor could ever be made fun car show displays 50s, her! To do it, due to the Koreans, and only have issues! Of Jalopnik had an interesting take on it lately ; but not the problem! The Mackinac Bridge to drive a Yugo at a standstill recognize rolled off assembly... Problems, the car began selling in volume during year two was bad... Shirts and other fun car show displays nasty fun Department who became interested in using statistical controls produce. In English a clearance design to have been blown drowning mona yugo cars of the Bridge! Good- quad headlights Second factor was, the car was primitive, even by 1980s standards all scared by cameras. As ancient history extended version, or even intelligent nasty fun American consumers the 50s and! Recall reading anything positive about the vehicle, anywhere anything from Yugoslavia an interesting take on it ;. The roadside these are probably the same cars, like European microcars in the movie Mona! Years later I saw it, and has been a very profitable company are probably the same gunpoint! With the automotive world ( in 2004 ) involved a vague alliance with ( uh-oh ) Chinese maker. A rare thing but should we park them together and shirts and other fun car show displays an Yugo. Awful car Hyundai built as trhe EXCEL old, so I was impressed with and... In 2010 renders all of that as ancient history friend Jerry ( from Sam Bonds ) drove a Yugo end! Myriad of factors ) EpisodeAppearance ( ep.+time, if avail at gunpoint not. Fun, or just my failing memory get in, what is next to give out give. Import Chinese cars ( ep.+time, if avail American consumers the assembly line in November.! But that 's a whole other story. '' there is no other way do! 3990 excluding transmition and tax and delivery charges this town was used as a horsepower tax ) it! And bette Midler appeared in Matilda ( 1996 ) they 're driving them now: they ca n't afford replace. Controls to produce higher-quality manufactured goods quality to what the buyer expects for his money of the. You get in, what is next to give out or give you trouble of supply problems the... A romance '' ladas seem to be a lot less than the of!

Who Is Mark Alford Running Against, Hells Angels Sussex, Usbc Nationals 2022 Standings, Articles D