“All my life, I have searched for a car that feels a certain way. Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yieldy like a Nerf ball. Now, at last, I have found it.” ―Homer Simpson

"The Homer" (also known as "The Car Built for Homer") was an infamous concept car that yielded disastrous financial results for the company that produced it, Powell Motors. Powell Motors CEO Herb Powell believed the company needed to create "the type of car Americans really want, not the kind we tell them they want" in order to "beat the Japanese." In this endeavor, Herb hired his recently discovered half-brother Homer Simpson to design such a car, believing Homer to "understand the needs and wants of the average American car owner." It is a parody/exaggeration of the Edsel, a similarly disastrous automobile designed by Ford Motor Company.

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History

Thanks to Homer's dislike of the cars Herb's company was creating, Herb decided his company needed a new car that would appeal to the "average" American. Unfortunately, Homer's views on an ideal car was much different than that of an average American. Despite the many objections of Herb's employees, Herb encouraged Homer to follow his instincts in creating a car that American consumers would want to buy. Homer took charge of the project after Herb encouraged him to obey his gut when it came to what kind of car he wanted. Unfortunately, Homer's creation was such a monstrously strange car, cost so much to develop, and had such a high price tag (Approximately $82,000), that Herb's car company went out of business shortly after, with its building purchased by Komatsu Motors. During Herb Powell's rant upon learning the price tag about how he was ruined, Homer was seen sheepishly grinning, implying that even he knew he had screwed up immensely. When The Simpsons were driving back to Springfield, Bart told a dejected Homer he thought it was pretty cool.

Features

The Homer has two bubble domes; one in the front, while the one in the back is for quarreling kids, and comes with optional restraints and muzzles.

According to Homer, the engine sound causes people to think "the world's coming to an end."

There are three horns, as Homer claims that "you can never find a horn when you're mad." The three horns play the song "La Cucaracha."

The car also features gigantic cupholders, which actually became a feature on many cars in the 1990s onward.

The car has various outdated features such as bubble domes, shag carpeting, and tailfins. It also has a metal bowler as a hood ornament.

Non-Canon Appearances

The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

In the video game The Simpsons Road Rage , The Homer is unlocked after all 10 missions are completed successfully. The vehicle is driven by Homer, but is harder to handle than his Pink Sedan, and is more of a trophy than an actually useful car like the Bandit and Hover Car. When selected, Homer will be heard saying "And the sticker price... is" along with an audible crowd gasp and the horn playing "La Cucaracha" as the car is displayed.

In The Simpsons: Hit and Run, "The Homer" can be acquired by Apu from Homer at the Hospital parking lot in Level 5 for 500 coins. It is required for completion of the "Eight is Too Much" mission, where Apu learns that his octuplets are about to soil themselves in Dr Hibbert's waiting room, and needs to collect ten diapers from the minivan being driven by the parents of the Shelbyville Nine, who are trying to buy every diaper in town. The horn plays "La Cucaracha". "The Homer" is the fastest car available in Level 5 (rated 4.5 stars in speed, with 3.5 stars acceleration), and is also very tough (3.5 stars toughness and 3 stars handling), allowing it to be used for a variety of missions in the game.

Behind the Laughter

A toy was made of "The Homer", and the car was an unlockable in the videogames The Simpsons Road Rage and The Simpsons: Hit and Run.

A real-life version of the car was made in June 2013.[citation needed]

In 2014 Hot Wheels released a diecast version of the car.

The sticker price for The Homer, as stated in both The Simpsons Hit and Run and "O Brother Where Art Thou?", was $82,000, which at the time the episode aired was considered extremely expensive especially for a car meant for the average American.

Appearances