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On 9/4/2020 at 9:22 AM, trinacriabob said:

* can't put this in spotting since it's a "lot" behind the 8 ball *

Here I am, walking through Savannah's historical district, minding my business, and a toad decides to cross the road in front of me ...

IMG_4671.thumb.JPG.3ba7c5b22d3bc597994ad60e4f066e18.JPG

and then turn at the corner ...

IMG_4672.thumb.JPG.be21ed11f4f6fbe8ff3e13aefe3ea9a7.JPG

I might add that it was a "healthy" looking toad.

I saw a 79 Lincoln versailles the other day, the Lincoln they built on a Granada platform. Light blue and in good shape. 

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4 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I saw a 79 Lincoln versailles the other day, the Lincoln they built on a Granada platform. Light blue and in good shape. 

Yes, FoMoCo Lincoln's Cimarron-like product and response.  Both worth a chuckle.  Neither worth buying.

Edited by trinacriabob
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14 hours ago, balthazar said:

I no longer strongly care for Pontiacs in the '70s. Here, I'm talking about the big cars- Pontiac shifted their focus from the full-size to the intermediates once the GTO cemented itself in success. I sad.
The 'ice cube tray' taillights of above don't do anything for me; not much effort from a design standpoint. Nothing 'wrong' with them, they just fall far short of the decade earlier.

I think that focus shift cost Pontiac 3rd place in sales; it was #3 from '61 thru '70, but then #4 or #5 thru the '70s.

I'm speaking in generalities.  Pontiac and Olds usually had two piece divided grilles* while Buick and Chevrolet preferred one piece grilles ... for the most part.

In looking at the mid '70s Firebirds and Camaros, both of which I liked, the Firebird had a more commanding presence with the twin kidney grille with a slight cant in the middle, along with the three bands in the horizontal tail lamps.  Camaro ratcheted up its game in '78 when it took its tail lamps farther across, with bigger amber and white pieces in the light assembly.  I'm just saying how much I liked that generation of Firebird and breaking the tie between the Firebird and the Camaro was easy (except for the overstyled 1977 and 1978, as in WTF?)

*or trim that suggested the divide, as in their mid-'70s full-sizes

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1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

the twin kidney grille

I was never sure how this term came about, either with regards to BMW, or (and I've not seen them termed such before, I don't think); Pontiac. Neither have either had a kidney shape to them. Pontiac's were commonly referred to as a 'split grille'.

Edited by balthazar
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2 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Yes, FoMoCo Lincoln's Cimarron-like product and response.  Both worth a chuckle.  Neither worth buying.

We used to look for them in salvage yards back in the vintage Mustang days, as they came with a 9 inch rear end....just begging for lower rear gears and a posi unit. Several of the versailles had factory positraction as I recall. 

21 minutes ago, balthazar said:

I was never sure how this term came about, either with regards to BMW, or (and I've not seen them termed such before, I don't think); Pontiac. Neither have either had a kidney shape to them. Pontiac's were commonly referred to as a 'split grille'.

Pontiacs were at least attractive, BMW's currend models are hideous. 

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1 hour ago, balthazar said:

You'd certainly have to narrow things down to critique: Pontiac only used the split grille in a 150 different applications over 50 years. ;)

And so many variations... some in the 80s-90s (Grand Ams in particular) resembled 90s BMW grilles...

And Buick inexplicably did split grilles for a few years also.

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

I was never sure how this term came about, either with regards to BMW, 

With BMW, the term came about many decades ago when they had kidney-shaped long, vertical twin central grilles.   Never seen it applied to Pontiac, since Pontiac really didn't do the tall narrow twin grilles (maybe the 70 full size and some '70s Grand Prix are close to that..).   Over the decades, esp. starting in the 90s, BMW's central grilles grew wider and wider, evolving more into sqircles than the earlier kidney shape..

1970_bmw_2002_1558568914523f24deee1DSC_5778.jpg

104257_c96f6775d51276ec.jpg

1986_bmw_325e_1544593773d4995acDF64ACD6-F19F-4712-83A7-7672B8727D12.jpeg

280px-BMW_315.JPG

Edited by Robert Hall
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Buddy - none of those are kidney shaped. Google image 'kidney'....
BMW's has used ovals and squares, but never an actual kidney bean shape.
Weird... but I'm instantly reminded of the attempt to label volvo's lights as 'Thor's hammer' - IMO that's about like calling a Pinto 'aspirational'.

Pontiac really didn't do the tall narrow twin grilles


Early on they did :

Screen Shot 2020-09-08 at 5.43.34 PM.png

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1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Buddy - none of those are kidney shaped. Google image 'kidney'....
BMW's has used ovals and squares, but never an actual kidney bean shape.

Now you are just being pedantic and weird..they've been called 'kidney' shaped for decades... rectangles w/ rounded ends.  They could have been called 'sausage' shaped, but weren't.    Today, they are generally 'nostril' shaped, though the new 4 series is going to a long vertical trapezoid shape..

Edited by Robert Hall
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I like rankings.  At least to read them and think about whether I agree or disagree.  They have enough subjectivity in them.

This one is interesting.  It ranks the best 50 universities in the WORLD.

There are some predictable inclusions on the list, which also includes universities in Europe, Asia, and Australia in addition to those in the U.S.

Forbes's list of the 50 best universities in the world

The 1st and 2nd spots go to Oxford and Cambridge, respectively.  They look both too Gothic, too overcast, and too smug for my taste.  The 3rd spot went to Stanford, which was the top rated American University.  MIT and Harvard followed.  Of the state universities, UC Berkeley took the top honors on the list, with UCLA and Michigan not far behind.

Of the three great Canadian universities, University of Toronto led, followed by UBC and McGill.

It's cool that both the University of Washington made the list (#28), as well as the University of Illinois (#50).  I looked at the list twice for one head scratcher (making the list and checking it twice):  the University of Virginia, considered America's "Public Ivy," was not on the list.

Now I need a list of the best places to live to entertain me some more.

Edited by trinacriabob
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7 hours ago, balthazar said:

I was never sure how this term came about, either with regards to BMW, or (and I've not seen them termed such before, I don't think); Pontiac. Neither have either had a kidney shape to them. Pontiac's were commonly referred to as a 'split grille'.

Voila.  I think I dug up something that might qualify ... or get closer to the notion of the Pontiac twin kidney grille look.

2006-pontiac-montana-sv6-1.jpg

This Montana is 2006 vintage.  When I've been given these sorts of vehicles as rentals, I have enjoyed them.  They ride smoothly and weren't too bad on gas.  

I can think of a few times I would have liked this sort of sled ... buying something large, relocating, road tripping, etc.  If a person might consider camping but no longer relishes the roughing it days from being a Boy Scout, one can sleep in the back of these.  If a bear were to come after your tent, you might be in deep sh*t.  If it comes after your Pontiac minivan, you might be able to come to your senses quickly and drive off.

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2 hours ago, David said:

Very old info., nearly 1.5 years ago with first two articles, might as well be 15 years ago with what's going on in 4 or 5 of the "Top Ten" cities on the list. Even the Bankrate write-up from this February is way out of date already.

Keep diggin'! 

Edited by USA-1
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On 9/7/2020 at 8:42 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

I actually preferred the look of the older one. It was much more distinctive compared to the competition.

I’m done with small displacement turbos replacing larger NA engines myself, but this isn’t the best case scenario for that argument. The 1.8 was gutless and saw no noticeable fuel economy gain over the 1.4T. The 1.4T does roll on like a larger engine and would be perfectly suitable as a base engine in these. The 1.8 NA should have been dropped completely and a 1.8T should have been offered.

While the 1.8 was gutless, GM could have saved some cash by making this the base engine and doing a nicer turbo (1.8/2.0 Sound good) for the upper trim levels. People tend to drive the poop out of the compact cars anyways, and while the Corolla may be boring, that 1.8 in it runs a long time. Sadly I’ve seen some lease Cruzes come back to the dealerships after a lease with turbos in sad shape after 30k miles. I find turbos simple can’t handle abuse like an NA engine can....most folks are quite hard on cars....

Too bad that I like the Malibu RS , but I simply can’t justify the wimpy 1.5 in it....

Thanks to early this year, there is a good chance I will buy our two leased Turbo’d cars now ( Nox and Trax), but only because I take care of the turbos, and figure with care they will last a while. Plus the buyouts are cheap... 🙂 

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8 hours ago, balthazar said:

^ You keep calling them 'kidney' shaped. What about them makes you think that?

I didn't coin the term.  Somehow, automotive journalists and car fans latched onto it.  I'm guessing it referred to Pontiacs with more verticality in their rounded grilles and the above photo is the closest I could come to that.  It certainly would not apply to the grille of, say, a '75 Firebird or Grand Le Mans.

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I've probably read 1,000 articles on Pontiacs over the years, I really can't recall Pontiac being referred to by a writer as having 'kidney'-shaped grilles. I guess a couple might've been in there, but it certainly hasn't been even 5% via my observations.
Probably because they simply have never been produced in that shape. It's likely a thoughtless bleed-over from BMW. Journalists are notoriously lazy & inaccurate.

I would never call them that because... as stated above.

Edited by balthazar
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18 hours ago, balthazar said:

You'd certainly have to narrow things down to critique: Pontiac only used the split grille in a 150 different applications over 50 years. ;)

Strangly enough all 150 configurations look better than all modern BMW configurations. Just like all dolphins are smarter than all Goldfish....and the difference is that stark, seriously. I do like the vintage BMW's, including the E30 M3 that were posted up earlier in the thread. 

8 hours ago, daves87rs said:

While the 1.8 was gutless, GM could have saved some cash by making this the base engine and doing a nicer turbo (1.8/2.0 Sound good) for the upper trim levels. People tend to drive the poop out of the compact cars anyways, and while the Corolla may be boring, that 1.8 in it runs a long time. Sadly I’ve seen some lease Cruzes come back to the dealerships after a lease with turbos in sad shape after 30k miles. I find turbos simple can’t handle abuse like an NA engine can....most folks are quite hard on cars....

Too bad that I like the Malibu RS , but I simply can’t justify the wimpy 1.5 in it....

Thanks to early this year, there is a good chance I will buy our two leased Turbo’d cars now ( Nox and Trax), but only because I take care of the turbos, and figure with care they will last a while. Plus the buyouts are cheap... 🙂 

When I was looking at sedans instead of trucks, the 1.5 wrote the Malibu off early in the process. 

12 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Voila.  I think I dug up something that might qualify ... or get closer to the notion of the Pontiac twin kidney grille look.

2006-pontiac-montana-sv6-1.jpg

This Montana is 2006 vintage.  When I've been given these sorts of vehicles as rentals, I have enjoyed them.  They ride smoothly and weren't too bad on gas.  

I can think of a few times I would have liked this sort of sled ... buying something large, relocating, road tripping, etc.  If a person might consider camping but no longer relishes the roughing it days from being a Boy Scout, one can sleep in the back of these.  If a bear were to come after your tent, you might be in deep sh*t.  If it comes after your Pontiac minivan, you might be able to come to your senses quickly and drive off.

Still more sleek and Sexy than the current BMW SUV's. In either case, it's drink until she looks good. All I can say is Tequila!

One of my favorite singers, her father makes a Cameo in this....

Edited by A Horse With No Name
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1 hour ago, balthazar said:

I've probably read 1,000 articles on Pontiacs over the years, I really can't recall Pontiac being referred to by a writer as having 'kidney'-shaped grilles. I guess a couple might've been in there, but it certainly hasn't been even 5% via my observations.
Probably because they simply have never been produced in that shape. It's likely a thoughtless bleed-over from BMW. Journalists are notoriously lazy & inaccurate.

I would never call them that because... as stated above.

There is good journalism, but it is not common. 

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13 hours ago, David said:

Nice to see Denver high in all those lists...probably the only place I've previously lived that I really miss moving away from. 

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42 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

 

 

Nice to see Denver high in all those lists...probably the only place I've previously lived that I really miss moving away from. 

Denver has been high for a loong time and not just geographically. The Song "Rocky Mountain High" might have had something to do with the weed grown in those mountains...

 

But in all seriousness, yes to Denver. 

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42 minutes ago, ykX said:

@A Horse With No Name

Been out for a while, so if you are interested:

Ford Will Sell You a 320-HP Performance Tune for Your Ranger

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a32170394/ford-performance-ranger-tune/

 

I like the idea, however it requires that I run premium gas if I upgrade. But that was an actual aprt of my decision to buy my truck. Thanks!

Being RWD and the lighter cab configuration, it would really fly with this. 

Chris

Another cool Ford Truck....

 

This young lady is rather talented, love her stuff. 

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Two posts in one:

1) A random thought, since I saw this about 5 years ago in the Sunshine State and had to take a photo

WP_002344.thumb.jpg.66947b878728be1738570907b87e748d.jpg

(I can't imagine the ride being as smooth as it could be with this set up)

2)  What are you listening to?  This.

 

Edited by trinacriabob
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1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

Two posts in one:

1) A random thought, since I saw this about 5 years ago in the Sunshine State and had to take a photo

WP_002344.thumb.jpg.66947b878728be1738570907b87e748d.jpg

(I can't imagine the ride being as smooth as it could be with this set up)

2)  What are you listening to?  This.

 

I used to laugh at those, but with the Hurricane floods and the rioting, maybe not so much now......

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4 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Two posts in one:

1) A random thought, since I saw this about 5 years ago in the Sunshine State and had to take a photo

WP_002344.thumb.jpg.66947b878728be1738570907b87e748d.jpg

(I can't imagine the ride being as smooth as it could be with this set up)

2)  What are you listening to?  This.

 

That is one of my favorite songs, actually. I love War....or a least the band named War. 

And better that for that Impala that being put into pick and pull. 

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2 hours ago, daves87rs said:

I used to laugh at those, but with the Hurricane floods and the rioting, maybe not so much now......

I'm laughing with rather than at.  Had it not been for that color, I wouldn't have photographed it because these old schools propped up high are around here and there.  But this person spent some coin to paint that car and put on those tires and wheels.  I'm with you on the flooding.  It will cross intersections that are under water with NO problem, just like the wearer of these pants.

12523.jpg

 

26 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

That is one of my favorite songs, actually. I love War....or a least the band named War. 

And better that for that Impala that being put into pick and pull. 

That song, and band, were good.  And yes to that Caprice.  Though it would be much sweeter and more economical in purist form and with a small 4.3 V8.  (I did not bother to ask anyone hanging around which engine it had since I was making a 3 point turn.)

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33 minutes ago, balthazar said:

^ Interesting, I think I saw that car pictured elsewhere last month.

Bill of sale is fine; some states don't have titles for cars that old (NY is one; '75 or newer).
Another frame & front clip and it's back. The valuation is questionable- that's not he value in its present condition...

Agree no way it was ever worth $80,000 let alone I would not spend the $12,700 they have as current bid. Crazy who ever is trying to buy it.

I do agree with you that this is far easier to fix and will still be stronger than a crashed Unibody auto that was stretched back into shape.

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^ Oh no, pre-impact it certainly was in the $80K range- quality GTOs are mad pricey these days. And if the shell doesn't have significant damage, what's there IS worth in the neighborhood of where it's at.

It's wearing Judge stripes, but no Judge logos... Judge stripes are a relatively common addition on restorations... but documented, quality Judges sell in the quarter million dollar range with frequency.

My point was it's no longer worth $80K NOW.

Edited by balthazar
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6 minutes ago, balthazar said:

SALE prices; not asking prices :

Screen Shot 2020-09-10 at 5.28.12 PM.png

Thta is just freakin crazy. Thank you for posting the info, good to know.

Renault CEO Luca De Meo a former executive from VW has finish the initial review of the Renault company and has stated the company is in the Red Zone and hard choices have to be made to survive. The company like other giant auto companies of the last 5 years and specifically he points to PSA are focusing on profitable auto's and not just manufacturing to keep production going and producing millions of auto's.

As such, he has put on notice the company especially in France that they are going to cut 15,000 jobs by the end of the year, cut auto models by 30% and raise prices by 25 to 30% to insure a profitable company of quality products.

As such random strikes have happened across France and elsewhere.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/auto/renault-ceo-luca-de-meo-we-may-need-more-cuts-to-escape-the-red-zone-5818621.html#:~:text=Renault CEO Luca de Meo%3A We may need,cash and restoring profitability was an immediate priority.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/RENAULT-4688/news/Renault-CEO-We-may-need-more-cuts-to-escape-the-red-zone-31257405/

https://de.reuters.com/article/uk-renault-jobcuts-exclusive-idUKKBN2601J2

 

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12 minutes ago, balthazar said:

That's it? Lotta 'raced' cubes for only 790 HP.

He does say that he thinks with some further tweaks he can get it to 900 hp naturally aspirated with no turbo or supercharger. The engine was built to handle a 3L Whipple Supercharger. He wanted to break it in gently before forcing induction down it's throat.

Be interesting to see how far he takes the build. This motor is going into his custom Fox Body Mustang.

Cadillac NEWS

Seems GM is getting back into the limo business as Motor 1 caught pictures at the GM proving grounds of a XT5 Limo being tested. More pics and details at the story.

image.png

https://www.motor1.com/news/443466/cadillac-xt5-limousine-spy-photos/

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I shouldn't say 'only'; circa 800 is a fat number.
I have a Buick 455 dyno run bookmarked, that car made 830 HP THIRTEEN years ago. 10.1 sec car.
I bolt parts on my 455 and and its 600HP out of the box.

My brother's Pontiac makes 1170 HP out of I think 539 CI (8.8L).
 

Edited by balthazar
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WANT A FREE CORVETTE, BOLT or Silverado?

Chevrolet will let you choose from one of 3 colors and you can quickly download it and build it your self.

image.png

Corvette

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/performance/papercraft-corvette

BOLT

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/electric/papercraft-bolt-ev

Silverado

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/trucks/papercraft-silverado

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1 hour ago, David said:

WANT A FREE CORVETTE, BOLT or Silverado?

Chevrolet will let you choose from one of 3 colors and you can quickly download it and build it your self.

image.png

Corvette

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/performance/papercraft-corvette

BOLT

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/electric/papercraft-bolt-ev

Silverado

https://www.chevrolet.com/new-roads/trucks/papercraft-silverado

Pretty good idea to get kids hook on their product as young as possible. GM knows how to draw in and retain loyal followers from a young age and this shows just one way they can do it.

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10 minutes ago, David said:

33C or 90 plus in Seattle today. so freaking hot. :( 

Think y'all up there met or even beat us in the SW today! It was 68F this morning and only 91 today with only 20% hum. Much different in PNW when 90+ with the humidity, was just there last month and it hit triple digits and upper 90's a few days in a row definitely makes it seems much hotter when 35%+ hum. It was even 111 in Sacramento last weekend which is unheard of. Dangerous for the poor peeps with no A/C! 

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Just now, USA-1 said:

Think y'all up there met or even beat us in the SW today! It was 68F this morning and only 91 today with only 20% hum. Much different in PNW when 90+ with the humidity, was just there last month and it hit triple digits and upper 90's a few days in a row definitely makes it seems much hotter when 35%+ hum. It was even 111 in Sacramento last weekend which is unheard of. Dangerous for the poor peeps with no A/C! 

Right now at my house in Mountlake Terrace, 84 and 46% humidity. It's Killing me Smalls! 😥

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Just now, David said:

Right now at my house in Mountlake Terrace, 84 and 46% humidity. It's Killing me Smalls! 😥

Dude...that's brutal humidity when in the mid 80's!! Now think of how Floridians feel with 84F and 90%+ hum. Ugh...

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I remember visiting Miami some years ago in July and it was like 95 degrees w/ 95% humidity.  No bueno.  A friend from Denver now lives in Huntington Beach Ca said it was 111 there Saturday.  He doesn’t have A/C but does have a pool.  And Denver has had crazy weather the last few days...

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17 minutes ago, USA-1 said:

Dude...that's brutal humidity when in the mid 80's!! Now think of how Floridians feel with 84F and 90%+ hum. Ugh...

Here is this morning at Business Costco with all the smoke from the Oregon and California Wild Fires.

20200908_070900.jpg

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1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

I remember visiting Miami some years ago in July and it was like 95 degrees w/ 95% humidity.  No bueno.  A friend from Denver now lives in Huntington Beach Ca said it was 111 there Saturday.  He doesn’t have A/C but does have a pool.  And Denver has had crazy weather the last few days...

Ugh crazy FL humidity. HS buddy of mine lives in Melbourne, FL, from Oregon as well, says he's done after12 years of it and both of the huge Atlantic hurricanes last few years extensively damaged his house. Says Bend/Sun River, OR could be next move. 

Wow, I heard the So. Cal coast was still cool in 80's and hotter more inland. I know Palm Springs hit a record of 120. Death Valley hit 130 last month, broke a 1913 record. Craziness!

Yep, DEN went from 95F and sunny on Tuesday to 35F and snowing on Wednesday. Get out the Winter clothes! 

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