- Put an iPod in an HP wrapper and it’s a good idea.
- Put a Cadillac in a Chevrolet wrapper and it isn’t.
- But put a Subaru in a Saab wrapper and it’s an abomination.
Why, exactly, are these three different? Because nobody loves HP or Chevrolet and people love Saab? Oh, but people love Apple. Nobody’s having a fat attack over the idea of an HiPod. (I’d buy one just for the contrariness.)
What’s so wrong with a Subaru in Saab drag? Mitsubishi counterrotating engine rods were perfectly good enough for Porsche, just as GM Turbo Hydra-matic transmissions were good enough for Rolls. How is it actually different?
How is it different from “German-engineered” Volkswagens that are built in Brazil (or, previously, Mexico)? Or Mercedes and BMW SUVs built in hick American states? (Or the fact that every single Honda Civic Si two-door hatchback is now a British car? We call them “Swindon Civics.”)
Should I buy Yves veggie dogs or the President’s Choice? Are you aware that subcontracting even takes place in the absurdly rarefied fields of captioning and description?
How much miscegenation is too much? If we let ourselves get too impure, will we have to trade in our blackletter fonts?
Saab is no longer “preglobalized.” That horse won’t hunt. I don’t like the Saabaru, either. But it’s not qualitatively different.