I had a 72 Lemans. The body was a mess but had lots of chrome under the hood. (silently laughing to myself...) I have no idea what happened to that car. thinking..thinking... last thing I remember is putting four snow tires on it, two in the front and two in the back, maybe I wiped out in a blizzard somewhere and forgot to get it.
I've owned 3 Pontiacs; the first was a '58 Chieftan with a 370 Ci, 3 dueces, headers, shift kit, and a 4.56 pos...it ran strong in the 1/4 mile. The second was a '68 GTO with a 6.6L, dual gate auto and 3.70 pos...it could take tight "S curves" @ over 70mph without leaning. The third was a '84 STE with a 2.8L and was a joy to drive on the highway. Today If I came across one of the limited production (50 cars) TransAm from 1985 (preferably red) that was equipped with a 6.6L TPI, 5 speed, 4.56 pos I would buy it quickly..those cars were awesome...I drove one prior to the auction during a PDI, it was like driving a rocket sled that was running on rails and very stable. It pegged the speedometer (140mph) and still had 5th gear available! Perhaps some group will realize that Pontiac would make a great niche car line and bring it back!
Competition has left GM in the dust for the last 15 years. The last Buick I owned, a rendevouz, could not even make 50,000 miles before it started falling apart. They dominated the 60s and started sinking in the late 70s. They would not be missed.
You guys are killing me! I REALLY miss that GTO now! After High School, and while in the Marine Corps, I added an Edelbrock aluminum intake, had the heads ported and polished, a different cam installed, a Holley 750 double pump carb, Hooker headers, and stainless 2 1/2 ehxaust. WOW! What a difference that made! That alone moved it up to around 525hp. Nice loping cam sound, deep throaty rumble, and oh yes, 1st and 2nd gear became pretty much worthless for traction after that. Fast forward to today, and I drive a Chevy HHR (little pt cruiser looking 4 cylinder job) for my Son. It was a 2008 with 25,000 miles and is the biggest piece of garbage I have driven in some time! I got out of it, and said to myself, "damn you GM! You and your healthcare and union benefits mess! You forgot all about the fact that you are supposed to be making cars!" I say let them fail, and that comes from a true fan of GM's cars from the early to late 60's-early 70's. Breaks my heart...
I bought a new 1987 Chevy Cavalier that wouldn't even start on the dealer's parking lot. I later traded it in for a Cavalier Z24 thinking I was getting a pretty fast car. The thing was a dog. Later traded that for an '88 5.0 Mustang that was pretty fast for the day but the damn thing spent more time in the shop than it did on the road. Computer this, computer that went on the darn thing. Had to replace the rear seal twice. That POS turned into a rust bucket and that was the last American made car I ever bought. The only American made car I'd buy nowadays is a Vette.
As you are into "practical", check out the 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6, V6. (I've liked the retro styling of the HHR, but I don't want to risk buying a GM product.... And since the bailout... I'LL NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT.. well, MAYBE a Vette or CTS-V... unless, of course, Odumba makes "buying Government Motors" mandatory! Might buy a Ford someday, though, ... THEY didn't whine and beg for bailouts.) Bought the Subie to replace aging SUV, and it's a damned nice little hauler for not too much money. (Other car is BMW 335i coupe.)
Funny you mentioned that. I bought a 2010 Subaru Legacy for my Wife. It's the 3.6R Limited, with NAV, and of course, the Symetrical AWD. I actually like the car myself! It has 256 hp, and handles great! You have good taste Scat!
Agreed 1000%!!!!!! I love the C6 Vette, but there aren't any other American makes I'd buy. The Vette is absolutely it! Nothing else. I have a friend who bought a new Camaro SS, and it runs pretty strong with the cat back exhaust he put on it, and the computer programmer. BUT, it is NOTHING like the 69 Camaro! NOTHING!!!!!!! Looks like someone at GM put an air hose in the quarter panels, and blew them out! YUCK!!!! Look at the body lines on the new Camaro vs. the 69 model. The 69 is streamlined, and perfect imo. People at GM have sadly lost all touch with what buyers actually want to buy. Yes, they have had some decent numbers recently, but short lived imo due to the garbage they are putting out these days.
Don't you think Ford would have a big seller if they just made a copy of the '56 T-Bird? Or, a '57 Chevy Bel Air.. best fins, eh? Or how about a split rear-window Sting Ray. I think any of those would be a hit.