MW 1982 Spy Shots The GM Full-Size FWD | Retro Review

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

 

 

[David]

Here is a car that a few folks here will love like @Robert Hall @oldshurst442 @surreal1272 and @Drew Dowdell

It is a quirky car for me, certain things I liked about it and other things I hate about it.

[Robert Hall]

The prototypes look cobbled from X- and A- bodies. 

I remember when the FWD C-bodies first appeared (and the H-bodies a year later), thinking how small they looked... I remember how thin the pillars were, esp. the C-pillars..  I liked the 2dr versions, esp. the Buick Electra T-Type and subsequent LeSabre T-Type....  too bad Pontiac didn't get a 2dr, the '87 Bonneville was very sharp...Always wondered why Chevy didn't get an H-body version (could have been called the Impala, and left the B-body Caprice).   

[Drew Dowdell]

gThey look like RWD A/G-Bodies with FWD but longitudinal mounting.  And knowing GM's penchant for cheapness in this era, it was probably just the THM325 (3-speed FWD) used in the 79-82 Toronado/Riviera/Eldorado/Seville, but for those cars was being upgraded to the THM325-4L (4-speed overdrive FWD) for 1983. 

The beauty of that powertrain was that it could drop in place anywhere a RWD setup was engineered and all you needed to do was change the front suspension mounting.  But, it didn't improve packaging or fuel economy.

 

That said, I am almost wondering if Motorweek got the FWD part wrong... OR they were just testing some mules for the new 4-speed setup above.

[surreal1272]

Holy smokes. The cheapness was probably strong as hell with those, given the era and GM operating at their "finest" lol. The late 70s and early 80s just offer nothing of value for me (save for a very select few models). Just hard to wax nostalgic about such a horrible time in domestic automotive history. 

[oldshurst442]

Like how others have said, I share the same sentiments.  

From being of cobbled looks of X and A Body FWDrivers AND midsizer A Body RWD,  to probably being very cheaply manufactured...yeah...these prototypes or mules dont do too much for me other than to reminisce the early 1980s of music and video games...

Spyhunter and Loverboy's When Its Over popped into my mind IMMEDIATELY after watching the video.