balthazar

>>"Not meaning to be a Toyota cheerleader here..."<< >>"...but when Detroit sneers..."<< Where and when did who ever "sneer"?

Is that the standard rear on the new s-class??? Why is it an open mimic of the bmw 7-series (a bulbous, taillight-overlapping decklid)? Dear God, doesn't DCX read any public commentary? And those strongly mazda-esque fender flares are awful and completely out-of-place on this class of car. Last s-class was much... classier. >>"...what are those black dots on the sides of the car?"<< From the exhaustively-long text: looks like they're fire extinguisher ports. I was just reading about an armored Cadillac from the early '80s yesterday; it had tear gas ports front & rear, and the door handles were electrified to prevent unwanted attempted entry. Wild stuff, this class of cars...

Variance= >>"Hey, I already stopped posting Lienart reviews so you'd stop tearing your hair out; you gotta let me have this. "<< I thought there was more spring in my step recently! Seriously, if you even somewhat considered my objections to the lineart's crap, I truely appreciate that. >>"Besides, this is newsworthy as it's the first Toyota hybrid made in the states. Previously, the Camry Hybrid was only made in Japan and shipped to the states."<< Still seems pretty minor (as opposed to -say- being previously unavailable), but OK: you can have at it with 'production begins' as far as I'm concerned and I'll shut up.

Olds' 50th was in 1947. 88 series 50th would've been in 1999. I've only ever seen the 3x2 motor (available in '57 & 58) called "J-2", not 'Golden Rocket J-2', but I might have missed that one. XP715 is correct: the entry-level Olds line for '57 was officially the 'Golden Rocket 88'... the series was 'Dynamic 88' for '58. Standard Catalog says Olds was commemorating GM's 50th --which was in 1958-- a year early. Seems strange (lot stranger things have happened)... but then again, by the time Olds was picking names for '57, they knew what the '58s looked liked. Lot's of 'Golden's in this era, too: '56-58 Studebaker Golden Hawk, '57 DeSoto Golden Adventurer, '57 Olds Golden Rocket show car, '58-63 Plymouth Golden Commando V-8, '59 Chrysler Golden Lion V-8... a lot of marques were right around their 50th... maybe a subconscious collective? Also, Chevrolet built a special gold-colored '55 in honor of GM's 50 millionth vehicle. I saw that movie once some years ago- my memory of the '57 in it is very fuzzy. Perhaps -- assuming the 88 for '57 is physically badged 'Golden Rocket 88'.... the movie storyline 'made something of it' as opposed to the car being merely a standard production unit?? EDIT: {re-read ocn's posts}-- if indeed the car is badged with "Golden Annivesary", I am puzzled. Will look into this....

Seems clear the people/events you listed were not the causes. But somethings bothering you in a big way- gotta self-analyse. Something must recently have changed in your life....

I am really puzzled by the stream of these 'production begins' postings. Those that care about the model in question already know it's coming/here. Frankly, I don't see what the news aspect is of 'production begins'; it seems like nothing else but a rehash of earlier press releases. I find them severely anti-climactic, among other things.

>>"she looks at pictures and says no without even seeing the actual car... "<< This degree of ingrained bias is very difficult to deprogram. Your sister may be 'lost' to reality....

DAMNIT! Answers for the unanswered: >> For a 12-year period, what particular post-war American vehicle's base price never rose above the initial year's tag? Cadillac Eldorado, 1959-1970 In '59, price of either the hardtop or convertible was $7401. Wasn't until the '71 convert that the base price was higher ($7751). This always struck me as weird because it was NOT a low-priced car to begin with and from '61-66 all Eldos were converts- lots of potential for inching the price up. >> For a 12-year period, where, when & why were a particular group of vehicle's trunks welded shut to comply with 'wheres' regulations? 1941-1952 NYC taxi regulations required a trunk rack and all taxi's trunks were welded shut. I don't know any more on this one without research, don't seem to make much sense. >> Name the year & make of the first American internal combustion automobile. Henry Nadig of Allentown PA built a running, drivable internal-combustion car in 1890 or 1891, after starting experimenting in 1889. In the late '90s he built a handful of trucks, but perhaps more than anything he neither patented or published his accomplishments, and the Nadig has slipped thru the cracks of general knowledge. I have 1 pic of the car in later years & in disrepair. Googling revealed a transportation museum due to open in PA in 2007 will have on loan the remains of the Nadig car. >> A particular vehicle set a closed-course speed record that stood for over 20 years, earning the track the moniker "Worlds Fastest Speedway". Name the track. Packard Proving Grounds. Packard had a 2.5-mile banked concrete oval in addition to the standard assortment of car testing roads, etc. A 1928 Miller Special set the record @ 148 MPH.

Wimps.

'Another one' what? A dissenter? Your opinion: "Refined, super reliable, high quality, bland".

Obviously doing the same thing you are: offering an opinion.

Not only a nice opening post, BV, but it's very nice to see you in a generally happy & pleasant mood vs. a year ago. Quite the 180. Kudos to you, sir.

Toyota has a long history of being behind the 8-ball (and late) in the truck segment.

Tho that's 1769, it's from France.

Bonneville: no. Bonneville would also be considered a 'non-closed' course. Seldon was not what I was looking for- have a date handy? EDIT: Did Seldon actaully build a working auto in 1878, or merely file a patent on the idea (not granted until 1895 due to Seldon's delay tactics)? Online sources seem to say tho he built an engine, there was no car to go along with it until later: the patent was for the engine and it's USE in a car. Auto I'm looking for I've seen a photograph of (it was built) and I've seen more than 1 source refer to it's year of manufacture, not to mention it was mentioned under oath in unrelated court testimony. It ran under it's own power, and this was before Duryea.

Not the first.

"No retro lambos" is a hilarious statement. The Countach was introduced on the show circuit in 1970 and was still being built as the diablo how late- 2000+? I don't know what some would consider worse: producing a modernized version of one of the best long-gone 'super' car designs ever penned or sitting on your fat lazy ass and letting a design stagnate & rot on the showroom floor for 30 years (oops- some might prefer 'resting on their laurels' here), unless you call tacking blocky federal safety bumpers & lights on, a mid-cycle refresh.

That's 2 correct. 'course... those were the easy ones out of the 'not easy' ones...

I still wouldn't have a cell but for work. I do like it and it saves on the landline bill due to the minutes-intense plan my brother has us on. It's not a camera-phone, I do not text and I do not use ringtones (which are for girls).

Happiness is a clear head and a sharp knife...

Of all of the above answers, WMJ has the only correct answer: '40 Packard- first automotive A/C.

Funny how the 'all-superior import power delivery' in an almighty bmw could not shut down a IBC 2-valve Silverado. That's real world.

>> For a 12-year period, what particular post-war American vehicle's base price never rose above the initial year's tag? >> For a 12-year period, where, when & why were a particular group of vehicle's trunks welded shut to comply with 'wheres' regulations? >> What popular compact vehicle took (legally purchased) it's name from a hearse? >> Name the year & make who offered the first automotive A/C. >> Name the year & make of the first American internal combustion automobile. >> A particular vehicle set a closed-course speed record that stood for over 20 years, earning the track the moniker "Worlds Fastest Speedway". Name the track.

What if all the world's inside of your head, Just creations all your own, Your devils and your gods, all the living and the dead, And you're really all alone.

...if your demographic is the homeless.