trinacriabob

This basic roofline was "shared" with other GM brands BOP + C at about this time. This was one of the better designs. My favorite one would have been the Pontiac fraternal twin. That funky metallic coral color was fairly nifty and sometimes seen on these cars/brands. Bottom line: I painfully miss the larger American coupe.

Not into the Royals. However, you wake up and learn that Prince Philip has died. RIP. He and the queen seem like decent folks. So, he made it to 99. His 100th birthday would have been 2 months from now. I was hoping he'd make it to 100(+). For one, London, and England, would have probably partied in his honor. Parties can be good. Then, I always like to see centennial birthdays for people who have been going along at a steady pace well into their 90s.

I am aware of this, at least within GM. That the 350s weren't an exact 350 c.i. and were all a little different, as you mentioned before. It was just a numbering convention, and it made sense. Right in that the market supported this ... the different brands, the different models, and the different engines, which became partly irrelevant as time went on. They penciled at the time. Funny, though, that they couldn't give the buyer maroon or blue seat belts with their maroon and blue interiors, respectively, and instead gave you black ones unless you selected the colored ones as an option. Lots of line items on yesteryear's stickers ... that was bad. The opportunity to customize without rigid packaging ... that was good.

Four divisions of GM doing a small block 350 ... and the same four divisions doing a big block 454/5. I'll take the small blocks. And, while I did not enjoy feeding a small block, I sure as heck would not have wanted to feed any of the big blocks ... then or now. I think that, even if GM had scrapped some of the "duplication," the outcome (wake up call in the New Millennium) would have been much the same.

I've been here! Slightly east of Morgantown, WV. It's just that I saw that treed 2-lane road in fall colors rather than the greenery shown in the video. It's beautiful. And, Morgantown has its own charm and still hums because it's the main state college town. (Other WV towns are not doing too well.) There are rattlesnake signs everywhere here. These guys are timber rattlesnakes, from what I learned. They are not as aggressive as some other "brands." The one I would not want to get into a tiff with is the Mojave rattler. Also, with their camouflage that is so damn effective, the signage is but the tip of the iceberg in "preventive measures."

The tight and mild temperature band of the PNW between the Coastal Range/Olympics and the Cascades is ideal for cars ... dense, cool, damp air to suck into the engine's intake, moist enough for tires, belts, and hoses, and no extremes that would weather the paint and corrode the frame. - - - - - I think of Croatia, and its coastline, off and on. I think I would really enjoy visiting it.

:13 boring, dowdy :17 clunky :31 scary - Pontiac could pull off the front end theatrics, but this Mopar maneuver is a miss :38 wallowing suspension :42 too serious the Challenger and Charger seem okay - - - - - POLARa and POLARizing was a play on words. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'd gladly take a Polara, even today, to coming anywhere near a polar bear, FWIW.

Some people in the design studio at Mopar needed to have their hands slapped for coming up with a couple of these models. Also, the Polara was polarizing.

^ with respect to WA state, here's to Gonzaga (WA) over Baylor (TX) tonight. (Little Gonzaga squeaked by big UCLA a few days ago.) Not fanatical about this, but that's the outcome I'd like to see.

It is going to be challenging to go through the check-out at the supermarket in the next few weeks with all that DEEPLY DISCOUNTED Easter chocolate in close proximity.

No. The plates featured cod (or fried fish), rice, and vegetables. I did get some baklava. I have been to some festivals where they have the pasta frola with apricot filling, but it was not here tonight. I'm a big fan of Greek desserts.

They rarely coincide on the same Sunday. Ha. I just came back from a Greek Orthodox church where I bought Friday night's baked cod dinner!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it, and happy weekend. And, even if you don't, you can still make sure you eat well (aerial view courtesy of the Chicago Tribune).

Thoughts of the Fontainebleau, and its environs, randomly go through my head from time to time ...

Last day of March Some spotting occurring over several days this month. It's nice to see so many well maintained last-gen Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles on the road - in base 3800 form, and also in supercharged 3800 and 5.3 V8 forms. A fairly timeless shape that has held up well. I like the slightly different grille of the GXP compared to the base model. Here's a base model seen at a Sonic. If they had incorporate the GXP grille and amended the headlamps along those lines, I think they would have sold a few more of these. The question is whether they would have cannibalized from other W-body sales, or even picked up a few would-be Ford Taurus buyers. White is the best color for the last GP. I still have a slight bit of cognitive dissonance and a soft spot for this vehicle. They were reasonably priced for what you got. I've had them as rentals several times and have driven them for quite a few miles.

Q: What do you call someone at Berkeley on a scholarship? A: A "free radical."

Which then leads to either Barry White or Rick Astley ...

It tends to be more civil over here ... Ok, this backs up to mid-March, because it was when I was at the dealership for service. In the showroom: GMC Acadia dashboard GMC Acadia engine compartment - with the 3.6 L VVT V6 This is probably the only SUV/CUV I like. The Acadia has always been among the better looking in this segment, with its clean lines. I actually like the dashboard quite a bit. Also, GM currently features "cleaner" looking engine (ICE) compartments than does the competition. The Acadia slots it nicely in price point between Buick Encore and Envision. * still thinking along the lines of a basic $29 K Dodge Charger *

March 28 - today Spotted this final gen Monte Carlo ... they look great in white and with the optional alloy wheels. I have a soft spot for these and get some cognitive dissonance (the last larger GM coupe within the more reasonably priced brands), seeing that they have held up so well.

Some comments suggest that this is more suited to be the official song of NYC than Sinatra's "New York, New York." I'd be okay with that. Highlights: - the first 25 seconds, when some local dudes are presumably near Times Square and then an early '80s Buick full size wagon, possibly with wood grain, just happens to pull up, an occupant lifts the hood, and it starts belching smoke ... and one drunken guy falls over the fire hydrant (seems to be ok) - at 1:45, why is it that so many NYC taxi cabs used to be shown bouncing up and down like this on TV and movies ... soft suspensions, worn shocks, bad roads, or a little of all of these? These were the days.

There was a 283 V8 in my parents' driveway at some point. I know that they were very good engines. I'm not sure if the 307 and the327 used either the same bore OR stroke. It also seemed that the 307 skipped over Impala/Caprice and was slotted into Malibu/Chevelle. I'm not sure. So, it's funny that 307 c.i. worth of displacement shows up again, in 5.0 liter form and as an Oldsmobile small block V8, in the early '80s, and possibly the late '70s. And turned out to be such a great engine that it was chosen to power top of the line Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham et. al. just like a TBI Olds 350 V8 was chosen to power the first Cadillac Seville. I love that "family" of engines.

Very interesting ... I wonder where this "very" pink photos is ... thinking Savannah, Charleston, or other historic Southern coastal cities. Good on him or her. They snagged the right license plate sequence for that Riv. These used to hurt my eyes but, now, when I do see them, I appreciate them and that people are taking care of these polarizing vehicles. The Chevy ad was probably in the San Diego Tribune. El Cajon Blvd. The price makes sense, in a way. The barebones Maverick was introduced for $ 1,999, I think. But, look at what you started out with: a 170 c.i. inline 6, a "3 on the tree," nasty plaid bench seats, hubcaps, and no carpeting. With this one, it's more, but you got an automatic transmission (Power Glide), probably a V8, and trim items like buckets/console and wheel covers/WSW tires.

Per the text of the ad, color is spelled colour. I'm betting this ad was directed at Canadians or, since they use the dollar as well, maybe at Australians or New Zealanders. These guys don't look very "American" to me.

March 22 I was in the parking lot for an adjacent merchant (three guesses and the first two don't count) and this "Schwinn bicycle blue metallic" sports car caught my attention - the current mid-engine Corvette. This was a big leap for this car. It has taken a while to get used to it because it has had different proportions for decades. It might be one of the few expensive eye catching cars I'd consider if I had money to burn ... not. I'll take it in silver with a maroon leather interior. I think they did a good job with the redesign.

March 21 First day of spring! I saw this late model Corvette in a valet zone. I'm not sure if I like this metallic salmon color (most likely custom, and not stock) but I do like many metallic rust colors, especially on sports cars. As far as sports cars go, they're interesting how they've moved across the generations, unique, and a home grown American story.