balthazar

Well, you know I greatly appreciated all the time you spent on my behalf, MM, even if an increasing part of it was to satisfy your own interests. But if this book does NOT include the complete numerical catalog of XP numbers, I'm may be MORE angry that another attempt at documenting the greatness of GM has fallen far short yet again. I'm hoping against hope on seeing at least a sketch of the convertible station wagon...... Nice clear pic of the interior of my favorite GM concept above- thanks! BTW- I assume you've see a pre-production copy of the book? If so, can you answer my query above; does it feature a complete numerical catalog of XP numbers?

So what would happen if 2 renaults crashed and they lost the 'other' crumple zone of the other car?? Or worse- the volvo had the same structural system installed?? The dummies certainly weren't sipping tea during the impact; the car did a 180 in the air... These sort of safety advances are usually quickly picked up by other manufacturers, wherein the undeniable magic of physics comes right to the head of the class again.

Wonderful.

The driver was Ab Jenkins (same guy who's signature appeared on the dash plaques of all supercharged '35-36 Auburn 851/852s denoting that each car had been tested @ at 100.8 MPH before shipment) and he drove the snot out of a '56 Pontiac Chieftan 2-dr sedan with the Strato-Streak V-8- with the 285HP dual-quad option. Averaged 118 MPH for 24 hrs and went as fast as 126. Also completed a run of 2841 miles... all at Bonneville. A '56 Pontiac also won it's class in the highly-regulated MobilGas economy run, averaging 21.1 MPG. BTW- the Chieftan nameplate did not last very long relative to numerous other Pontiacs; Chieftan: '49-58 inclusive. A variant on the name -Star Chief- went thru '66.

REO was never part of GM, 68. Just for fun, I'll list all Pontiacs I can recall driving: '59 Star Chief 4-dr sedan, 389 '61 Ventura Vista 4-dr hardtop, 389 '64 Tempest 2-dr sedan, 215 '64 GP Sport Coupe, 389 '64 Catalina 4-dr sedan, 389 '64 Catalina Ventura 4-dr sedan, 389 '64 GP Sport Coupe, 389 '65 Catalina 2-dr sedan, 389 '65 Catalina 4-dr sedan, 389 '65 Bonneville 2-dr hardtop, 389 '65 Bonneville 4-dr hardtop, 389 '65 GP 2-dr hardtop, 389 '68 Catalina 4-dr sedan, 400 '68 Firebird 2-dr hardtop, 400 '68 GTO 2-dr hardtop, 400 '69 Bonneville 4-dr hardtop, 428 '70 GTO 2-dr hardtop, 400 '71 GTO 2-dr hardtop, 400 '77 Catalina Safari, 301 '93 Grand Am '03 GP '04 GP I'm sure there's a few more vintage ones. Otherwise, have driven multiple Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, Buicks & GMCs and 1 Saturn. No other GM brands, past or present.

Cool, retro 1982 styling... but how are they going to update it ??

My buddy's brother just bought one of them- 2nd-hand report says the body is 'excellent' but there's no drivetrain at all. Supposedly it was the brother's 'dream truck'. He paid $2000.

>>"I actually wish they would import some of this lost-in-translation, automotive-anime, Japanese subculture madness here. Modern cars in the US are all pretty much the same, dictated by certain car norms, shapes, and functions..."<< Which reminds me, why must professional models be slim, blemish-free & attractive? Why not some short, fat, dumpy ones w/ bad skin? This cube thing is in lockstep with the Aztek: ungainly, 'unnnatural' & unattractive. As with any sector you care to name, there's always somebody who finds those 'qualities' endearing & interesting. If we're very lucky, the xb will wither & die, the element is already slated for extermination, and the cube will never arrive. >>"Why must luxury car interiors be covered in leather and wood?"<< No worries here: MANY of them are primarily swathed in plastics.

Not sure where he heard of it... but my son made one for himself a few years ago- he was around 10. Turned out pretty good- he still uses it whenever he has occasion to.

>>"the confederate flag is a symbol which, despite offending millions by its mere display..."<< I missed the survey that determined this; "millions", really ?? When, where & who tabulated this?

Haven't had issues with either style here in Jersey. From my observations, the wiper-mounted ones disperse the fluid better, and I HATE the look of the plastic nubs on the hood; I prefer the cowl-hidden ones- protected and invisible. I suspect the steady 'laying-down' of windshield angles has made the cowl-area ones too close, making them overshoot the glass, thus the hood mounting. They look like sh!t there, tho.

I HATE cupholders between the shifter & armrest- haven't been in a car yet that had them where any drink would interfere with your arm. I would pay & change out the console in my wife's car could I get a matching one that would put the drinks either anyplace else or behind the armrest.

Read/heard countless stories about seller's remorse RE their first car.... to the point that although I have no near-term plans for touching it (there are 2 projects in front of it), I still have mine, even tho many who remember it have offered to buy it: '64 GP.

Thru the Fire & Flames - Dragonforce (:wink: - guess what I've been playing?)

UPDATE: my buddy with the hydraulics/plow shop reports toyo doubled-back (with zero engineering changes) and OK'd turdras for plow installation in order to shut up the dozen or so disgruntled owners who insist their truck is 'just like a real truck'. No doubt toyo can afford to replace frames with their cash reserves.... but we can only hope that this is more widespread than I seem to think and the news goes mainstream that these trucks are cracking/breaking under mild use.

In general the LaC Super front end really 'butches' up the LaC, but that slight point on the bottom center always catches & directs my eye- the grille looks good but would look better sectioned 1-2 inches.

>>"Eating a plant-based lunch (such as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bean burrito..."<< Nope, sorry, the Flatulence Campaign has issued a PR that informs everyone how they can do their part to reduce methane gas emmissions; bean burritos are O-U-T for the environmentally-aware ! I'd post it here but it's 11 pages long and includes many diagrams.

YOU may refer to them as coupes, but in your open-mindedness, you must realize not everyone is always going to agree with you, right? >>"No one would call them 2dr sedans... "<< Sorry, it's the absolutes in your posts that prompt me to unintentionally dog you on occasion. And you can desist calling me a curmudgeon, "it's not 1970 anymore".

I cannot see how you would see it otherwise... except that the automaker told you it was so. Lemmee guess; you also believe the 2-dr bmw 3-series is a 'coupe', right? O...K...

Not familiar with any of the ferrari alphanumerics, but yes; many people WOULD call the current Mustang a 2-dr sedan... because it is. Classic definition (as opposed to -say- mercedes') is a derivativge of the term 'closed coupled', and the physical definition of this would be a Viper of Corvette: no rear side glass, and by nature of them being 2-seaters: quite closed coupled. Many automakers play fast-n-loose with terminology (ala mercedes) purely for marketing reasons.

I remember something exactly along these lines on the cover of a major mag in the 1970s IIRC, I had thought it was connected with Oldsmobile.... can't find it offhand googling....

(RE: the magazine covers at the top of the page) -- sorry, but if my performance car choice has to be between the G8 and the Challenger, I'm already in the Dodge dealership as I type this.

Regal, and by extension: Regal T-Type > Grand National at least has heritage connected with something sporty/performance oriented. Last Century was a rental car with very little positive image beyond 'dependable transportation'.

We all wear our Sensible Hats and talk about how turbo 4-bangers are so-ooooooooo much higher performance than old musclecars.... then this low sinister black snarler rips by, growling and snarling and howling, blowing our Sensible Hat right into the ditch, forgotten. Challenger looks & sounds fantastic; can't wait to see one in person. BTW: WRT '6.1 = handles better'... ever hear of 'power oversteer'?

>>"Pontiac as a stand alone brand (as well as Buick) is for all practical purposes over."<< Not sure how what preceeded this quote supports that anymore than anything else we've seen, but OK. >>"Although most all will swear otherwise, Camaro will infact pull most all potential Firebird enthusiasts"<< Never saw or heard of a survey that assessed this, and I have no idea what quantities GM is putting on 'all potential Firebird enthusiasts', but whatever it is, I still believe it's overstated. Of course, the more of a 'badge job' a Firebird may be due to budgetary constrictions, the more this will be self-fufilling.