balthazar

>>"Safety, structual integrity, and wind noise."<< Gonna haveta speak out on this, too. A hardtop is more safe than a roadster anyday. One down. Wind noise is primarily dicated by the A-pillar/ windsheild/ mirrors. The airflow would be relatively layered and fluid by the B-pillar area. Done well, there is no more airstream projection from a 4-dr hardtop than a modern 4-dr sedan: everything's pretty flush. Two down. The primary reason a modern hardtop has any structural issues is because the windshields are laid so far back. The B-pillar helps support the front of the compartment that no degree of A-pillar strength in a hardtop would in the event of a rollover. I would still prefer to make than choice myself, but I'll give you this one.

Well, Buick was in 5th place in '58, 7th in '59 and 9th in '60, so a case could be made for the names having notable effect (I only believe it to a minority extent). The Special of '61 is what began turning things around; an entirely new segment. I wonder if the dealer interviewed up top ever sells as many 'foreign brand' cars a month as he sold Pontiacs in the past. Since he seems to think everything's the same from 'then' to now except the Pontiacs...

Took a look at the wiki Fiero entry... Now I'm no authority on the Fiero (it's too new for my area of interest), but according to my sources: wiki : "Once a dream... in 1969 with the code name of "X-4"" I never heard of a '69-ish X-4... wiki : "Fiero -- meaning "fierce" in Italian -- was finally designed by Hulki Aldikacti as a Pontiac sports car. > My source says 'Fiero' translates to 'very proud'... >Fiero was also designed from the onset as a notable "efficient" car, not as a sports car. > Aldikacti was moreso the remote 'foreman' of the outside enginering firm that developed the Fiero. Styling was headed by John Shinella (exterior) and Bill Scott (interior). Entire project was pushed enthusiastically by PMD's GM Robert Stempel ('78-80). wiki ; "Though originally designed with its own suspension and brakes, the "bean counters" at GM forced the use of off-the-shelf components which severely limited the Fiero's performance envelope." My sources list no such 'original sports car suspension' but do mention the car through development used the corporate parts bins extensively to control costs. Entry reads with a bit too much editorialism for my tastes ("Sagniaw, where the measure was by the ton, not by quality"- my ass).

Oh, OK, I know what's going on here. THIS is the car in question: This was shown on the '68 show circuit as the "Firebird of Tomorrow", and was refreshed for the '69 show circuit and renamed "Fiero". More pics here: http://www.desoto58.com/dreamcar/dreampont69a.html This appears to be a shortened, 2-seat 1st gen Firebird, tho obviously heavily reworked. I still have not encountered anything called "X-4". I smell another factual dud from wikipedia... Ironically, the Fiero name was reused from a '69 showcar, and the original Fiero name choice, Pegasus, was originally planned to be used on a Pontiac version of the Corvair. This car kept rising from the ashes like a... a... Phoenix or something... IMO if we're looking for the spiritual ancestor to the Fiero, we would go back thru it's beggining planning stages in '75, back thru the FoT/Fiero of '69, back thru the extensive 2-seat Banshee program of circa '64 and land plumb behind the wheel of the '54 Bonneville Special.

Another thing- while I don't see cannabalization per say, there are only so many roadsters the market can soak up, period. I believe a Solstice coupe would accomplish far more than a saab roadster.

I prefer opposed wipers as opposed to the standard go-the-same-direction ones the majority of vehicles have. To tell the truth, I also prefer the vintage style (imagine that!): stainless opposed arms, stainless blades, park tight to the bottom of the windshield; you don't even notice them. The valley that most hidden wipers park into today --what with the ubitquitous contoured plastic pan-- catches my eye much more. Hell, they don't even disappear anymore! The vintage system is much more elegant than the giant 'spider legs' many cars have now. I don't know what happened, but progress took a nap on this one stylistically. I positively abhor windshield washers mounted on the hood- nothing looks cheaper than those twin plastic zits. God those are awful. BTW- we can thank Pontiac (in the U.S. at least) for hidden wipers- intoduced in '67. Pontiac (along with other Divisions no doubt) also offered articulated wipers beginning in '65 (Cadillac may have been a year earlier).

saab just does not have the retail coverage / consumer base to pay for it.

Have you seen anything factual or are you just agreeing that PWs are lighter because we're in 'modern times' where everything is 'better'?

It absolutely was true, and yes, yes they do.Now, have any insight as to how the inverse regarding power windows may be true today?

I don't care what she does, she's got an indefinate spot on my list.

1. 1969; X-4; Banshee I'd welcome a little more detail on this answer. Not aware of the '69 X-4...

Impossible! Haven't you heard- VW interiors are to be emulated by all. Besides that, it's 'German-engineered'. Blasphemy.

LOL- look at that all-grey interior! What's this thing overpriced at?? And why does bmw insist on not lining up their taillights? Looks like a liftgate from another vehicle that happens to fit the opening. Whole sh!tp!le is both boring AND a mess.

Maybe you just don't go for "astounding quality", Oldsmoboi...

Are they really often crooked? Must be following mercedes' example: every single 'Kompressor' script (different models, too) I've been behind has been on crooked.

I drop off in under 3 minutes most every night, sleep 5-6 hrs on average, wake up when the alarm goes off. Back in the day I once took but two 1.5-hours naps in a 5-day stretch of being awake. I had to intentionally make myself go to sleep on the 5th day, then I slept for 14 hours. A year later I stayed awake for 3 days straight with no sleep. Pretty sure I could not do that again.

Never used to be. I've disassembled doors from both set-ups from the same year/make/model. Same glass, same tracks, yet one had a lightweight & simple crank & spring, the other had a heavy electrical motor and wiring/switches. PW's used to be much heavier, without question.

Well, if he indeed kissed him, that's a bit inappropriate. But if in fact he merely gave him a belly raspberry, then it's all fun & games.

The Fiero project was originally named Pegasus. I believe it began in '81, as spy pics surfaced as early as '82. I don't believe anything directly preceeded it, tho the '64 XP-833 Banshee did conceptually (both 2-seaters). The Series 62 was renamed the Calais for '65.

Oldsmoboi- I like that idea a lot, tho I don't know offhand how the model line-ups would work out... Couple that with divisional-proprietory engines (can we get 50%??) and I feel we're on the right track Back.

>>"what's wrong with them if they're free?"<< - They break more often than manual windows, and when they do they're far more expensive to replace/repair. - They do not work unless the key is in- requiring you to go get/dig out the key if it's not in your hand right then. - IMO- The express feature demands more attention/time if you want the window anywhere other than all the way up or down. - Some vehicles' PWs are too tempermental- audi's 'obstruction reverse' PWs get befuddled by cold weather (frost in the tracks?). - Tho it's not a concern of mine, some will quote safety issues if the car is electrically-disabled. The button-operated aspect of PW is not the problem for those who may prefer non-PW in particular vehicles, but some of the above may likely be.

General overview: it's a combination of many things, including muffler design, pipe length & diameter, exhaust crossovers, exhaust pulse overlap & number of pistons. You can change the sound by changing either the pipes or the muffler(s), but one engine is unlikely to sound very close to another of a different configuration (ie: pipes & mufflers aren't going to make a V-6 sound like a V-8...).

The only Plymouths widely-accepted as being 'ugly' are the '61-62s, and even those have their fans, of course. Most Plymouths were completely asthetically competant (that doesn't exactly say "beautiful" now, does it?), but the '57-58s were damn near pure inspiration and beauty. Lots of fine Plymouth design, IMO...

If you ask me (don't care if you didn't): not only should the badges be discontinued (they look fine tho some of the placements are off)- but the very name 'General Motors' should be downplayed and reduced in all automotive walks of life. We should never read 'GM's newest 4.4L Northstar...' but always read 'Cadillac's newest 4.4L Northstar...' Far too much empahsis on 'GM' devalues the divisions... YellowJacket- nice job, saw it coming tho...

Too bad Bugatti isn't in business anymore. No- not that one. I knew the answer because of the 13-liter clue. Only one that matches that tidbit.