Robert Hall

'4 years salary'??? Someone's paying waaay too much for a car... i.e. someone making $25k/year buying an $100k car? I don't think so! I couldn't imagine buying a car that was much more than 1/3 of my yearly salary...

Here's an article about the Trabant revival... it's a model car from Herpa, though...not a 1:1. New Trabbi

That is a neat beast...needs some TLC.

True...in many things, I've been called overly negative or pessimistic...I consider it realistic. I need to tone it down, but the automakers disappoint me so often with decisions that seem so wrongheaded to an outsider...

By the way, did you see Trabants when you were in Checkoslovakia? I heard someone is designing a new Trabant. I've seen the modern Skodas, but would love to see some old Skotas and Tatras in person....the Tatras were wild designs!

The description for Pontiac buyers reminds me of the really lame TV ads for the Acura TSX that have been running lately..

In the front seats of my '87 Mustang GT with the big side bolsters and the parking brake up was sheer pain...argggh... but I did have fun w/ my high school g/f in the back of her father's '86 Caprice Estate wagon..

Yes, Renault 8..those were badass in Gordini trim, I've read...

I bet the CTS-v will be $75k or so, what with the regular CTS topping out at around $50k.

That's funny..it was sold out the night I saw it also...it was a new theater, big one with stadium seating in Colorado Springs...the ushers were asking people to move in and not leave any seats empty..I liked the first one, 2nd was so-so (liked the cars, though). The third was not bad, the plot a bit overly implausable (not that the first two were plausable)...way too much CGI, though. Looking forward to the 4th, nice to see Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez back for this one to provide eye candy..

Speaking of fast cars, possibly the fastest (in a straight line) I've ever had the pleasure of driving was my brother's '68 Camaro SS 396...rough shifting 4 speed, loud, raw, brutally fast car.....a totally different sensation than my '87 Mustang 5.0 or my refined '96 M3. No cupholders, no a/c, only an AM radio, though...totally impractical. Le Mans blue w/ the white stripe over the front header panel and down the sides, chrome thingys on the hood..what a wild car. He should have kept it.

Yeah..I'm flying out Thursday to Pittsburgh, going to get both Mustangs out this weekend and enjoy them (they are stored in Ohio).

About ten years ago, I took the '87 to a BMW club track day...took the '96 M3 I had then also (had a friend drive the BMW to the track). I took both of them out on the track (Second Creek near Denver, no longer exists--now is a subdivision), had a blast...the crappy stock disk/drum brakes were the Mustang's limitation. The M3 was an absolute joy on the track. A couple years ago, I went to a track day event in Pueblo, Co with the NSX club and took turns driving the course in my buddy Steve's NSX...that car is a blast on a track..

I think so...I seem to recall reading that somewhere...I've seen a few grainy B&W photos of it parked in front of my folks' house in Guam from back in the day.

Yeah, I'll never get rid of the 5.0 or the '69 351 Sportsroof...both have sentimental connections to my late father...my dad bought the '69 before I was born, and willed it to me, and he bought me the 5.0 as an early HS graduation gift. The '87 5.0s, though rated at only 225hp, were light and deceptively fast cars...

Old cars are cool, no doubt. But in <reality>, whether it is the heat of summer or the dread of winter, or the dark of knight, I like having something that I know pretty much 100% is going to start and get me where I'm going and back without breaking down. And driving something current, made in this decade, I don't care if it gets totalled--the insurance will buy me another one. I love the creature comforts of a modern car---the heated seats, good cupholders, cold A/C, factory integrated sound system (no aftermarket hacked in crap), etc. Old cars are fun toys for the occasional drive or to take to a car show, but I wouldn't want to be depending on one to get me to work, to the airport, to the grocery, etc. My GC is starting to be an old car now (8 years old, almost 100k miles, but it has never let me down, I keep up w/ the maintenance religiously), so I need to figure out what my next new car is going to be...

Yeah...a decent popcorn movie. I remember going to the theater to see the first one...a bunch of kiddies in their riced out Integras, Civics, and Eclipses were in the parking lot revving their cars, comparing their yellow windshield wipers, fart car exhausts... I fired up my 5.0 w/ the Flowmaster mufflers, and peeled out of the lot drifting sideways... Ah, to be young and foolish again..

I believe it was a Renault design..they had that when they were living in Saipan and Guam... my Dad worked for the State Department as the Director of Schools for all of Micronesia. The were out there 3 years, then a couple years in Hawaii, still working for the government. I wish they had stayed in Hawaii (they moved back to Ohio about 6 months before I was born)...would have been an interesting place to have grown up, I think..

Daymn.... that's impressive performance. Cool. But, how does it compare to the competition in the most important category of all--cupholder design? I'd love to have one...but since I don't have 3C- job title (what will the price be--$75k?), I'll have to be content with a regular 3.6 DI CTS. If I'm not mistaken, the CTS-v engine is similar to the Z06 engine? I'd love to see Chevy build a Camaro Z06 and a Camaro ZR1...those engines are too great to leave just to the Corvette, IMHO.....a Suburban ZR1 would rock also....

Yes, in the US...but in Canada, it apparently lived on a few more years.. I've seen a '78 Bel Air 4dr in Florida w/ Ontario plates..

Ah... interesting factoid... how about the B-bodies....still big engines thru '76?

I still remember at age 6 at the L-M dealer w/ my folks..my Mom really liked the yellow '76 Marquis 2dr ht....we went for a test drive in it, a silver Monarch coupe, red Mark IV and a maroon Continental 4dr...we ended up getting the Continental..my Dad's idea for the 'practical family car'..

Here's a favorite of mine: A Mercury Marquis 2dr ht. I love those mid '70s land yachts. They had a cool two-toning on the coupes that I'm looking for pics of. I did find some pics of the Canadian Meteor Montcalm and Rideau (like the Monterey).

Wow..haven't seen on of those in ages either..there were two--a dark red one and a white one--that I probably saw 1/2 dozen times the 6 years I was in the Denver area. Another scarce import of that era are the Puegeot 405s, there was a dark blue one I saw maybe 3 times in that same 6 years.

I can't wait to see it in person in 'CTS red'.... (the color used in all the CTS sedan advertising).