Posted on 11/22/2004 12:19:23 PM PST by frankenMonkey
I tried GM products in the 60's and the 80's ~ never again ~ Oh, I forgot, one Corvette in '58. :)
agreed its kind of amusing how the RETRO 94's evolution is pretty much following the originals evolution in terms of body styles at least..... Especially since the Stang got damned ugly in the 70s and 80s.. What's next? A retry Mustang II?
Mustang II is referred to as the Mustang Blight. Maybe Ford will update the Pinto with non-exploding gas tank, 17 inch rims, low profile tires, booming sound system, 4 liter V6 with dual exhaust, sunroof, leather, power locks and windows, dark tinted glass, etc....
I've been blowing the doors off of C5's for so long I only hunt for Z06's now.
My car has the "middle" V-8 engine option - the 289-4V (non-HiPo). The build date is a bit too early for it to be a factory GT model, but it has all of what later became familiar as the GT running gear (4-speed, heavier anti-sway bar, front disc brakes). I've gradually upgraded various safety and performance aspects of the car (all easily reversible, should a future owner want to put it back to stock condition - as if I'm inclined to sell it...). In the words of Han Solo: "...she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself."
My wife didn't understand why I kept the old beastie; she just could not see what made it worthy of a spot in the garage, while my daily driver sat out in the weather. Then, one Sunday, I let her drive it - alone. She came back with a big, silly grin on her face and admitted: "Okay, now I understand." It seems she enjoyed the way the car caused people to smile, wave, and even shout purchase offers at the top of their lungs.
Now, I'm just afraid she'll want a classic of her own. Fortunately, she's always liked the GM musclecars from, say, 1970 (puhleeze, don't throw me in the briar patch!).
If you've never heard of this place, go to this link
Despite its name you'll find all kinds of Ford & Chevy nuts who love racing -- & beating up on one another -- with some fabulous videos.
All in good fun, I might add.
Sounds to me like your brand of *bravado*.
...will fit right in with the gang. ;^)
Sounds like a sweet little cruiser, Charles. {*color*?}
A LOT of those year Mustangs had the straight six (~like my Urbana neighbor's light yellow '65 convertable) or the 2V.
So a numbers matching 289 with a 4bbl is really not too shabby.
Hellova reliable engine, to boot.
"The build date is a bit too early for it to be a factory GT model, but it has all of what later became familiar as the GT running gear (4-speed, heavier anti-sway bar, front disc brakes)."
Wow.
I recently watched a Barrett-Jackson program where Craig Jackson gave a detailed overview of the "GT" model and the history behind it.
Did you catch that one by any chance?
I found it facinating learning exactly what *consituted* the "GT" package and, how many people have tried *making* a "GT" out of their regular car at one time or another.
It'd take a seasoned vet to spot the real McCoys from the clones, I thought.
"I've gradually upgraded various safety and performance aspects of the car (all easily reversible, should a future owner want to put it back to stock condition - as if I'm inclined to sell it...). In the words of Han Solo: '...she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself.'"
Nice.
All the benefits of modern technology yet easily rerestored to original condition, for the fussier collector.
"My wife didn't understand why I kept the old beastie; she just could not see what made it worthy of a spot in the garage, while my daily driver sat out in the weather."
HA!!
Yea, wives.
They're something else when it comes to understanding a man's passion for things that *go*, eh? {g}
"Then, one Sunday, I let her drive it - alone. She came back with a big, silly grin on her face and admitted: 'Okay, now I understand.' It seems she enjoyed the way the car caused people to smile, wave, and even shout purchase offers at the top of their lungs."
Fabulous!!
Nothing like a pristine collector -- of any kind -- to bring the best outa people, eh?
Listen to *my* experience.
I ordered a new '99 SLP Camaro "SS" from Chevrolet for my wife. Since they had to build the car for me, I ordered every light, buzzer & bell available.
Really thought she'd enjoy the extra pizazz after having driven a stock, monochromatic red '96 Z28 for the previous 3 years, right?
Well after a couple months she approaches me & matter-of-factly announces, "I want a new car. Everywhere I go teenagers whistle [at me] & wanna race. I'm sick of it. And what's with that *thing* on the hood?" (~empahasis added at "thing" just as she said it...)
I kid you not.
And what'd she really want?
A Neon ES which she got, naturally.
I kid you not, couldn't make that up.
(Of course I had to keep that "SS" for *myself*. :o) )
"Now, I'm just afraid she'll want a classic of her own."
Look at it this way, get her something you'll enjoy driving yourself.
Best of both worlds, right?
Plus she gets to sleep-n on Sunday mornings while you roll the monster out from a quick spin about town. ;^)
"Fortunately, she's always liked the GM musclecars from, say, 1970 (puhleeze, don't throw me in the briar patch!)."
HA!!
OK, I won't; BUT, methinks you'd get a kick outa cruising around in say a 1970 Buick GSX, Pontiac Judge, or Hurst Olds; and, if you could find a *convertable* for a rerasonable price she'd flip-out.
Would never do anything but *make* mobey on something like that.
Just can't beat the GM big blocks from the musclecar era for a real, genuine seat of the pants *thrill*.
...ain't possible.
You betcha. I'm an equal-opportunity gearhead - if it's fast, I like it. She'd *love* an Olds 442 - and I wouldn't mind it one bit (especially if it has the 455 up front). Funny you should mention the Buick, too - I have a real soft spot for the go-fast version of the Skylark.
My cousin owns *two* bruiser Buicks - a '71 GS455 and a '67 Riviera. As cool as the 454 Chevelle is, I kind of like the "sleeper" quality of the Skylark GranSport. Once I was riding in the '71 when a kid in a Turbo Trans-Am decided to rev his engine as the cross-traffic light went yellow. My cousin just smirked, then he reached over and clicked off the air conditioner. A moment later, the T/A was pulling onto a side street in disgrace. It's embarrassing when something that looks like your mom's old car mops up the street with you. Bet his friends still tease him over that one. :-)
The Riviera is truly a piece of work. It has a 430 c.i. engine which has had (at most) some gaskets and the fuel and water pumps replaced. The compression is right on spec, even with 170,000+ miles on the clock. Buick must've upped the nickle content in their engine blocks, compared to Chevy. The car is an honest "little old lady" special, too. My cousin bought it from an elderly neighbor who, since her husband passed away, only drove the big Buick to the grocery store and to church. It gets even better... her husband had purchased it from the parish priest, back during the Arab oil embargo!
That car still had the secondary barrels on its Quadrajet blocked by a small piece of steel and a roll pin. I tapped out the pin, cleaned the carb and we proceeded to go blow out about fifty pounds of soot. I wish I had a video of it; it looked like an F-4 in full-afterburner, low level flight. :-) Burst the seams on both mufflers and both resonators, too. The guy at Midas looked pissed, but he honored the lifetime warranty! LOL!
If Pontiac would build a retro (circa 1966) GTO, I might get in line for it.
Wrong. The Supra died because it's price tag had risen to over $50K. A lot of money for a Japanese car in 1995. Sales were less than 1000 units in the last year.
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