I test drove a Vigor a few years ago (with a 5-speed), then a 190E 2.3 automatic right after (they were on the same used lot). The Vigor was faster (though not what you'd call fun to drive) and roomier, but generally felt ragged. I'm not a big fan of frameless doors on sedans, and the thing still looked like a big Accord. I'm also not a big fan of 5-cylinder engines.
Basically Acura did it because Audi did it. I always thought Audi did it because they were stupid. What's the point of an I5? Why not go ahead and make it a 6?
In both cases the cars were clean designs at the same time the engines were done, so it wasn't done to fit it into the available space.
I submit that their current popularity speaks to their success as a design.
AFIK Audi pioneered the concept based on the idea that they'd be torquier than a 4 but use less fuel than a 6. Gains in fuel efficiency have negated the latter and Audis and Acuras are all even numbered cyl counts now. Meanwhile Volvo now makes a line of Turbo and non-turbo fives--maybe just to be different.
well about 30or 40 post back someone asked about the VW pickup based on the microbus . I got a 61 sitting in my driveway waiting for me to restore ..
i drive a truck everynight so i see many cars , i am in ca , but do to the 80's < man i killed alot of brain cells then > can't remember alot of names but i will try lol
today i saw a way pos renault alliance convertable , a La car , and a freugo ? is that spelled right . also saw a late 50's early 60's toyota or datsun pickup in back of a house behind a garage and it wasn't on blocks . might go back and see if i can get that cheap it really looked clear from where i was at on the road . also saw my first 350 Z car fly by me today . still had the dealer plates on it .
I moved to a new house about 2 weeks ago, and am getting the feel for all the neighborhood cars. While I'm only about 10 blocks away, it's on the other side of a major road so the neighborhood's vastly different. I live next to two (2) Eagle Medallions, one a sedan, one a wagon, both really beat up.
Today, in SF, I saw for the very first time a BMW 760. Had the 19" wheels on it.
It also had liscence plates with the typical american dimensions, except it said "Consul" at the top and did not have registration stickers. Diplomatic plates maybe?
Anyway, there was a hot mid 20's girl with long blond hair driving it:)
I haven't seen the four-door ('80) El Camino lately. If I see it, I'll take some photos (I'll even pick up a disposable camera if I don't have the digital with me). It's extra wacky. I have an eighteen hour work day tomorrow though, so probably not gonna happen.
Today I saw a Subaru DL/GL/Loyale (white) with a fake convertible roof (in blue). Nothing has been spared this treatment, apparently. Jeez Louise.
I drove from Madison to Chicago the other morning to pick my friend up at the airport. In the 2 hour drive between 6 and 8 am I saw 6 vipers, 3 Corvette convertibles (with the tops down), 2 late Camaro convertibles (with the tops down) and 4 Ferraris. Everybody must be getting the last fling of summer out of there system here this weekend.
Porknbeans
Grand High Poobah The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I took a drive in the hilly texas hill country today.
I saw a bunch of cars! I saw my first 2003 E-class, an E500... looked very sharp, but who would expect less? Perhaps the best sedan ever. The panorama roof is pretty neat.
I saw something in a puke yellow color... i want to say it's a 1960's compact. It has the same boat tail design as the early 70's Riviera, only in a smaller form with a upside down triangle window between the boat tail window and the driver's side window. I want to say something from AMC... any guesses?
Anyway, I saw a black and white 1958 DeSoto Fireflight parked in Manhattan last night. It even had a "Shoe" cartoon in the window. Shoe owns a 1959 DeSoto. I didn't realize that some cars in the 50's had flipper style door handles.
Last week I saw a rare elusive electric yellow-green Honda Insight parked by Bertucci's in Woodbridge, NJ.
I saw an SVX, with those tiny windows rolled down, full of people. I'm assuming the a/c was inop because it was hot and humid here today. I think the one I saw was black.
AMC and Mopar products often shared a lot of styling similarities back then.
Oh yeah, speaking of flip-up door handles, I think AMC was actually the first (domestic maker, at least) to offer them. Back then, a lot of cars had door handles that were similar to old-time refrigerator handles, only mounted sideways. If you grazed a pedestrian with your car, the handle would slice right through them.
I saw a '58 DeSoto 4-door sedan, about a year ago, out on the highway. I think '58's are the rarest of the '57-59 design today. I used to be in the national DeSoto club years ago, and remember that there were actually more '59's in the club than '57 or '58's. The '57's were much more popular when new, but rusted like crazy. The '58's sold poorly, due partly to recession, the bad rap of the '57's, competition from within Chrysler, and poor marketing. The '59's were better built, but still sold poorly. I think that's why they survived better though, because they were built a bit better and had better rust-proofing.
I saw a Ferrari 328, a 1969 Lotus Europa, another Lotus of similar vintage, that I barely fit in (I did tech inspections), a Caterham 7, an MG Midget, a Porsche 928 (pretty darn slow on the course) and an older Alfa Romeo GTV (which was pretty darn fast on our course)
I see I was incomplete, the Alfa was a GTV6. Makes a bit of difference. It was both loud and fast.
It had dealer drive-away tags on it, so I probably wasn't really street legal. It was not one of the cars I teched.
Then there was the late 70's or early 80's Pontiac Sunbird (looked like a Chebby Monza) with the 3.8L V6. Big, heavy iron engine in small car. It didn't turn very well. Mediocre street tires also were a factor.
It was a pretty car, in excellent shape. It looked showroom new.
My parents briefly owned a '78 Pontiac Sunbird (coupe, not hatchback) with the 3.8. It was pretty quick, but didn't handle so great (smallish wheels and all), and was an absolute nightmare in snow (lots of front end weight, little in the rear w/RWD). Nice looking car at the time, though, it was the requisite-for-1978 silver with dark red vinyl interior.
Insights are pretty common here. In fact, there are a dozen Priuses on the lot, and they sell more than the Echo ( at least that's what the salesman said.)
I was in Houston yesterday and in the IKEA parking lot, I spotted a car I had never seen before! I always can tell a car from a far distance, but this car looked like a Ferrari Testarossa. Then I was saying to myself "it has to be a Fiat" (due to the AMC-style door handles which were used on larger Fiat models).
Lo and behold, it was a Lancia Scorpion! Never seen one in my life. It had the exact same door handles as the Lancia Beta sedan. In fact, I think it's technically a Lancia Beta Scorpion. Anyway, it was a really awesome looking car. It looked like a Ferrari in MR2 proportions.
Went to a "Mule Days Parade" Monday - best car was a Edsel station wagon with "regular" (not "classic") plates. Looked like a daily driver. Steve Host SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I saw a Buick Reatta coupe today. I have never seen one before. It actually looked very classy...not the typical Old-Man Buick style. I'll try to find some pictures.
...but back to back saw a brand new yellow Mini... looked real sharp, followed by a MINT copper-colored Datsun 280ZX... the wife has always wanted a Z!
Just a reminder that every Thursday you can join the Subaru Crew for a chat session from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Stop in to talk about Subaru or just to say hello!... We had a great turnout last week, but there's always room for more, so stop by and join in this week! Hope to see you there!!
Magnteophone: I've seen a car similar to the silver one three down on the page that you placed a link to. It was in "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" and belonged to the female race driver. The Lancia fell in love with Herbie....etc.
Reattas are not that uncommon around here...I've seen several, but not that recently. They look pretty cool...nothing you'd think of when you hear "Buick."
There are thousands of them in and around Philadelphia. Personally, I prefer the Ninety-Eight Regency. I had yellow 1979 model that gave me 148,000 miles before it was demolished by a box truck. There is a green 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible near my workplace which is much more uncommon.
...I saw an '80-83 Dodge Mirada, in dark blue, with a faux convertible top. Looked to be in pretty good shape. I always thought these were one of the few cars whose looks weren't trashed with a fake convertible roof.
...if you can tell the difference between an '82 and an '83 Monte Carlo ;-)
Around here, I probably still see more Montes from the '81-88 style than I do all the newer Montes and Lumina coupes combined.
Hey, that's one I don't see too often...the Lumina coupe that was offered for a few years. I used to think they were pretty nice looking, from the outside, at least!
Weren't the pre 1983 Monte Carlos smaller and more squat?
I tend to see more of the newer versions of the Monte Carlo and Lumina. The egglike ones...
I drove through a small town east of Austin on my way to Houston and noticed that there were a lot of older GM and Fords that I would never see in a "new" large city such as austin. And if I do, they're almost always jalopys, hooptys, or beaters. But in the small towns there are lots of older well kept cars.
Comments
Must be an aftermarket deal.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
In both cases the cars were clean designs at the same time the engines were done, so it wasn't done to fit it into the available space.
I submit that their current popularity speaks to their success as a design.
negated the latter and Audis and Acuras are all even numbered cyl counts now. Meanwhile Volvo now makes a line of Turbo and non-turbo fives--maybe just to be different.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
It's still a sound concept but debatable as to any real necessity or advantage.
i drive a truck everynight so i see many cars , i am in ca , but do to the 80's < man i killed alot of brain cells then > can't remember alot of names but i will try lol
today i saw a way pos renault alliance convertable , a La car , and a freugo ? is that spelled right .
also saw a late 50's early 60's toyota or datsun pickup in back of a house behind a garage and it wasn't on blocks . might go back and see if i can get that cheap it really looked clear from where i was at on the road .
also saw my first 350 Z car fly by me today . still had the dealer plates on it .
It also had liscence plates with the typical american dimensions, except it said "Consul" at the top and did not have registration stickers. Diplomatic plates maybe?
Anyway, there was a hot mid 20's girl with long blond hair driving it:)
Today I saw a Subaru DL/GL/Loyale (white) with a fake convertible roof (in blue). Nothing has been spared this treatment, apparently. Jeez Louise.
1. A Toyota Cornona wagon- a woodie!- in that 70's avacado green.
2. *3* Hummer H2's. Two yellow, one reddish-brown.
Anyone ever see a Bond Equipe GT?
How about a Fiat Toppolino?
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I saw a bunch of cars! I saw my first 2003 E-class, an E500... looked very sharp, but who would expect less? Perhaps the best sedan ever. The panorama roof is pretty neat.
I saw something in a puke yellow color... i want to say it's a 1960's compact. It has the same boat tail design as the early 70's Riviera, only in a smaller form with a upside down triangle window between the boat tail window and the driver's side window. I want to say something from AMC... any guesses?
A Cavalier hatchback (probably from like 1982?)
Anyway, I saw a black and white 1958 DeSoto Fireflight parked in Manhattan last night. It even had a "Shoe" cartoon in the window. Shoe owns a 1959 DeSoto.
I didn't realize that some cars in the 50's had flipper style door handles.
Last week I saw a rare elusive electric yellow-green Honda Insight parked by Bertucci's in Woodbridge, NJ.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bacaruda/cudart.jpg
AMC and Mopar products often shared a lot of styling similarities back then.
Oh yeah, speaking of flip-up door handles, I think AMC was actually the first (domestic maker, at least) to offer them. Back then, a lot of cars had door handles that were similar to old-time refrigerator handles, only mounted sideways. If you grazed a pedestrian with your car, the handle would slice right through them.
I saw a '58 DeSoto 4-door sedan, about a year ago, out on the highway. I think '58's are the rarest of the '57-59 design today. I used to be in the national DeSoto club years ago, and remember that there were actually more '59's in the club than '57 or '58's. The '57's were much more popular when new, but rusted like crazy. The '58's sold poorly, due partly to recession, the bad rap of the '57's, competition from within Chrysler, and poor marketing. The '59's were better built, but still sold poorly. I think that's why they survived better though, because they were built a bit better and had better rust-proofing.
FWIW,
TB
There's not an Alfa made that doesn't handle well for its vintage.
It had dealer drive-away tags on it, so I probably wasn't really street legal. It was not one of the cars I teched.
Then there was the late 70's or early 80's Pontiac Sunbird (looked like a Chebby Monza) with the 3.8L V6. Big, heavy iron engine in small car. It didn't turn very well. Mediocre street tires also were a factor.
It was a pretty car, in excellent shape. It looked showroom new.
TB
Also, a yellow-green Insight...intersting to look at...
I was in Houston yesterday and in the IKEA parking lot, I spotted a car I had never seen before! I always can tell a car from a far distance, but this car looked like a Ferrari Testarossa. Then I was saying to myself "it has to be a Fiat" (due to the AMC-style door handles which were used on larger Fiat models).
Lo and behold, it was a Lancia Scorpion! Never seen one in my life. It had the exact same door handles as the Lancia Beta sedan. In fact, I think it's technically a Lancia Beta Scorpion. Anyway, it was a really awesome looking car. It looked like a Ferrari in MR2 proportions.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Just a reminder that every Thursday you can join the Subaru Crew for a chat session from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Stop in to talk about Subaru or just to say hello!... We had a great turnout last week, but there's always room for more, so stop by and join in this week! Hope to see you there!!
/direct/view/.eea5f48
PF Flyer
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There you go verozahl
magneto: very nice looking classic!
Reattas are not that uncommon around here...I've seen several, but not that recently. They look pretty cool...nothing you'd think of when you hear "Buick."
Pontiac Parisienne
Caprice wagon
pre-1983 Buick Centurys
two-door Cutlass Cieras
pre-1983 Monte Carlos and Grand Prixes
Around here, I probably still see more Montes from the '81-88 style than I do all the newer Montes and Lumina coupes combined.
Hey, that's one I don't see too often...the Lumina coupe that was offered for a few years. I used to think they were pretty nice looking, from the outside, at least!
I tend to see more of the newer versions of the Monte Carlo and Lumina. The egglike ones...
I drove through a small town east of Austin on my way to Houston and noticed that there were a lot of older GM and Fords that I would never see in a "new" large city such as austin. And if I do, they're almost always jalopys, hooptys, or beaters. But in the small towns there are lots of older well kept cars.