balthazar

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.

>>"But yes, regardless of what Balth says I do not agree, if Saabs were still built in Sweden, they would be Swedish. Aston Martin is owned by Ford but they are Brit. Now GMs on the other hand are becoming no longer American and Asians cars are becoming American."<< You completely realize, of course, that you contradicted yourself, right?? What is a BMW built in North Carolina- German or American?

>>"The all-new LS sedans offer the Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) as an option to assist with parallel and back-in parking. With this optional technology, once the driver has correctly positioned the car and identified the desired parking spot via the nav screen, APGS utilizes the back-up camera, parking sonar sensors and electric power steering system to automatically guide the car into the spot, while the driver controls speed via braking"<< Further enabling of the selectively functional...

It theoretically can be, but seldom if ever is in the NA market. No foreign brands have loud, obnoxious sales events centered on foreign holidays, just American ones. Showrooms likewise do not highlight country of origin. 'Company appeal' is not branding and image is different to every 3rd person. And I would like to see some nationalistic automotive graphics, if you have the time.Most foreign brands are frantic to eradicate any sentiments of being foreign; they know where their profits lie. There is some national pride in German-based automaker advertising (and saab), but that's about it.

I've (unfortunately) spent months driving 2 different (older) sentras; even then a mere commute was borderline torturous. When a 6-yr old kid can pick up on a car's glaring shortcomings, you know you're in for it. I cannot imagine volunteering to live in a sentra unless I was seriously into pain or in the cast of Jackass III.

CARBIZ: however, don't forget that back in the '60s, for example, all options were available individually (plus different engine/axle/trans options, etc)- making the possible combinations likely much larger than today. I believe I once read that Cadillac by the late '60s could nearly build their entire annual production run without repeating the exact same car, factoring in colors, options & models. This would be in the neighborhood of 225,000 units. Pontiac, early '60s: regular fuel 2bbl, hi-comp 2bbl, 4bbl, 3x2bbl, 2x4bbl, 389 CI, 421 CI, 3-spd manual, HD 3-spd manual, 4-spd manual, 3- & 4-spd automatics, 2.56, 2.69, 2.87, 3.08, 3.23, 3.42, 3.64, 3.90, 4.10 gears, standard brakes, HD brakes, aluminum finned brakes.... Today, there are no optional axle ratios or brakes and only a very few optional engines or transmissions, unless you're in the higher-end sports car class (for the most part).