Rapport Ritz

Don't worry, I'll get to the terrible-ness in a minute.

First: could something so groundbreaking have been made in any other country? British craftspeople evolved from making cabins for horse-drawn carriages and seafaring vessels to dashboards and bodies for motor cars. 

It's OK if you're not familiar with the early days of motoring and the interplay between coachbuilders and carmakers ’cause here’s the point form:

• Before mass production, a new customer would approach an automaker for a chassis
• Most constructors supplied only the engine, transmission, suspension, wheels, tires, and brake system — think of a modern ‘cutaway’ Ford E-Series
• As the radiator—grille—was the most visible mechanical part, its design was often retained by the coachbuilder. To help identify the mechanical parts underneath, most carmakers quickly adopted a unique grille design. 
  • Many generations removed, this is why Bugatti, for instance, has a horseshoe-shaped opening on the front of its cars.
• New customers would then contact a coachbuilder to either pick a body style from a brochure—sedan, coupe, etc.—or to pay even more to design and construct a full custom body
• Sometimes, coachbuilders and manufacturers would work closely on both chassis and bodywork design—the Ghia-Chryslers are a good example
• Sometimes, buyers would have a coachbuilder modify an existing vehicle to taste, or to ‘rebody’ it into something new…

There was so little content in everyday vehicles, even in the mid-'90s; I remember being amazed at the overhead digital clock fitted to a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer that I once sat in as a kid.

As mass production put the world on wheels, it made complete customization impossible for all but the rich…and the talented DIY-er. 

With more stringent regulations and the proliferation of unibody cars, to name only two factors, traditional coachbuilders were struggling.

Why? In the the 70s and 80s especially, designs both dubious and glorious would be executed in tragic fashion on top of increasingly mainstream vehicles.

Mass production meant that these cars, the Rapport Ritz included, couldn't be significantly different from its donor car.

Here? A Honda Accord that cost about as much as a Mercedes Benz 280E.