balthazar

Well, toyota is probably a poor decision based on all their quality/engineering issues, but you're free to buy what you want. I got my Buick when I was 23, but it was only coincidence it was the same year my father got his first Buick, as his was an '89 and mine was a '59. I'd liked the B-59 for years beforehand. However, I will say I very likely came to Pontiac thru my family: grandfather: '55, '57, '63, '66, '69, '72, '76, father: took his father's '63, then '70, '77. After all of that, me: '64, '64, '64, '65, '65, '66, '65, '60... but you can see by the above I'm in for the specific car, not the brand per say, otherwise I would've had '80s & '90s Pontiacs (no thanks).

This house is about 10 mins from me. For about a year plus, I've been keeping an eye on it, have dubbed it 'The Mannikin House'. I scrolled side-to-side before I took this screenshot; there's 16 mannikins posed all around the house. Maybe there's more out back. Most I've ever counted is 17. They change frequently in number, position & dress. Sometimes during hard/long rainstorms, those staying outside cluster on the 2 porches. Recently my son was sitting in his car in front of the house, waiting for the light to change. The guy was getting out of his PT Cruiser. He saw my son looking at him, pulled his passenger mannikin out of the car and made it wave at my son. Between my wife & son, he's always seen wearing a 'Deny Reality' t-shirt (I've yet to see him). Don'tcha just love characters?

^ That's actual seven syllables ("7700"). Nah- too cumbersome. 4.35 bore x 3.95 stroke = 7693cc / 469.9 CI

Early 50s IH pickup, lightly hot-rodded, matte black, rollin' Pair of nissan GT-Rs within 20 secs of each other. They crossed the same intersection but were travelling 90 degrees from each other. Fox-bodied Mustang notchback done up in period police garb.

Of course you know I tend to look at this from the vintage perspective. Walk up to a given car and there's zero bundling- no way to expect Option B because it has option A. Much more configurable / individually custom. That's 'luxury' right there. Cadillac should move to ala cart options on upper tier models : CT6 / XT6 and above. Would blow the luxury consumer's mind.

GET IN HERE

^ Agreed. But along the same lines, they don't "have" to bundle a sunroof, heated steering wheel, power trunk & light up grille ornament together when they have nothing to do with each other.

I certainly don't see or would classify what I said as "1st world problems". I would greatly prefer unbundled options, and further; the choice of choosing (or, as in my case; not) some 'safety' features in the same manner. Where can I buy that??

Things I'd like to get in a car mostly aren't available, then other things I don't want, are standard. Nobody can ever be happy, it seems.

Encore have this system, DD?

Have any specific towns/areas you think fit this definition? What is this definition, by the way?

Very much like 'climate change' - no one is denying that change is happening. The analysis should be on; at what rate? A lot of middle America would rather have their STANDARD OF LIVING back as if it were 1955. It's not about 'factories', although I do agree a solid manufacturing base is a worthy attribute/insurance policy. Age of infrastructure is a distant secondary to condition of infrastructure. Yet too often I see 'age' as the criteria of judgement.

Hence; the sales numbers, right smk?

mercedes doesn't build any of its concept vehicles.

How does ANC work, physically/hardware wise?

The Escalade has a trunk; a tall trunk/covered cargo area.

Where did I mention motive power?

The 1970s is alive & well at the mercedes dealership- they have a few models with cheesy stand-up hood ornaments still. Wave some dollars around and I'm sure you can get Vogue striped tires and fender skirts. - - - - - As teeth-gnashingly gruesome as that mercedes SedanUtilityXrossover pictured above is, I strongly believe this is where auto design is heading; a merger of sedan & SUV. I've predicted it here in years past. As the gap between a given Brand X mid-size sedan & SUV narrows with each generation... features, MPG, AWD, etc... as these attributes are found comparably in each version, what's the point about having 2 versions when 1 will do?

My 455 post-rebuild would be either a 462 or 470, so I get to claim 7.6 or 7.7L. Of course; 'liters' is for snooty European cars. And truthfully- what sounds better; '7.7' or '470'? 'Liters' or 'cubes'? Moltar, where are YOU on this one? :)

You may be thinking of the '01 Blackhawk, William. I didn't check the '07 Riv, but I'll bet dollars to donuts there's no 455 in there. Poked around for 60 seconds- didn't see ANY claims as to an engine in the '07 Riv concept. Very likely a 'pusher'.

Easily the most visually offensive Buick... ever. Putrid.

Well, I'm not an advocate of this sort of thing, usually. Changing the character so much. But while we're changing out powertrains, could've also put a '57 Thunderbird Special engine in there; 340 HP supercharged. Or a SOHC 427 from the early '60s with 425 HP. Or a Ford FE 511, and go 8.7's in the quarter @ 147 MPH. This is solidly over 700 HP :

That concept above is the 2007 Riviera.

Michelin bought out another rubber company's site 10 minutes from me, in 1907. They expanded the facility, plus built a number of 'bungalows' for workers (my brother-in-law lives in one). At one point they employed over 2000 locals. There was also a large building across the main street with a connecting elevated passage, tho I never saw that. Michelin moved back to France in 1930 when the depression hit. It's been empty much longer than the 25 years I've been in the area. Just this year everything was demolished except the smokestack & water tower (which are staying). I've poked around the site in the past- that roofless building right by the stack had a fascinating bunch of machinery- the original powerplant. All gone now. Sometime I believe in the 1980s, Michelin paid for lights to illuminate a ball field/park a few blocks away. At least, that's what I heard- hard to believe on the face of it.