balthazar

>>"The old car scrapping for tax credits programs in Cali have demonstrated there is NO pollution savings because the bulk of the cars scrapped haven't run in years and were sitting quietly in someone's back yard."<< This is exactly why these types of bills have been defeated numerous times- they don't accomplish anything.

"I call BS." C'mon- that' is a pristine engine compartment with some dust on it. Original hose clamps on factory hoses, no discoloraton, no rust. You're not saying it has 101,129 miles on it, are you ??? It's legit.

>>"GM has 70% of the patents in the emerging technology category."<< I did not read this as 'all patents issued over the last 100 years'. That said- I'm always in favor of more details.

The 'small block bus'.... ooooOOOOOOooooooo !!!

Jeez- 6 whacks in 8 years! When will it be time to move, or are you just inheritantly magnetic? You're epitomizing the phrase 'only the strong survive', sir. Speedy recovery to you both.

Definately something you don't see everyday : a brand new, fiberglas, full-body shell of a stretched-wheelbase '73-74 Charger funny car on a trailer. Just the shell fresh from the mold. Big split rear deck spoiler, elongated front end... I have no idea where whomever had this got it- must've been a big bucks commissioned project.

smallchevy- stacked headlights on a big Pontiac puts it as a 63-67.

Well, 'Sport Coupe' would be Chevy's term, while 'bubbletop' is an enthusiast's nickname. 127K does look high for what's always been claimed as a 'rare' car, but perhaps 'rare' is relative to other Chevys. If you look at other totals (75K Impala convertibles, 323K Bel Air & Impala 2-dr hardtops), it looks to be in line. Why would it be unusually low- doesn't make sense- it should fall in line with other year/make 2-doors. I buy 127K.

Anyone spot the non-Buick in that video ? Oopsie. :wink:

As long as it's strictly an advisory board (as opposed to a policy-making one), GM could squeek out of the deal without being zombie-afied... because those gov't chuckleheads have little idea how to do their own jobs, nevermind run a manufacturing corporation.

>>"...were forced to buy a Kia..."<< Is there going to be a gun at anyone's head ?? If the American automakers cease to exist, I'm restoring vintage American- no hesitation.

Anyone else see the historic-thru-today Opel experiment just isn't working ? In other words, a badge-jobbed Opel Pontiac is not raising my hopes any.

>>"Now, with the exception of a Texas truck plant, it is idling its factories for additional days."<< Didn't the TX toyota truck plant just come off a 2 or 3 month idle period ?? Nice reporting there, Reuters !!

Ironic- on another board I have been in the back-n-forth this week all on the GM bubbletop. There, the 'purists' I guess you'd call it, claim the term 'bubbletop' only applies to '61 GMs with that roof & the '62 Bel Air, the only '62 GM model with that roofline. I am of the opinion -and I'm not the only one- that this term should apply to the '59-60 hardtop coupe, too- the only thing visually different there RE the greenhouse is the windshield; why not also include them ?? Frankly- the lower roofline of the '59-60 is sleeker than the '61-2 with it's funky A-pillar. Othe claim there is that the '62 Bel Air bubbletop is rare, but the figure I found says 127K were built. My dad had one new...

I friggin LOVE driving in snow; kicking the ass end out, doin a few 360s where prudent, churning ahead in the left lane while the rest of the plodders huddle and creep in the right. Whoo-hoo, bring it on! Actually, I am tired of snow in general, not that I get much here, but I don't have any problem driving thru it. I'm in 4WD now, but everything before my current daily has been RWD only.

G4L - that's just not possible; toyota is the perfect business model, the Midas of the industry, never a failure, never a hesitation, ever to be the role model for the rest of the world. No doubt recent considerable sales decline numbers are the result of information sabotage, when in fact toyota has set new 'BEST EVER!!'s. The truth will come out.

Why is that dated 11-20? >>"I don't mean the fine technical points of product plans, quality, fuel efficiency, market share, financial reports and brand image -- or lack thereof. That story we know, especially here, in all its excruciating detail."<< ORly ?? Congress apparently doesn't, nor does most of the corporate media. >>"politicians straining to understand the car business"<< Ahhh; there we go. Article rehashes the obvious, gives no news, and continues to repeat generalities as facts. Still part of the problem.

If you listened to some of the statements/questions posed by Congress, it's patently obvious that the GM/Chrysler merger suggestion has as much congressional analysis behind it as the action of chewing gum. And Shelby should excuse himself for conflict of interest- he's beholden to the foreign corporations.

Friend of mine hates his S-class (haven't talked to him in a while- no doubt he dumped it by now). It was a circa '04. The entire front suspension collapsed and had to be replaced, and he was waiting on some electronic gizmo for 6 or 8 months. He was disgusted. When I looked it over one day, some of the exterior rear trim was misaligned. His S-class pushed him into repeat loaded Tahoe ownership. It's overrated and still riding on outmoded perception, IMO.

Prolly some artificial reef projects that could go forward were there -say- 43 acres of 'reef material' donated for free...

I am partial to the '59-60s (depends which division we're talking), since I own one, but the '61-62s, tho still tasty, are in a transition period for me. Same happened over at MoPar. The '63-64 GMs are much stronger in design & more appealing to me than the '61-62s (same w/ MoPar).... but if we're talking Pontiac, I'm there no matter the year.

>>"Balthy - see I come from a family of good taste! "<< You do..... tho I now realize these are sheeps in wolf's clothing; Canadian Pontiacs, which means Chevy chassis's & powertrains. I like to think of them as greatly classed-up Chebbies...

{As this thread happily wanders all over the place....} Anyone catch the '64 Buick production figures from cletus's link ? -- -- -- -- -- The 1964 Buick Daily Production Report for the Wildcat- 56 : 4-door/4-speeds 354 : Coupe/4-speeds 199 : Convertible 4-speeds According to Buick Daily Production Reports. 94 : dual quad 4-doors, 366 : dual quad coupes 178 : dual quad convertibles 114 dual quad / 4-speed coupes 53 dual quad / 4-speed convertibles -- -- -- -- -- That's a hellva lot of hot-rodding Buicks from just '64 alone !!

Agreed. Somehow for me, this also extends back thru the '40s & '30s; I feel I can gleam some of the latent fire & inspiration of the men who designed & built these cars, even in the more plain '40s cars. A guy I know has a '41 Plymouth- I stopped in as he was starting to take it apart (hot rodding it)- and even a 'plain jane' like that still has more passion in it that a 200x mercedes. Some of that is my dreamy eye, I'm sure, but not all of it. The 'tic''s effect was gradual, of course, and in many instances it worked extremely well ('60s GPs & the B-59, for instance), but I still have often wondered what would have transpired had the original course remained the guiding one. Some pundits have surmised in hindsight that a course change was neccessary, to the point of being inevitable, but I disagree. An element of the passion & the forward push was lost, and it was that element that would have course-corrected itself, but along a different line than the one we went down. Does this make any sense, or am I rambling now ?? This is not the easiest thing to articulate since it's so intangible & subjective.

>>"Front view of the Imperial, I like that roof detail."<< Imperials in the '59-61 era had some interesting & unique roof treatments. Pretty sure those inserts on your '60 pic are of stainless, this is definately brushed stainless on this '59: Different models had different (or no) treatments. Sometimes the trim was there without the stainless inserts. Obviously influenced by the full stainless top of the '57-58 Eldorado Brougham.