Most cars are just cars. Some are so different that they become a hint to who the owner is. For example, the supersized pick-ups and original Hummers were said to be "compensating" for the inadequacy of its owner. The Pontiac Fiero identified as the "secretary's car", the Mazda Miata for strange women and older effemiate men. The Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro closely tied to teenagers and trailer parks. VW Campers with the hippie culture.
There are always exceptions, and occasionally the identity car doesn't match the owner, but in the case of the Chrysler PT Barnum (or whatever its called) and its Government Motors rip-off the "HR", no vehicle has a higher accuracy rating of identifying the owner as a road-idiot, clueless, disengaged and generally a menace to all on or near the road. See a PT Barnum in the show-off lane, its easy to spot because the clueless OBW (Occupant Behind the Wheel) has a mile of empty road ahead, and a lengthy trail of angry tail-gaters on the rear. See an HR apparently stalled at an intersection becaue its not going through on green? That is common as the owner is often sleeping it off or is going through the mental exercise of trying to recall what one does when the light turns green, the cars in all the others lanes have moved on, and the horns blaring behind don't seem to be in tune with the music.
I will miss the PT Barnum, because as a motorcyclist, we need every clue available to know who is a mortal threat. And this car was a slam-dunk guarantee that the OBW would soon be doing something stupid, dangerous and often illegal.
I always thought of the HR as a PT Chevy. I believe it was designed by the same fellow who did the PTC after he changed employers.
My Senior Drill Instructor drove a red Fiero.
One of my project managers from a stint a couple of years ago was a Macho guy from Carlsbad that flew up to Seattle every week. He was a lifelong Harley guy (he was about 50). He had cruised one Harley or another on every southern California back road to the point that he was looking for something new.
His car was a PT Cruiser. :)
The Miata is wonderfully engineered and does what it is supposed to do perfectly. The Japanese basically took the MG concept and fixed everything that didn’t work with the MG.