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Comments
I wouldn't turn down something like a '65 Coronet, if I happened to stumble across a nice one at a good price, and was itching to buy something different. But it's not something I'd actively seek out.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
But, like shifty said, its tough to know what is going on here. That's an ad I would expect for a $20k-$25k example. Gotta prove to me its worth what he's asking.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I would get rid of those 70's Crager wheels and find some stock wheels and correct hubcaps.
The mods can be reversed if a buyer doesn't like them and Vintage Air can be added.
I know he's had a ton of work done on it including a total front end rebuild.
Fintail, the owner of Chaplins VW offered him a bunch of money for it awhile back but I guess it wasn't enough.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I am not surprised about the Chaplin's offer. They often have an unusual older car at the VW lot, with a much higher than real world price - I assume it is an asking price, or they are fishing for an uninformed over-monied east side impulse buyer.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/chevrolet/monte_carlo/1689266.html?refer=musweekly
Since they never made a convertible Monte Carlo, this is obviously a conversion done by someone over the years using GM A-body parts. God knows how well all the work was done. Not my cup of java, but certainly a conversation piece.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I would have that car carefully inspected. If the frame has not been appropriately strengthened that 454 could twist it up in no time. Also, is there any good reason that it has Vintage air? Would a factory unit retrofit be that hard? Finally, does anyone know what the knobs are in the passenger footwell?
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
http://utica.craigslist.org/cto/4743576373.html
Don't remember these? 50th anniversary of Pontiac? Obviously nuts money but note to sellers: detail the car before you take pics
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
His T-Top story is incorrect. Pontiac stopped T-Top production on this car after 643 units, (production troubles) and then continued producing an additional 1757 units without the T-Top. All were designated Y82 whether it had the tops or not and regardless of which engine it had
So actually, his car is less rare than the T-Top car and not at all unique. On the plus side, the 455 engine is rarer than the 400 cid cars, so he might have one of a few 455s without the T-top. To say the "only" one is not supportable by evidence.
I think we're looking at a $10,000 car here at best. You can buy the rare 455 T-Top version of this car in very nice condition for $35,000.
So how do you go from THIS to THAT even with $25,000 to play with? You can't.
As for engines, I can't remember for sure, but did Pontiac even have any high-performance engines by 1976? IIRC, the 400 had 180 hp and the 455 had 200, but it was the same across the board whether it was in a Trans Am, LeMans, Grand Prix, or full-size car.
Now in 1977, I know Pontiac had a high(er) performance 400. It made 180 hp across most applications, but in the Trans Am, as well as the "1977.5" Pontiac Can Am, it had 200.
I have read in different places that the T-Tops disappeared due to production problems with Hurst but no reason why that could not have included cost over runs.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DeSoto-1953-desoto-powermaster-beautiful-example-incredible-original-condition-/271657756954?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3f4010691a&item=271657756954&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
I really like this one!
I love how the seller says "Passenger compartment heaters, electric clocks, power brakes, power steering and white wall tires were all available as options." He doesn't say that this car has any of them (OK, it has the whitewalls). In fact, from the necks' knob on the steering wheel I'm betting it doesn't have power steering. I also am amused by the listing stating that it has a manual transmission when some of the pictures, including one close-up, show a shift quadrant.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
It would make a great street rod.
It WOULD be a slug with that feeble flathead and that automatic but I think it could keep up with freeway traffic. Maybe.
I like the fact it is so unique and a car not often seen.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I like the size, practicality and honesty of the 1949-1954 DeSoltos. Those equipped with the hemi Firesome V8 had ample power, although they weren't particularly fast, either, with Fluid Drive or the 2-speed Powerflyte.
I'll acknowledge that I consider this DeSoto to be of the last generation when domestic cars were the very best that reasonable money could buy. Nothing from Europe came close, in terms of practical family transporation. They were large cars, but not huge as in later years, very comfortable and roomy, and powerful enough for the predominantly two-lane highways of the time.
Beginning in 1955 the quality of domestic cars started to go down but, in my opinion American cars continued to hold the all-around best value title for a few more years.
Aside from the fact that DeSoto wagons weren't big sellers, this wagon was arguably the equivalent of the Toyota Venza of its day. Its attributes were similar to the Venza's, but it wasn't at the leading edge of automotive technology. The Venza doesn't feature direct injection and turbocharging, for example, and, like that DeSoto, is conservatively styled.
As for acceleration, I remember reading an old road test somewhere of a '53 Firedome convertible, and they said that the 276.1 V-8 knocked about 4 seconds off the 0-60 time, compared to the 6-cyl. And IIRC, they quoted a 0-60 time of around 17.6 seconds. So, that would put the 6-cyl at around 21.6-22 seconds or so?
As for other details, my old car book says that only 500 Powermaster wagons were built, and the base price was $3,078. And I'm sure that, with options, the price crept up fast. My great-uncle's mother had a '53 Firedome sedan, which base priced at $2643, but by the time you added the power steering, heater, fluid drive, white walls, etc, it was up to around $3500. Just for comparison, a '53 Cadillac started at around $3600-3700...of course, even with a Caddy, a lot of stuff we take for granted these days was optional.
I like how the ad tries to spin it that the Powermaster was something special for DeSoto's 25th anniversary. It wasn't. Previously, DeSotos came in two trim levels: Deluxe and Custom. But for 1952, they added the Firedome, named after it engine. It accounted for something like 50,000 units that year, while the Deluxe and Custom combined were only good for around 38,000. For '53, they combined the two 6-cyl series under one name, "Powermaster". The Firedome outsold it again, by a wide margin, a reflection, I guess, on the public's growing demand for nicer and faster cars.
The Powermaster/Firedome series was replaced in '55 by the Firedome/Fireflite series. However, rather than moving up in price, the Firedome moved down a bit, coming in at a bit more than what the '54 Powermaster had been. For instance, the '54 Powermaster wagon was $3108, while the '55 Firedome, which had a standard 185 hp 291 V-8, came in at $3170.
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The 0-60 numbers understate the powertrain's all-around performance, with the 6 or V8, because included in these figures was the time it took for the transmission to "semi-automatically" shift from low to high (3rd to 4th gear), in addition to the time it took to manually shift from low range (1st and 2nd gear) to high range). So, if you were trying to minimize 0-60 times you needed to use the shift lever. You began by depressing the clutch to shift the steering wheel mounted lever up. Then you revved the engine and dropped the clutch for the launch. Next you let up on the accelerator to allow the upshift to second. Next you depressed the clutch again and lowered the shift lever to high range (3rd gear). This most likely got you to 60 mph, at least with the V8, but maybe or maybe not with the 6. If you wanted to continue accelerating, say to 80 mph, you had to let up on the accelerator again for the transmission to shift to 4th gear.
As the name implied, Fluid-Drive was as smooth as silk, but the "semi-automatic" shifts between 1st and 2nd, and 3rd and 4th, were slow. The transmission signaled that the shift had occurred to the driver by emitting a "click" sound.
Back to my point about underestimation of all-around performance, once the transmission had semi-automatically shifted, there was no slippage, and throttle response was relatively strong. If the semi-automatic shifts had been as quick as those of GM's (4-speed) Hydramatic, for example, 0-60 times would have been significantly reduced. However, pre-1956 Hydramatics didn't shift smoothly.
"... if you weren't that concerned about acceleration, you could start off in "High" and leave it there all day long. That's one reason cab companies liked these cars so much."
True, unless you accelerated from a dead stop or a very low speed on an incline. Then, particularly if the incline was steep, you'd probably opt for a manual shift to low-range (1st gear) launch. Then you could manually shift to high-range (3rd) when you reached ~20 mph, skipping the semi-automatic shift to 2nd.
It sounds more complicated than it really was. It didn't take long for the procedure to become - if you'll excuse the pun - automatic.
Also, dropping the height would most likely negatively affects the ride, which was one of the endearing features of these cars. We'll have to agree to disagree on this mod. That's okay because if everyone agreed on everything there'd be no need for discussion.
Which would you rather have?
No wonder they sold so few. Still, I have to say I really like it!