balthazar

XP-38, the 1955 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham prototype. Tho the model did go into production in '57-60, there were substantial styling & amenitities changes between this & the '57-58s.... ah Hell: this is a pure porn nomination for me. Just so damned beautiful:

Like one single, solitary word to explain the reasoning behind this car is remotely necessary:

1963 Chrysler Turbine. A turn-key, production-ready, alternate fuel vehicle with appropriately space-aged styling to boot. Sat in #18, LOVED the interior. A great thumb-yer-nose at the oil chokehold the rest of motordom would be in in 10 years.

XP-39, the '55 L'Universelle is really interesting- making a cargo vehicle both glamorous, innovative and very capable. Mid-engined with unique scissor-lift doors at the pass side & rear. Love the design of it. It very well may have popularized the van right off the bat and help keep it from being shoehorned into the 'red-headed stepchild' image. I'd put that in my top 10 easy.

I just ran the zip code on this- East Brunswick, the next town over from me. Roger- I know you've said funds are tight- but you want an in-person assessment on this truck - let me know.

Yea- I never could understand the move to put a toyoyo 4-banger in a Lotus. Image-wise, that's a LCD in a HCD. To follow it up with a proposed toyoyo V-8 flagship?? No way Cadillac needs to build it's own motors, and one co-engineered with Lotus is not going to gain any traction in Cadillac's segment, IMO.

Well, isetta was produced under BMW thru '62, so the profit there did carry into the '60s. Good thing; because the other cars dripped red ink out the tailpipes. But the early 3-series/ 2002 cars CERTAINLY were not "look at me" cars- back then, BMW were often bought for tossing around/ sporting drivers cars. Not like today. IMO, the 3-series cars weren't ever anything in the way of visual attention grabbers until they got Banglized.

BMW was actually 'saved from the brink' by the Isetta.

>>"Horsepower... steering & suspension... ride & handling..... THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS is how to beat BMW..."<< :wacko:

BMWs are bought for the badge, not for riding & handling. Only the magazines & the magazine readers get off on those subjectives. Most people react far quicker to simple numbers, like '10-spd transmission' and such. That said, I would definitely like to see the ATS being on par with the 3-series, which is certainly within reach.

Caught part of a promo for the U.S. Top Gear latest episode- looks to up The Bar on Staggeringly Stupid. I saw a Roadmaster wagon filled with water, driving & dripping, and a Fiero intentionally rear-ending a circa '70 Cutlass. I struggle to imagine how they're going to top undercut this feat. Much like the Hasselhoff show- this train wreck should've been stopped after 1 episode.

Clementine is Example 1 of where awful styling crosses over from subjective to objective. Had a hideous, barren interior with awful ergonomics, but I can see how some would call that 'great'. Oooo; that is luxurious! -- -- -- -- -- Quick! Which car is this passage describing : >>"The design was based on a new architectural concept. The unusual proportions respected the fundamentals of executive vehicle design: safety, comfort, ride, equipment. Through a subtle alchemy, (--X--) combined the values of several types of vehicle. It had the (--X--) architecture, space, functionality and user-friendly features of an MPV, the design, drivability and dynamic ride of a coupe..."<< That's right- it also describes this vehicle full of "neat tricks & ideas": I like to think of it as what would happen if a Packard & an Econoline made a baby.

it's the SAME DAMNED CAR!!!!!! At least the hideous, 'broken' Embolado or the Charger-esque Estoque is different.... Damn.

Facts are facts. If some people chose to delude themselves, it is they that are acting 'dumb'.

66.5 MPH in the slalom is within 1 MPH of the 3-series (67.3)- not good for BMW.

BMW 6 should be better than a Mustang too, right? It isn't.

Gee- that's why you EDUCATE them. And I don't think it's stupidity as much as the fact that the information isn't presented to them.

That's where educating the consumer to be more intelligent than just 'morer gears = betterer' is the job of a successful PR department. Get beyond the superficial; get technical.

I didn't realize there were consumers already nostalgic for 1995.

I have no issues sleeping: average time-to-sleep is 3 minutes. Afraid of the odds I might literally go mad if I supplemented the process.

If anyone has any time/interest in delving into that world, take a short (30-60 min), spontaneous nap and set a good alarm- chance you wake yourself up during one is better, I believe. I used to dream like a fiend- to the point I obtained regular lucidity and entered into dream control. I don't catch my dreams as often anymore, but they've always been disturbingly weird. I written some of the most bizarre down, I don't like to go back & read them tho. The Ash People, the skin room {shudder}... Not nearly enough sex dreams, and too many about Roland D LeBay. My twisted mind is pretty busy at night...

So intent trumps repetition ?? Just asking.

@ Olds : LOL I remember once dreaming of a brilliant red '67 Eldorado (it was on it's side in my backyard), but even there the thought that it was strangely RWD flickered thru my dream's mind. They are all like this and I often wake up borderline exhausted from the mental turmoil. It's like they're the dreams out of someone else's head. If I wasn't so well grounded, I could get really paranoid/ worried about it all.

Wouldn't "someone without the intellect to actually debate me" (IE; 'stupid') fall under name-calling, or is it indirect enough that it's still 'high-level discourse' ?? :wacko: I take no issue with those who express their subjective opinion, even repeatedly- that shows passion & commitment. What I DO take umbrage with is opposing viewpoints which run to the wall with overblown hyperbole to debate the 1st POV. Repetition of things like 'I disagree, so get a life/hobby/tin foil hat'- juvenile sh!t like that. Telling others what they need to do - who comes here for that? It was exactly that that drove me off of GMI years ago, and is MUCH more tiresome than any issue ever brought up here, no matter how often.

The only positive value I personally see in it is, I can +1 a post I agree with (for various reasons) instead of adding a whole post that basically sez '+1'. Bandwidth saver & keeps the thread tidy. Other than that, it could go away immediately & I wouldn't miss it at all.