I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

uplanderguy

A friend of mine who buys and sells said that despite the low mileage, clean original interior, etc., with the paint like that and the looks of the hinge area in the one pic, he bets it's 'crispy' underneath. And of course he agrees with me that the price is 1,000% insane.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

ab348, talk about 'ambitious price', LOL! I will say I like these in the Custom Coupe, with no optional body side moldings. I like how the Impalas all had wide rocker trim in '71. And I can't recall when I've last seen an original cloth interior on one, this nice. And...the black interior benefits the black steering wheel and instrument cluster these cars had regardless of interior color.

That said...Maybe a buffing of the car would've been in order? Maybe seeing what others are out there for (to be fair, I bet there aren't any comparables) but.....sheesh! This guy just threw away his eBay fees!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Chevrolet-Impala/193365525452?hash=item2d057bc3cc:g:QiUAAOSwwyFeXIuA

Yes, there must be an extra zero in the price. Though with Chevy collectors maybe he's serious on the price... :laughing:

Not only does it need a full buffing on the outside but the engine bay needs a full cleaning too. I'm surprised the dash top around the radio speaker perforations has not let go yet. The '71 full size Chevy was the best one of that generation and they all went downhill from there.

uplanderguy

I kind-of liked the '72 grille and Impala seat trim a bit better than '71, but detested how the Impala had no rocker trim at all--when it was included on Biscaynes and Bel Airs! WTH??!! And it wasn't even optional on an Impala.

Overall, I'd rather have a '71.

One goofy thing about '71's is how the A/C vents don't fill the openings in the dash, completely, on the right half of the dash. It gives the impression of 'aftermarket', but even the brochure and showroom album I used to have, showed it like this. In '72, the chromed A/C vents became the size of the opening.

andre1969

fintail said:

Welcome back, Andre. You should do cold start videos of your cars and post them on YouTube - people love that kind of thing. Did the blue beast and the 5th Ave get a try?

Thanks, Fintail. I didn't try starting the blue NYer, but to be honest, at this point it's pretty much just a parts car. As for the 5th Ave, I didn't start it on Sunday, but in late February I started it up and drove it around "the block" (which out here in the boonies is about 4-5 miles). Here's a pic of the 5th Ave, in its current resting spot...

andre1969

Style-wise, I prefer the '72 Impala to the '71, and any other year of the '71-76 generation. I might be a bit swayed because my grandparents had a '72 4-door hardtop that was a beautiful sequoia green with a white vinyl top, that I liked a lot. I thought the '72 front-end was really clean and handsome, almost a bit sporty for such a big car. Meanwhile, the '71 was a bit more busy and pretentious, going more for a "baby Cadillac" look. Still attractive, but I just prefer the '72. Also, there's just something about the taillight treatment of the '71 I don't like. I prefer the taillights in the bumper, like what they did for '72. Something about the rear of the '71 makes it look a bit unfinished, in my eye.

Performance-wise, was there really much of a change in performance between the '71 and '72 Impalas? I know there was a noticeable horsepower loss, but I was always under the impression that much of the real loss was in '71, when they started cutting compression ratios, and most of '72's "loss" was really just the gross to net conversion.

I know '73-74 were bad years, as emissions strangulation took its toll.

uplanderguy

I think the change in '72 was entirely, or almost, due to the reporting going from gross to net.

We had a '74 Sport Coupe, with four rolldown windows (!), but I never liked on the '73 and '74, how the body side molding went over the front wheel openings. On the right side of ours, it looked like it was going uphill.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

I think the change in '72 was entirely, or almost, due to the reporting going from gross to net.

We had a '74 Sport Coupe, with four rolldown windows (!), but I never liked on the '73 and '74, how the body side molding went over the front wheel openings. On the right side of ours, it looked like it was going uphill.

This.. ^^^^

uplanderguy

One color I always liked across the GM big cars in '71 only, was called "Sea Aqua" on the Chevys. It was a medium turquoise. Looked best with black interior and top IMHO. I only remember, specifically, one at my hometown dealer's--a Bel Air which sat there for the better part of the model year, LOL. I remember seeing paint overspray on the RF "Bel Air" nameplate--I'm guessing a lazy factory, or dealer, damage touch-up.

andre1969

If this is the color you're thinking of... https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d5/f1/9e/d5f19e0d389f16baafb1bfc21b520acc.jpg

then yeah, I agree, that's a gorgeous color!

I've sometimes wondered...when GM restyled these cars to incorporate the 5 mph bumpers, did they lose any trunk volume? The reason I'm wondering, is that despite the move to the jutting bumpers, the cars only put on a few inches. At least, doing a spot check, I found a '72 Impala coming in at 219.9", and a '76 at 222.9". I figured the jutting bumpers would add more than that. Also, especially with the '75-76 restyle, the rear deck looks shorter to me, although that could just be a styling trick amplified by the different roof structure, as well.

andre1969

Oh, on the subject of performance, I recall Consumer Reports testing a '72 Impala 4-door with a 350. 165 hp, which I'm guessing is the 2-bbl? Automatic transmission, and a 2.73:1 axle. 0-60 came up in 12 seconds.

One year later, 1973, they tested a Chevelle with the 350-2bbl. I think it was choked down to 145 hp. It had an automatic, but I can't remember which axle ratio; I forget what year they started making the 2.56:1 more common. Anyway, even though it was in a lighter car, and possibly similar gearing, I seem to recall 0-60 in the low 13 second range. It was definitely getting worse.

Either MT or C&D did a comparison test of a Gran Fury, Caprice, and LTD in 1976. The Caprice had a 400, and did 0-60 in 12.7 seconds. From what I've been able to find online, that would've been a 4-bbl with 175 hp. The LTD, even with a 460, only managed 11.3 seconds. I can't find the details on the Gran Fury, but I think it had a 400, and 0-60 was around 12.9 seconds. Good times!

uplanderguy

That is indeed the color!

RE.: '73 Chevelle--I know they get no respect now, but I could really like a clean, original or authentically-restored Malibu coupe--not Laguna (don't like the body-colored rear bumper), but Malibu. Mid-year, when the bumper fillers became body-colored instead of silver, it slightly-lessened the huge look of the front bumper I think.

Anyway, I remember how nicely those cars rode and steered (drove my sister's at age 16 the next year). I remember CR saying, maybe in a test of one in '74 or '75, "The Chevelle inspires driver confidence". Really, I thought the mid-sizes not only handled better, but rode better than the big Chevys then.

fintail

This is obscure, from a Dutch classified ad - someone de-finned a fintail and gave it a coupe style rear:

xwesx

fintail said:

This is obscure, from a Dutch classified ad - someone de-finned a fintail and gave it a coupe style rear

That is just cruel.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

RE.: '73 Chevelle--I know they get no respect now, but I could really like a clean, original or authentically-restored Malibu coupe--not Laguna (don't like the body-colored rear bumper), but Malibu. Mid-year, when the bumper fillers became body-colored instead of silver, it slightly-lessened the huge look of the front bumper I think.

I like the '73 style a lot. I like the two round taillights on each side. I thought the '74 messed it up, with those small, ill-fitting taillights, and the flow of the trunk line, most likely carried over from '73, just didn't seem to flow as well. I think the '75-77 was better, especially with the extra trim, although the base models looked a bit unfinished. However, the sporadic fit-and-finish of the era often made them look sloppy as well, as the various seams often didn't line up well.

uplanderguy said:

Anyway, I remember how nicely those cars rode and steered (drove my sister's at age 16 the next year). I remember CR saying, maybe in a test of one in '74 or '75, "The Chevelle inspires driver confidence". Really, I thought the mid-sizes not only handled better, but rode better than the big Chevys then.

I do like the way my '76 LeMans handles. However, I think it's been beefed up a bit, over stock. One thing I notice these days, every time I see "Smokey and the Bandit", is just how sloppy Buford T. Justice's LeMans seems to handle, whenever it's pushed. For instance, there's a scene where he cuts through a Shell station, chasing the Bandit, to get around a car crash at the intersection (you can see a fintail benz briefly, off to the left side of the screen) and the car is bouncing horribly through the whole scene. I've always suspected that the three LeManses GM supplied for that movie were not actual police cars, just base models painted up to look like patrol cars. For most of the higher speed driving, they tended to use Coronets and the "new, small Fury". I have a feeling those were actual police cars. One of the cars, though, was a '74 Olds Delta 88 4-door hardtop. I seriously doubt those were ever used as police cars!

Oh, a few other details I remember, about the '73's, per Consumer Reports. They mentioned the Colonade's windows were frameless, similar to the Torino/Montego, but said Ford did a better job sealing and insulating the windows. And, on a '73 wagon they tested, they noted that NONE of the windows rolled down all the way! The rear windows stuck up about 4", as they were designed to, but even the front ones stuck up, and I think one stuck up by about an inch!

uplanderguy

RE.: The '75 Chevelle--as you probably know I grew up Chevy, but I hate the '75 rear-end! It looks like the '74 was cut out and a '75 panel put in by a shop class--visible seams and all that! Same way I feel about how the rear wheel openings were done on the '93 Caprice--the wheel opening molding is probably three times thicker in the back than front, then mostly painted flat black, probably to cover up some jury-rigged sawing, LOL!

At our hometown dealer, most Chevelles came from Baltimore. I was constantly hanging around the dealership, and I used to see some shaky-looking fit and finish, more on Chevelles than big Chevys for sure.

What I hated worst--when entry-level Chevelles had no roof gutter moldings over the doors. Often you could see black goop where it shouldn't be, and I actually remember one where I could see a piece of black sponge sticking out of a seam up there. Yuck!

kyfdx

xwesx said:

fintail said:

This is obscure, from a Dutch classified ad - someone de-finned a fintail and gave it a coupe style rear

That is just cruel.

Just like bobbing a dog's tail...

fintail

There was actually a factory styling proposal for losing the fins, I suspect from around 1963, when fins had quickly become passe. But it also softened up the C-pillar area, so it more resembles the coupe:



What I wonder about the modern image from the classified site is if it is a modern conversion, or something done in the period, when fins fell from fashion, and the owner of the car wanted it to look current.

ab348

Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh... I am in lust with this:

https://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/cto/d/pelham-1978-pontiac-bonneville-landau/7080742573.html

ab348

uplanderguy said:

RE.: The '75 Chevelle--as you probably know I grew up Chevy, but I hate the '75 rear-end! It looks like the '74 was cut out and a '75 panel put in by a shop class--visible seams and all that! Same way I feel about how the rear wheel openings were done on the '93 Caprice--the wheel opening molding is probably three times thicker in the back than front, then mostly painted flat black, probably to cover up some jury-rigged sawing, LOL!

At our hometown dealer, most Chevelles came from Baltimore. I was constantly hanging around the dealership, and I used to see some shaky-looking fit and finish, more on Chevelles than big Chevys for sure.

What I hated worst--when entry-level Chevelles had no roof gutter moldings over the doors. Often you could see black goop where it shouldn't be, and I actually remember one where I could see a piece of black sponge sticking out of a seam up there. Yuck!

I think the Baltimore plant was notorious for poor quality in the '70s. Our '78 Grand LeMans came from that plant and was an absolute disaster in terms of assembly quality. I can't imagine it was even inspected given the number of flaws.

I honestly didn't like any collonade Chevelle/Malibu in truth. The styling seemed clumsy in just about every model year. Not that any of the other makes were paragons of good design either, though the later Cutlass and Regal coupes were reasonably good. The best thing about the collonades was their driving dynamics, which were excellent.

uplanderguy

That is a very nice Bonneville for sure. My guess is that it was built with the optional body side moldings, most were, but they were optional. Someone couldn't resist the urge to put much-earlier "400" emblems on the outside. With the advent of downsizing at GM, putting engine displacement I.D. on cars to brag about big cubic inches, went away--other than stuff like shaker hoods with "T/A 6.6" or the like.

As you know, a 400 in a '78 Pontiac is unusual AND very desirable!

What was the advertised horsepower, do you know? I remember Chevy's 350 in the Caprice was 170.

uplanderguy

That 'Benz does look like a coupe from the rear.

roadburner

andre1969 said:

Style-wise, I prefer the '72 Impala to the '71, and any other year of the '71-76 generation. I might be a bit swayed because my grandparents had a '72 4-door hardtop that was a beautiful sequoia green with a white vinyl top, that I liked a lot. I thought the '72 front-end was really clean and handsome, almost a bit sporty for such a big car. Meanwhile, the '71 was a bit more busy and pretentious, going more for a "baby Cadillac" look. Still attractive, but I just prefer the '72. Also, there's just something about the taillight treatment of the '71 I don't like. I prefer the taillights in the bumper, like what they did for '72. Something about the rear of the '71 makes it look a bit unfinished, in my eye.

Performance-wise, was there really much of a change in performance between the '71 and '72 Impalas? I know there was a noticeable horsepower loss, but I was always under the impression that much of the real loss was in '71, when they started cutting compression ratios, and most of '72's "loss" was really just the gross to net conversion.

I know '73-74 were bad years, as emissions strangulation took its toll.

I had to drive a 1972 four door Caprice hardtop for a couple of years in high school; it didn't suck as hard as the 1974 Maverick LDO I was also stuck with, but there's no nostalgia there for those cars.

ab348

roadburner said:

I had to drive a 1972 four door Caprice hardtop for a couple of years in high school; it didn't suck as hard as the 1974 Maverick LDO I was also stuck with, but there's no nostalgia there for those cars.

For a year or two when I was in college our fleet at home was a '74 Maverick LDO 4-door and a '74 Impala 4-door. Peak malaise with those two.

fintail

Pontiac looks amazing, right spec but I would like it more without the vinyl top, and maybe leather. Not giveaway priced, but good luck finding another.

uplanderguy

They didn't offer leather, but their vinyl was very leather-like then.

omarman

Respray several years ago and "$4500 invested within past 3 seasons for services and preventative maintenance. Brand new factory correct sea-foam vinyl top last fall."
Just wondering if that investment was all about the paint and vinyl top? Seller didn't make it clear.

Current seller posted few interior pics showing a green blanket or something spread over the front seat.

Description + pics for Vin: 2N37Z8P168538 with 65,739 miles were posted from previous sale:




The overall condition of this car is fantastic with the exception of one minor stitching flaw in the passenger seat and a nonfunctioning power antenna. It is believed all other components of this vehicle are working as the factory intended. This Pontiac is finished in the striking combination of Seafoam Green exterior with a Sage Green interior.

Best bang for the buck on the options listed is the 6.6 Litre 4BBL for only $180! Skip the $294 padded landau top and the $239 Delco Am/FM stereo and listen to the 400/4bbl engine with the crank windows down. Good times!

fintail

That looks better - I saw the pics with velour looking seats, and thought that was it, not thinking it was a towel being from the age of velvety cloth.

The engine, wheels, and handling group look like bargain must-haves. I also notice it has "gages", I wonder if GM still does that.

uplanderguy

At $180, that 400 was a steal!

Dumb question--did these cars come with the Buick 231 V6, or was the 301 standard? Either way, there's probably a lot of folks who later wish they would've sprung for the $180!.

"Rear wheel opening covers"--wonder when they stopped calling them 'skirts'?

fintail

Not just that, assuming this is the same scene, it also appears to be the same color as my car:



Looks like a BMW 2002 in front of it, both not common cars in 1976. Not sure if this was filmed in suburban Atlanta or in California, but much of it was filmed in GA.

This shot is definitely GA, another fintail seen for a brief moment:




This is also GA, and even more obscure, a Citroen SM parked at right between a Cordoba and Monte Carlo. This is also suburban Atlanta (I've driven on this road/by this location):

andre1969 said:

I do like the way my '76 LeMans handles. However, I think it's been beefed up a bit, over stock. One thing I notice these days, every time I see "Smokey and the Bandit", is just how sloppy Buford T. Justice's LeMans seems to handle, whenever it's pushed. For instance, there's a scene where he cuts through a Shell station, chasing the Bandit, to get around a car crash at the intersection (you can see a fintail benz briefly, off to the left side of the screen) and the car is bouncing horribly through the whole scene. I've always suspected that the three LeManses GM supplied for that movie were not actual police cars, just base models painted up to look like patrol cars. For most of the higher speed driving, they tended to use Coronets and the "new, small Fury". I have a feeling those were actual police cars. One of the cars, though, was a '74 Olds Delta 88 4-door hardtop. I seriously doubt those were ever used as police cars!

uplanderguy

The engine, wheels, and handling group look like bargain must-haves. I also notice it has "gages", I wonder if GM still does that.

I'm not aware of any optional 'gage' or 'gauge' packages at GM anymore. Both my 2017 and 2019 Chevys came with a temperature gauge and tach.

uplanderguy

I'm making an assumption (only that) that the 400 got you a bigger transmission too.

andre1969

From '77-79 the Bonneville came with a 301 standard. The Catalina had the 231. IIRC, the Pontiac 400 had 180 hp by this time. I know that sounds bad, for an engine that size, but I'm sure it still had plenty to torque to move the car out with some grae and dignity. '78 was also the last year for the 400, for the most part. In 1979 it was only offered on the Firebird/Trans Am with the 4-speed. I think that one had 220 hp. I've heard that the engines were actually leftover '78 engines, but that could just be an old wives' tale.

I just looked at a 1980 sales brochure. That year, the Bonneville was downgraded to a 231 V6 standard. The Bonneville Brougham had the small Pontiac 265 V8. I don't know if I'd consider the 265 a step up or not. I think you jumped from 110 hp to 120, although the V8 would have definitely had more torque, and been smoother. They also stuck the 265 with a 2.56:1 axle, whereas the 231 had a 2.73:1. Once you factor in the added weight of the V8 (although the Pontiac 265/301 block was fairly light), and the taller gearing, there probably was little, if any, difference in performance. I'd guess the 265 was smoother and quieter, though.

As for Smokey and the Bandit, I've read that the gas station scene, for whatever reason, was filmed in Ojai, California. Seems kind of odd, since just about all of the movie was filmed in Georgia, to do that. I think it's interesting, how sometimes you can just look at a movie, and see the variance in filming locations. It seems like in Georgia, there's just a haze, humidity, that the camera seems to pick up. I notice it with the Georgia-based "Dukes of Hazzard" episodes, too. I guess in the Ojai pic, that palm tree kind of gives it away, too

Also, while that is the gas station scene I was thinking about, that's actually not the fintail! I seem to recall another one, gray or off white perhaps, sort of in the shadows off to the left of the gas station. Might be a false memory though...I haven't seen the movie in awhile.

My eye also tends to catch that scene from Smokey and the Bandit, with the two identical looking Cordobas, side-by-side.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I'm not aware of any optional 'gage' or 'gauge' packages at GM anymore. Both my 2017 and 2019 Chevys came with a temperature gauge and tach.

Next time I start my '03 Regal, I'll have to look and see if the "Gen" light comes on

uplanderguy

That Bonneville reminded me in a roundabout way, that I'd long-wanted a '77 Caprice Classic coupe, which I love in profile particularly. I'd want it equipped like Car and Driver's sedan they tested--F41, 350, black, gold pinstripe, scooped-out plastic 'Sport' wheelcovers, no body side moldings, bumper strips but no guards, and those wispy/pinstripe whitewalls the F41 package got you. No vinyl top.

Trouble is, I have never seen a single real example of a coupe like that, in over 40 years.

My friend's Dad was a Chevy/Buick service manager at a town about 25 miles from ours, and I remember his '77 Caprice Classic demo--black sedan, gold pinstripe, no body side molding, black vinyl top, red Custom heavy-velour interior, the scooped-out spoke wheelcovers--but no F41 so it had the small F-series tires, which were too small for the big round wheel openings IMHO.

A Bonneville of that era I could enjoy would be a '79 350 with bucket seats and console, which reminded me in a way of the Grand Prixs of a decade or more earlier. No side moldings, aluminum wheels, two-tone paint, no vinyl top.

The '80-81 Bonneville could still be had with the buckets and console, and I like that reskinning, when I don't really like the reskinning of the rest of the full-size cars that year.

andre1969

I like the re-skin of the '80-81 Pontiacs for the most part, with the exception of the grille. I never cared for that look with the turn signals between the headlights. My favorite of the bunch is the '77 Catalina. I just thought that front-end, with a bit of a crosshair motif going on, was really good looking.

Back in 1999, there was a local guy who had a '79 Bonneville he wanted to get rid of. He was just going to donate it, but I asked him if I could drive it, and he let me. It had the 350, which by that time was a Buick 4-bbl with 155 hp. Pontiac dropped their own 350s after '77, using Chevy 350s as a substitute in the Firebird, and Buick or Olds 350s in the big cars.

It was a bit of a dog, although part of that could have been old age. Still, I had my grandmother's '85 LeSabre at the time, and had it to compare. And it was getting up there in years too. The LeSabre felt like it was a bit quicker. Even though it only had an Olds 307-4bbl with 140 hp, I'm sure the 4-speed automatic helped. I think first gear in the THM200-R4 was something like 2.74:1, whereas on a THM350 it was around 2.52:1. On the old THM400, I think it was 2.48:1 The LeSabre also had a 2.73:1 axle, versus 2.41:1 for the Bonneville...presuming it had the stock rear end.

I'm sure the LeSabre was notably lighter, as well. In the 1980 reskin, GM shaved a bit of weight from their full-sized cars. It seemed like the Delta 88 and LeSabre coupes/sedans saw the biggest drop in weight, although they were all down. The wagons and C-bodies, being heavier-duty though, didn't lose as much as the smaller cars.

This particular Bonneville also wasn't anything that special. Basic 4-door sedan with crank windows, vinyl seats. It was white with a light blue interior. I think, if I didn't have my grandmother's '85 LeSabre at the time, and also my '89 Gran Fury ex copcar, I might have been tempted to buy it from the guy, but it just didn't seem like an improvement over either of those cars.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

That Bonneville reminded me in a roundabout way, that I'd long-wanted a '77 Caprice Classic coupe, which I love in profile particularly. I'd want it equipped like Car and Driver's sedan they tested--F41, 350, black, gold pinstripe, scooped-out plastic 'Sport' wheelcovers, no body side moldings, bumper strips but no guards, and those wispy/pinstripe whitewalls the F41 package got you. No vinyl top.

Trouble is, I have never seen a single real example of a coupe like that, in over 40 years.

Back in 1980/81 in my first job I dealt with an IBM salesman who had the '79 model of that car, almost exactly as you describe. His had the two-tone black with silver bodysides paint treatment and a red interior. 350, F41, those sport wheel covers, not sure about the rest. Nice car.

tjc78

Not too classic, but came upon this picture from years ago. Guess I had (well, still do) a thing for white cars. I got the 2000 Solara in December of 1999 so it could be brand new in this picture or maybe a year old. I can't exactly remember when I got the TC. Also my 79 Continental is absent in the picture so maybe this is 2000 or 2001.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

The '80-81 Bonneville could still be had with the buckets and console, and I like that reskinning, when I don't really like the reskinning of the rest of the full-size cars that year.

It gave a handsome interior. I wonder what the take rate was.

uplanderguy

I don't know if I ever saw one in person. We talked about a black '79 some dealer had for sale online a couple years back I think. Same color interior as you posted. Really beautiful.

That's a wonderful steering wheel too IMHO.

andre1969

My guess is, not many people at all went for the bucket seats in the Bonneville. I'll look up the stats in my auto encyclopedia when I get home, but off the top of my head, I think they sold around 85-95,000 Bonnevilles for 1980 and 1981. I know sales fell off fast for 1980, but then held fairly steady for '81, which was surprising as the economy in general was going in the crapper.

Anyway, the majority of the Bonnevilles were most likely sedans by that point, and of the coupes, the Brougham was probably more popular than the base model. And I believe the bucket seats were only optional on the base. Off the top of my head, I'd guess less than 1000 per year? Definitely a rare beast.

fintail

Are the "scooped out" wheelcovers as seen on the Impala at top here?:



I've always liked those "sport coupes" with the cool rear window. I've always called it the "glass house", also seen it called "fishbowl". I remember when I was a little kid, maybe 4, a neighbor had one (unsure if Impala or Caprice), it has always stuck in my mind.

fintail

I'll have to dig it out, I think I have the DVD, or at least did at one time. I vividly recall the blue fintail and the white one seen from the truck, but in scenes filmed in CA, there could be another lurking, as that's where one would be most likely to see cars like that.

The haze is real in many scenes:



So many of the secondary highways around Atlanta look just like this. I remember on my first trip there, thinking "this looks so familiar". The movie is so old now that it is a real vintage car spotting exercise.

andre1969 said:

As for Smokey and the Bandit, I've read that the gas station scene, for whatever reason, was filmed in Ojai, California. Seems kind of odd, since just about all of the movie was filmed in Georgia, to do that. I think it's interesting, how sometimes you can just look at a movie, and see the variance in filming locations. It seems like in Georgia, there's just a haze, humidity, that the camera seems to pick up. I notice it with the Georgia-based "Dukes of Hazzard" episodes, too. I guess in the Ojai pic, that palm tree kind of gives it away, too

Also, while that is the gas station scene I was thinking about, that's actually not the fintail! I seem to recall another one, gray or off white perhaps, sort of in the shadows off to the left of the gas station. Might be a false memory though...I haven't seen the movie in awhile.

My eye also tends to catch that scene from Smokey and the Bandit, with the two identical looking Cordobas, side-by-side.

uplanderguy

Yes, those are the wheelcovers. Thanks.

The Impala had a rocker molding, but not the wide one like Caprices did. That pic almost looks like there is none! The '78 Impala taillights are the worst of the '77-79 run IMHO.

When you got the F41 suspension, the whitewalls were just a thin pinstripe of white, almost. I always liked that, on top of the fact that the tires filled the wheel openings better than the standard tires.

omarman

I didn't realize that Chevrolet Impala with the cool back glass was just called "Sport Coupe." I thought it was "aerocoupe" but I must have been reading that term in online posts instead of official GM ads.

I've also seen posts calling it the "3 piece window."

Not sure what this version is called other than XS! Really:

uplanderguy

The Toro took the 'hot wire bending' to a whole new level!

texases

Don't imagine those are at the local auto glass shop...

ab348

andre1969 said:

My guess is, not many people at all went for the bucket seats in the Bonneville. I'll look up the stats in my auto encyclopedia when I get home, but off the top of my head, I think they sold around 85-95,000 Bonnevilles for 1980 and 1981. I know sales fell off fast for 1980, but then held fairly steady for '81, which was surprising as the economy in general was going in the crapper.

When I looked at the brochure site to get that interior picture I saw that for 1980 the largest engine you could get in the Bonne was a 350 Olds gas and that the V6 had become standard at that point. In '81 it got worse and the biggest gas engine was the Olds 307. Both years still offered the Olds diesel those years but I bet by then the word was out. GM rolled the dice on that as a way to meet fuel economy standards and bet on a real turkey of an engine.

uplanderguy

Those were the days of "this engine NA California" and "this engine CA only", etc. Don't miss that, although I think the cars then were way-more-distinctive than now.

andre1969

ab348 said:

When I looked at the brochure site to get that interior picture I saw that for 1980 the largest engine you could get in the Bonne was a 350 Olds gas and that the V6 had become standard at that point. In '81 it got worse and the biggest gas engine was the Olds 307. Both years still offered the Olds diesel those years but I bet by then the word was out. GM rolled the dice on that as a way to meet fuel economy standards and bet on a real turkey of an engine.

I wonder, what's more acccurate...the sales brochures, or the data on the EPA website? According to the EPA's website, the Olds 350 was only available in California. It was optional in coupes/sedans, standard in the wagon. The EPA also lists the Chevy 305 being offered in California, in lieu of the 301, for sedans. However, the Chevy 305 is not mentioned in the 1980 sales brochure.

Interestingly, the Olds 307, which came out for 1980, wasn't offered in California that year. Presuming the EPA's website is correct for the Delta 88, in the 49 states you could get a 231, 260, 307, 350, and Diesel, but in CA, only the 231 or gas 350.

uplanderguy

Honestly, I'd believe the brochure first. You figure, it's from the manufacturer themselves and people made orders and purchases based on it. Shifty used to say don't count on them, but is it less reliable than Joe Blow's website, made thirty years after the fact? LOL (I know you're talking about the EPA website though.)

I used to see what I'd consider laughable errors on various fan websites--laughable because I've seen the cars a gazillion times since new and through the years.

The "CA; not CA" thing was often identified by a small asterisk in the brochures. Plus, sometimes there are Canadian brochures online on a couple different sites which of course wouldn't have the California irregularities, LOL.