Drew Dowdell

Another Nomination: The Ford Super Chief: At least in look, this should have made it into production. It is far more attractive than the current Super Duty, but the concept car "flair" like the swinging tailgate with integrated tail lights could have been left behind. The Lincoln Continental Concept Built on the Lincoln LS platform, this one seemed like such a "no-brainer" to me. It would have made an excellent Lincoln flagship.... but instead we got 7 more years of Towncar.

My nomination: Cadillac Sixteen The car just says "F#@k you! I'm a Cadillac! You cannot afford me." Cadillac should have made 500 of them per year and priced them so that only the most elite could afford them. It would have lifted the brand's prestige tremendously. Cadillac should have offered them painted in any color the customer wanted with any type of material on the interior that the customer wanted. The engine specs should have remained close to the concept.

If you could turn back time...... what concepts were left on the shelf that should have been productionized. You nominate vehicles in two ways. A concept that was close to production ready, but never made it into production A concept that was close to production ready, but the production version watered the concept down too much and lost all of the appeal the concept had. Any year, Any brand, as many nominations you want. If we get enough nominations in both 1 and 2, we may split the voting into both of those categories. Try and provide a short write up of why you think the concept is a compelling nomination... if you have a favorite picture of the concept car, include that too... otherwise I'll hunt one down when I write up the article. Have fun!

BMW has been offering stop start in the EU for a couple years at least. The only lemon thing about the Malibu Hybrid was the batteries. The eAssist uses a completely different design and battery chemistry. Any other gripes have to do with the specs, but that doesn't mean it was unreliable.

Only one will get you 37mpg out of a 3,900 lb. car.

one last bump

GM did it with the GTO too.

How are your plugs and wires? Could be in there or maybe a dying coil pack.

does it feel doggish on take off?

What do you mean by "fragile"? If the core components are running fine, the auxiliary stuff is easier to fix. Don't spend money just to spend money. If you're THAT worried about car car breaking down. Take whatever you think you'd spend per month in payments and set that aside in a separate savings account. Use that money for the smaller repairs as needed.

bump

If you talk to him, extend a personal invitation from me.

I fixed it. Was a broken wire.

Wasn't the 2.0T over 300 in the Cobalt if you bought the upgrade from Chevy? Apparently there was also a boost in fuel economy too.

For your needs, I keep coming back the the cira 1994 F-150 I6 I mentioned or a Ranger if the F-150 can't be found.