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But, it seems like they are starting to reestablish themselves. The Outlander is a nice vehicle - both gas and PHEV versions. The Eclipse Cross is a mess, however.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
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Agree that there can be advantages and disadvantages to that relationship.
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Here is a fun video of the 76 Sunbird. The first one shown I think is the color I had. The video has faded. Later it shows the 231 V6 and other options. Somewhere along the line they replaced the 100 mph speedometer with an 80 mph which I had. Also the interior door panels would be changed to a different style. The poster has a lot of Vega and H body clips which interest me as I had a 71 Vega GT and 76 Sunbird V6 5p.
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Digging through stuff today, it is raining cats and dogs and I have the day off, I found this of my 98 Millenia.
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The Sunbird is nicely styled with a pretty luxe interior for the time, size, and price point.
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Well they only made about a dozen of them 😎
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
https://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/d/bluff-city-1979-ford-thunderbird-town/7606484593.html
Would be fun to see a Marti report on this spec.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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Depends on whether it’s a CA car (351), or rest of US (302).
As for hp ratings, my old car book lists the T-bird's 302 at 133 hp. For the 351, they had "135/151" I guess the 135 would be the choked down CA version, while the 151 would be 49-state? Or, maybe that's for single/vs dual exhaust?
Here's a weird one...for 1979, the 302 has four different hp ratings:
129 LTD
133 LTD II/T-bird
137 Granada
140 Fairmont/Mustang
I can understand more restrictive exhaust systems cutting hp a bit, but it seems to me the smaller cars should be more restrictive, not the larger ones. It's also interesting that Ford was still listing numbers like that. In 1979 Chrysler's were ending in either 0 or 5. GM was as well for the most part, although the optional Chevette engine is listed at 74, and the Malibu's 200 is listed at 94. Once they started ending in 0 or 5, I figured they were actually rounding off. Although, even in more recent years, I've seen horsepower ratings in other numbers. For instance, in the 2000 Intrepid, my 2.7 V6 had 200 hp. If you bought the ES, it had 202 hp. It sounds inconsequential, but I think it also gave you a much broader hp and torque curve, so more of that power was available, over a wider rpm range. From the 0-60 times I've seen, I think it cut it from around 9.5 to 8.8 seconds.
On that '79 T-bird, I just looked up the specs on automobile catalog.
They list the 351W (Windsor) at 135 hp, and the 351M (Modified) at 151. For California, they list a 351M, at 149 hp. I'm a bit surprised that California emissions only took away 2 hp. For the Chevy 350, I'm thinking the CA emissions dropped it from 170 to 155 hp? For the Mopar 360 in 1979, they didn't even offer the 2-bbl in 1979, instead opting for a 318-4bbl. For the 360 4bbl, there was a 170 hp California version that they offered elsewhere, or the 195 hp version, which was essentially a copcar engine. In civilian cars, they pushed it as a "trailering package" I think.
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2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Looking through my auto encyclopedia, it looks like the last really powerful 351 was in 1973. It shows a 246 hp version being offered in the Torino/Montego coupes, and a 264 hp version in the Cougar, with "CJ" in parenthesis for the entry. I'd imagine the Cougar offered it, so did the Mustang, but this book doesn't list it for the Mustang. Probably a typo, I'm guessing. For 1974, it lists the 246/264 version for Montego coupes and the Cougar, again with "CJ" in parenthesis. But, not for the Torino that year, so these discrepancies make me think this book is missing something.
I found a Mercury brochure online, that does indeed mention the 351 CJ engine as an option for Montego coupes and the Cougar. The Ford brochure however, was a bit sparse on engine info, only saying the Torino had a 301-2bbl standard, with a 351-2bbl in California.
Despite the low hp, I think the 351 was still pretty torquey, so performance might not have been as bad as those low hp numbers suggest. I've also heard that even the 400-2bbl, which was down to 159 hp in 1979, and used in the Lincoln Continentals and Mark Vs, still had enough torque to move those cars with a bit of dignity. Of course, I usually hear that from fans of the cars. Detractors, naturally, tend to have less nice things to say.
To be fair, the Chevy 350-2bbl was pretty low on hp in its final few years, as well. I believe it got cut to 145 hp for 1973, and according the full-sized brochure, was still 145 in 1976. And banned in CA, where a 4-bbl with 165 was standard. I think the Pontiac 350-2bbl had 160 hp in 1976. I've seen the 4-bbl quoted at either 165 (Consumer Guide) or 175 (Motor's Repair Manual for 1976), but the '76 Pontiac brochure doesn't list hp. I think the Buick 350-2bbl was also down to 145 hp towards the end, as well. Dunno about Olds, but didn't they go to 4-bbl only for their 350 a bit sooner than the other divisions?
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
And, as I turned into my driveway, an orange C8 was behind me.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Our hometown Buick dealer didn't carry Opel but the dealer in even a smaller town 15 miles south did, go figure.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Saw a 64 (I think) T-Bird this morning, very clean original looking car, driver could have bought it new.
This is my neighbor's 98 Regal LS 25th anniversary edition, sunroof, gray leather. I like the color matched grille similar to the GS.
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Great color on that Benz
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
at Bjs, a 57 Bel Air, turquoise with silver accents and roof (I think silver!) Looked nice and shiny. Some mods, at least suggested by the cragers on it! the odd part, it was a 4 door that someone did that restoring to.
and later at a strip mall, a fairly clean but somewhat original 79ish camaro Z28. Dark blue. I liked that one!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Great color on that Benz
Looks like a beautiful combo, perhaps light grey or parchment interior. Lovely car, and if you are on a trip and want to pull over and have a picnic, the car comes with a nice bench for seating
They can probably also take a slow speed bump with minimal to no damage.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Did the Manta get those bulkier bumpers for '74, or '75? I've tried looking up pics online, but it gets confusing. Some '74s show a bulky bumper, while some don't. I guess it's possible that what I'm seeing is Euro spec cars, vs US-spec? Or, US cars that were converted to the earlier bumpers?
It's also possible that the bumper loophole went away at the start of a calendar year, rather than a model year. So, if it went away on 1/1/74, for example, then some '74's might have the earlier bumper, and some would have the later.
With the Manta, I think those back windows flipped out, rather than roll down, so it wasn't a hardtop in the strictest sense, I guess. But considering that strip at the B-point is really just a place for the rear window to hinge to, and probably doesn't offer any structural support, I imagine it was considered pillarless by government standards.
The rear windows did not roll down. But it has been so long I honestly have no recollection if they popped out or not, but it sounds likely!
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With the Mantas and those crash bumpers, I think sometimes it's the angle that you view it from, that makes it look worse. For instance, in this view, I think it looks a bit awkward... With the way the fender slopes upward, and doesn't really meet the bumper, it leaves a triangular void that just doesn't look right. I wonder if they could have corrected this by simply extending the bumper backward at the edges, and slanting the back edge of it, to fill in that void?
I saw the name on the back.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I like the Laguna front end, but honestly don't care for the body-colored rear bumper.
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