The Powell Homer: The Worst Car Never Made

The Public Gets a Look at the Homer

The public unveiling of the Homer of course shocks the audience (which includes the Pope) into silence, and then gasps of horror when Herb learns (at the same time as everyone else) that the sticker price is $82,000 (about $166,000 today).

Somehow this one misstep in an otherwise wildly successful career is enough to drive Herb from his job and home, and now broke, he dismisses Homer from his life.

(We need not be sad for Herb Powell, however. He regains his fortune – with an assist from Homer, Marge, and family – in season three.)

Lisa points out that Herb’s life “was an unbridled success until he found out he was a Simpson,” but Bart gives Homer a boost when he admits he thought the car was “cool.”

Considering it looked like it was made by and for children, that in itself isn’t surprising. But it is one of the few genuinely affectionate moments between Homer and Bart in the entire series.

Given the popularity of the show, it won’t surprise you to know that the Homer has made it into the corporal world in Lego and Hot Wheels form, but it might to learn that Scott Chamberlain transformed a BMW 325e into a pretty close approximation for the 2013 24 Hours of Lemons.

One feature actually made it into modern vehicles: the large-capacity cup holder. And “powerful like a gorilla but soft like a nerf ball” describes every full-size pickup made since 2004.

But had the Homer come off a real assembly line, it would have quickly gone the way of the Tucker and its ilk. Fortunately that doesn’t mean we can’t have some laughs at its expense.