oldshurst442

Reminiscing about my childhood and the cars that I liked. I never posted this particular Pontiac anywhere. Never mentioned that I liked it, anywhere. First time. 1970 Catalina There was one in my neighborhood growing up. I think it was a 4 door. I do not think it had a vinyl top. It was the same green colour as this one with the same hub caps Loved the nose Loved the rear

Yeah...I knew that about you. I forgot. (That you were into '50s and '60s Pontiacs when you were a teen in the '70s) I did calendar year for me as I wasnt as advanced as you were in recognizing what and who you were about cars. I came to that mindset when I was in my late '20s. However, I did like '50s and '60s cars in my teens, I also liked the cars IN my teens and in my '20s as well which would be cars in the '80s and '90s respectively. I only started preferring the classics cars over the currents in my late 20s which would be the late '90s.

I couldnt possibly be out by 1979 as I was just starting out in being a car guy. A tad earlier than '79. But I was just 6 years old then. My dad's '70 GTO and a neighbor's '76 Trans Am were one of the first cars that I loved. The General Lee too, but we are talking about Pontiac. Then in 1979, the new look Trans Am came out and I was hooked forever as a Pontiac guy. There were other Pontiacs in my neighborhood (from the '70s) that had 'that' look that made Pontiac such an exciting brand. But...the first car that I disliked was that Sunbird that I posted. When I saw the Pontiac arrowhead on it, I do remember looking at it and thinking to my little self, WTF? Obviously not in those words...but the sentiment of WTF was there. Then the '80s came...and my love for the 3rd gen Trans Am was as strong as the love I had for the '76 and the '79. The Bandit T/A was not a favorite...I merely liked it. I preferred the years outside of '77-'78. But when I saw that Bonneville as a new Pontiac, I wasnt too thrilled. But the Grand Prixs made me kinda forget about that Bonneville. The FWD Pontiacs of the '80s never had a negative impact on me. Only because I really didnt know what I was really missing in the RWD Pontiacs of the '60s... I loved the way the excess styling of late '80s Pontiacs were. Then came the weirdness of GM in 1990. As long as Pontiac had the Trans Am and had made the 4rth gen so adolescent looking that I sooooo ,oved about it, I didnt care what shytty cars Pontiac was peddling. I loved the W-Body GP, I loved both gens of the FWD Bonnevilles and I also kinda liked the Dustbuster minivan. And my favorite was the plastic bodycladded Pontiac version. But when Pontiac decided to sell the 2nd gen, I started questioning Pontiac's direction. And then the Rageous came out immediatley right after and I said to myself..."OK, Pontiac is serious again in making muscle machines! I want!" Only for it to be just a concept...

ANSWER:

I had the opposite effect. I always loved Pontiac, but the Rageous only solidified my love for Pontiac THAT much more. The Pontiacs that questioned my love for the brand were these:

Actually...not a bad idea. However, Quebecois arent too keen on fake yellow cheese.

I grew up in that neighborhood. Lived slightly farther than a stone's throw from the stadium. My aunt and uncle (and cousins, duh) lived closer than a stone's throw away. 3640 Sherbrooke E is where my aunt and uncle lived. In front of that ugly ass artistic sculpture shyte, the window immediately to the right of it, was their living room. I played on that sculpture, slipped on it and had a prong go right through my left thigh the summer of '81. The google maps link. The stadium is 2-3 streets away. https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5486864,-73.5550566,3a,49y,106.85h,88.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sz-NhkZiECog4PmQvF6T-ZA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en-US Ive posted a google map link of where I lived in the past. Ill google link it again 3873 Ste Catherine E. The stadium being 1.5 miles away to the south. Ste Catherine street....East. Yes...THAT same Ste Catherine street that buzzes in the summer which is WEST...which is DOWNTOWN Montreal The heart of Downtown, Peel and Ste Catherine, is a mere 7 miles away. Old Montreal even closer. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Avenue+Bourbonnière+%26+Rue+Sainte-Catherine+E,+Montréal,+QC+H1W+2G4/@45.5461715,-73.5368457,3a,59.3y,303.21h,93.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swLS2v1RCdt3tVVSdez6BOQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cc91b865e3ca78f:0x9c29d85dd1783014!8m2!3d45.5460644!4d-73.5369251 My bedroom window was directly on top of that restaurant's sign to the right. The first window to the of the buiding to the left was our living room. This current restaurant went bankrupt because of Covid Im assuming. But that location was always a restaurant. Going back to when my dad was a young lad. He (my dad) grew up in that house too. It was Greek owned (building and restaurant) from the late '60s to the early 2000s when that Greek owner passed away. He came from the same village my mom came from. He bought that restaurant from another Greek who owned the building. Original owner kept the building. Long story. I dont feel like going through a very intertwined history lesson. But it is quite interesting. Another time. I saw at least 200 games of Expos baseball at the Olympic Stadium. (probably more...closer to 300) I never missed a home opener from 1983-1995. I was at the game when Pete Rose, as an Expo, hit his 4000th hit. I used to take my bike to my cousins' apartment, leave it there and walk. When my parents and my aunt and uncle finally moved from this neighborhood...well public transport. I wasnt at the MLB All Star game in 1981, but I do remember the helicopters flying on top of the stadium. I was bike riding with my cousins while the game was on. Maybe the TV did capture us when they were filming outside the stadium? Three 8-9 year old boys riding their bikes near the stadium...on Sherbrooke street and Pie-IX boul. Hockey runs through my blood. Best sport in the world. I LOVE BASEBALL EVEN MORE!!!

Olympic Stadium. Montreal Home of the '76 Summer Olympics and the Montreal Expos MLB club Under construction Back view Olympic Stadium. Montreal. A corrupt, decrepit, billion dollar boondoggle.

Lord Of War (I forgot about this scene...was pleasantly surprised again to see the Poncho) American Beauty (Totally forgot about this too...I must now acquire either a '70 442 W-30 or '73 Trans Am SD455 so I could passively aggressively tell my wife too that "I rule")

Watching play-off hockey is sooooo relaxing when your team aint in it anymore...

I JUST SAW A LOVELY LADY IN THE STANDS WEARING AN EXPOS CAP AT THE VEGAS GAME!!! YIPPI!!! Or should I say...YOUPPI!!! But...2-0 for the Golden Nights

No...it aint. Smoke and mirrors... Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are another beast all together, but cryptocurrencies and Tesla perceived value are valued on the same smoke and mirrors principles. When GM had to go through bankruptcy, the company's debts and expenses were put on one side and closed down and a new company emerged. But THAT could only happen when there is a REAL value attached to a company. 600 billion attached to Tesla is NOT a real value. Restructuring of GM had many valuable assets going for them. REVENUE streams WERE healthy for one. Actual sales of automobiles is another. Did you know that Pontiac's sales, Hummer's sales, SAAB's sales and Saturn sales in 2008, the year prior GM went bankrupt and FORCED to close down these brands had MORE sales than Tesla has now at their peak? Pontiac in 2008 had 267 000 sales Saturn had 188 000 Saab had 21 000 Hummer had 27 000 That makes a total of 535 000 units. Tesla produced 509 737 and delivered 499 550 in 2020... GM SHUT DOWN brands that TOTALED MORE SALES than TESLA produces and delivers in 2020... In 2009 at the bankruptcy these brands totaled half of that with 252 00 sales... You put too much value in stock price values...stock price values are MANIPULATED...smoke and mirrors...

Battle of the Sin Cities.

smoke and mirrors, my friend. smoke and mirrors.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a36715189/jay-leno-production-quarter-mile-record-tesla-model-s-plaid/ Jay however, talks about American ingenuity when talking about the Model S Plaid....a necessary uptake as compared to the bashing that is done in this thread.

My point being: Tesla's car manufacturing may fail them to the point of where consumers might not want to buy Tesla vehicles. Especially if Tesla does not give a proper 2nd generation to their current crop of cars. The Roadster 2.0 is a halo car. If it didnt exist, Tesla could have used the Model S as its halo car so by having a Rodster 2.0 in the line-up wont change much. However, if a 2nd gen Model S does NOT show up anytime soon, anything from Cadillac or Porsche or Audi and anybody else that could meet and especially beat the Model S' performance specs in speed and in battery and range performance, Tesla is SCREWED!!! And I could feel it in my gut, that GM WILL meet and beat Telsa's tech. VW too. And if the marketing hooh-la-la of Lucid is genuine, not good for Tesla and the Model S IF the Model S stays as a gen 1 offering. And THEN when THAT happens, then the bread and butter models WILL be affected. ESPECIALLY if the Model 3 and Model Y dont get gen 2s, but even if they stay with that gen 1 look...because as we see with the Ford Mach E, a new, shinier model will ALWAYS sell better than an older, passé vehicle. And when THAT happens, because Im afraid it will, revenue streams from selling cars will dwindle, carbon credit sales will be non-existent and then the car making business for Tesla is done for. But like I said earlier, Tesla's powertrain and battery tech is still second to none. Even if VW and GM could and will meet and beat it, its still on top and Tesla could just relegate itself to sell its platforms to OEMs. And this would be a great money making endeavor for Tesla. Powered by Tesla could be a very powerful marketing tool for many body shell "coach builders". Something a reminisce about it from the pioneering days...

Profit is such a delicate definition...especially when it comes to corporate capitalism. But that is neither here nor there. The conversation SHOULD steer itself AWAY from all other OEMs and it should really JUST BE about Tesla. Tesla's revenue streams are a delicate issue. There is revenue. From all kinds of sources. But as far as the revenue streams that are DIRECTLY related to its car selling business, and how efficient it could build them, well, this is where the problem lies for Tesla. It does sell enough cars for a viable revenue stream. Heck, that revenue stream helps Tesla put money back into the company with Tesla's construction of battery fabrication factories AND car fabrication factories and it also helps investors tom continue to invest in Tesla's stocks. THAT is a good thing as money that Tesla needs to use is there for various projects that need to be made in the future. But... Tesla's manufacturing is inefficient and costs money to the company. THAT leads to Tesla having quality issues too, which also cuts into the bottom line. Market erosion is also happening from at least 2 OEM giants (VW and Ford of all places) and from China's car companies and there hasnt been a full onslaught of competition yet from any of the OEMs. GM hasnt entered the fight yet. But its coming here and in China... Side track from GM and contrast: GM's manufacturing inefficiencies was only because there were too many brands...NOT because of a lack of an understanding of how to manufacture cars. Unlike Tesla. GM's quality problems because of shytty bean counting...NOT because of shytty manufacturing. Tesla over engineers in some places needlessly and under engineers in others. Not because of bean ccounting, but because of a lack of experience. All GM had to do is NOT cheap out on the processes... GM's market erosion WAS because of cheap bean counted products...BUT GM still had and still has a very very healthy market share. People bought and continue to buy GM products. Tesla is being questioned even by those investors who truly believe in them right now. Its funny, even when GM was dragged through all that mud during the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s. 10s and now 20s, especially during the bankruptcy, GM was NEVER questioned about their existence. Many people wanted their solvency, but even those people, they just knew GM was really not in danger of selling any cars... Can we say the same with Tesla now? Selling carbon credits is not a way to keep a business afloat. Tesla has to figure out a more efficient way to manufacture a vehicle. The Cybertruck is said to be engineered in a way for Tesla to make money. But the Cybertruck wont be selling in any high volumes to KEEP Tesla afloat. If the Cybertruck indeed ever goes on sale to begin with. Their bread and butter model...the Model 3 and Model Y , even with the new manufacturing plant in China...is still a manufacturing mess... Again...something that GM in 2009 NEVER had to face...

In all honesty...GM's "bankruptcy" was not a conventional one. It was a solvency that was restructured. Because there actually was revenue streams that were coming in. Pretty SUBSTANTIAL revenue streams at that. Its just that a lot of waste and fat had to be trimmed and why a restructure was presented as a solution instead of liquidating the company and dissolving it. Tesla on the other hand, is not like GM where there is a healthy revenue stream from actual selling of cars. Tesla does spend billions in factories and their proprietary EV charging network which negates their revenue streams as the revenue coming in just goes directly back into the company. HOWEVER...much data including Sandy Munroe concludes that Tesla's manufacturing of automobiles is very very inefficient. GM did not have that problem. Sales were also there for GM. (Tesla's market share going forward after 2023-2024 is under scrutiny too) GM's problems were that they had an enormous amount of expenses. Not even debt. Their debt load WAS manageable. Banks did not want to loan them money BECAUSE there was an over all (and global) bank meltdown (thanks to greedy American bank mortgage loans etc)... It was their expenses that really did them in.

Id say with the Roadster 1.0 Tesla was considered a legit car company even with just that car and it was just a conversion job. Elon wanted a legit Tesla EV with a REAL EV platform and that is how the Model S came about, but Tesla as a company starts with the Roadster as the REAL Tesla technology and raison d'etre is the battery tech and electric motor. To this day, Tesla is considered a tech company with their battery tech, motor and software front and center ahead of their car production...

Tesla is not going to go bankrupt. At least not in the 2020s. In the 2030s...who knows? Too many "investors" have poored too many billions into this to just let it fail. However, if Tesla CARS dont overtake the competition in sales market share, then who knows what will happen next. Consumers NEED to BUY your vehicles to STAY IN business... THAT is just how...business works. However, if Tesla cars wont exist, Tesla powertrains and batteries IS a thing and Tesla could provide THAT to OEMs that dont want to invest the billions developing their own tech. Volkswagen Group or GM might not be those that would buy Tesla powertrains and batteries as they have their own technologies...but... Toyota might. They have fallen behind. Honda might. Honda will be buying GM tech, but having another option like Tesla might benefit Honda... Mercedes might also. Mercedes EV tech is pathetic as of now... Keep in mind that VW does outsell Tesla is certain markets NOW. Keep in mind that the Ford Mach E also has eroded Tesla market share. GM EVs that actually compares to Tesla, like the GMC Hummer EV, well, the Hummer EV has a very very healthy amount of down deposits for one. Tesla like craze about the Hummer with people...

Did it ever gain momentum in the first place? (on vintage vehicles being electrified) I dont think it ever was THAT huge of a thing. As with "sacrilegious" engine swaps like a Toyota twin turboed inline 6 being dropped in a '69 Camaro or an LS swap in a Mark IV Supra or in an air-cooled Porsche 911 not bothering me, I dont care if a battery electric powertrain gets to be swapped into a classic car. But...I do hurt just a tad inside when the V8 goes away for an electric motor... I do find THIS trend: "On the heels of the news piece where something like 20% of BE vehicle owner are switching back to IC" to be quite interesting though. Not good for the 2035 ICE ban I must admit. Even though I DO think its coming because its more to do with worldwide government regs rather than market place acceptance, there might be a push back by consumers for regs like these...

What did one lung say to the other? we be-lung together! What do you call a lung thief? breathtaking! Thank-you. Thank-you very much!

I needed some cleaning products for my automobiles. Both cars hadnt been cleaned on the inside for quite some time now... I have 3 consecutive days off starting today so I thought Id do some car cleaning. I thought I had some left over but nope, so before heading to work yesterday, I bought some cleaning products. And this is what I saw in the Canadian Tire parking lot. My dad's 1979 Impala seemed to have had the same colour... Say what you will about 1970s cars from GM. Diss, bitch and complain and say that GM's troubles began in the 1970s. I, for one though, LOVE many many GM products from this era. This Poncho right here...long, low and sleek. Beautiful convertible. Miles better looking and interesting than the shyte cars that you could see in the background...