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Comments
which makes me suspect it ain't. ;b
'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
While your logic is understandable ("words ending in "o" are masculine, and "a" are feminine), this time it lead you to the wrong conclusion. The noun "testa" means head in Italian, and the adjective "rosso" or "rossa" means red. The last letter of the adjective must correspond with the last letter of the noun it modifies, which in this case (testa) is "a." If the last letter of the noun happens to end in "o", such as in the word "libro" (book), then the ending of the adjective would be "o" also, or libro rosso.
Aside from all this, Testarossa is a name, and is gender neutral.
Your argument is correct, though.
-Mathias
But I don't take any of this very seriously. It's pretty silly.
This can't be common.
Lemko's dream barge.
Andre's dream barge.
Does the block come with it?
320SL -- price is about market correct.
92 Cadillac Brougham -- seller forgets to mention that this was one of the cheapest Cadillacs you could buy that year. Price is okay if you like that kind of thing.
Those seatbelts anchored on the door have always scared me, though. Years ago, a friend of mine had a 1982 or so Bonneville G, the midsized, Malibu-type model. He had just gotten it repainted. One rainy day, he was in a line of cars coming up a hill. There was a similar-vintage 80's Cutlass Supreme coupe in front of him and a Citation in back. Well, this mastodon of a Royal Monaco wagon coming down the hill wipes out in the rain. Totals the Cutlass. Somehow whacks my friend's Bonneville in a way that actually RIPPED both doors from the driver's side. It was totaled, as well. The Citation got hit and, while not totaled, had to be towed away. The only car that was able to be driven away from that accident was the Dodge!
I always wondered how an accident like that would have played out, in a car with the seatbelts anchored in the door. Seems to me that with the door being torn off and pulled back, the belts would cut you up. Also, I know it's rare that a door pops open in an accident nowadays, but if it happens in one of those cars, you're suddenly un-belted!
With a car like this, would the Chevy TBI 350 bring in much of a premium? It only had 185 hp, which doesn't sound like any great shakes today, but it had like 300 ft-lbs of torque, and was probably the first RWD Caddy since maybe 1970-71 that could do 0-60 in under 10 seconds. Standard engine this year was a Chevy 305 with TBI, that had 170 hp, but a lot less torque.
It is funny though, how this car is generally regarded as Cadillac's flagship, yet it was one of the more reasonably priced ones by that time. I guess the DeVille might have been cheaper, but the FWD Fleetwood, Eldorado, and Seville would have probably cost more.
I'm sure that D'Elegance package fluffed up the price a couple grand, although it may not make a difference today.
I always thought it was a shame that Cadillac didn't use their Northstar in these cars. But maybe the Chevy engines, even when they went LT-1 for 1994, helped keep the price low? And I guess with the weight, these cars may have been better suited to an engine with lots of low-end torque, rather than the Northstar, which is more of a revver.
And re: the 525i - I'd also want to drive it, the pep may not be what you expect, a '96 Camry v6 would probably eat it for lunch!
I wonder if GM would have been better served if they had just switched to corporate engines back in the late 50's/early 60's, like what Chrysler and Ford did? I mean, I don't care that my '79 5th Ave has the same engine as what would have gone into a Volare, or that my buddy's '78 Mark V has the same 460 that would have gone into a Ford. But a few years back, I looked at a '79 Bonneville that this old guy wanted to just donate, and I turned my nose up at it because it had a Buick 350! :confuse: I guess GM was just that good at marketing their separate identities back then, and it still sticks with me to this day? FWIW, I think I read somewhere that Pontiac stopped building 350's after 1978, so any '79 Pontiac with a 350 SHOULD have a Buick, Olds, or Chevy engine, anyway.
Chrysler quit putting the slant six in cars after 1983, although it persisted in trucks until around 1987, when it was finally replaced by the 3.9 V-6. By 1984, the only RWD Mopar cars left were the 5th Ave, Diplomat, and Gran Fury, so it probably made sense to just dump the slant six. By this time, the slant six was so overmatched in these cars that the V-8 often gave better fuel economy!
That 5th Ave would have a 318-2bbl, rated at 140 hp. EPA ratings on it were 16/22. They used 3-speed Torqueflites, with no overdrive, so they stuck a really tall axle ratio, 2.26:1, to give it reasonable highway economy. To offset that though, they changed 1st and 2nd gear to a quicker ratio, to keep from stressing the tranny and lugging the engine.
I had an '89 Gran Fury ex-police car for a few years, with a 175 hp 318-4bbl, the quicker-ratio torqueflite, and a 2.94 axle. It was EPA-rated a dismal 13/15! But somehow, I managed to get 20-22 on the highway with that car. Maybe because of that quicker ratio, it just kept the engine at revs where it was happy? It did always have plenty of power in top gear, where I imagine the 2.26 axle would have the thing downshifting at the slightest indication of strain. Around town though, 11-13 was about all it got.
regarding the Northstar:
"In researching this engine, we discovered that few rebuilders are overhauling Northstar V8s - not because these engines are lasting forever (they're not) but because the Northstar V8s are such expensive and complex engines. Cadillac has no reman program for Northstar V8s (if one fails, replace it with a new one). None of the major production engine rebuilders are doing Northstar V8s, and some rebuilders told us certain critical internal parts are unavailable (such as oversize crankshaft bearings). Add to this the fact that the cylinder liners can't be replaced or overbored and it doesn't leave much to rebuild.
"Even the heads are throw-aways, according to Cadillac. If the valve guides are worn, Cadillac says the cylinder heads need to be replaced. The heads have hard powder metal valve guides, but we don't see any reason why the guides can't be replaced with new ones or repaired with bronze or cast iron guide liners.
"Problems & Recalls
As well-engineered as Northstar V8s are, like other engines they've had some problems. According to various sources, head gasket failures are not uncommon. Nor is oil burning or oil leaks."
The 6cyl SLs are pretty uncommon, yeah. I think those are still the M104, which isn't a bad engine. A longtime friend of my family has a 1995 or 96 SL320 - a black on black 50K mile car. Might be something to have if it remains in its state of preservation for another 15 years.
"It also beat out both Mercedes-Benz and BMW in horsepower per liter of displacement, fuel economy and required maintenance."
Lexus and Infiniti are conspicuous by their absence from that quote.
Autoblog ran a nice piece a few years ago on the supercharged Northstar with some cutaway views.
Do we really know, since the mileage isn't listed?
Remember cars like that are just "used cars". They aren't classics, they aren't collectible. They behave like used cars do--which is--the older they are the less they are worth.
I suppose one might find some "time capsule" 320SL with 10 miles on it that sells for a lot more, but that's not a "market price", nor it is fair market value for the species and year.
I noticed a private seller locally has a same year SL600 for the same money. The market at work.
nice pix. A good example of this car that I've had a soft spot for for many years. Although the 66s and 67s are more classic and clean in their styling, this year has grown on me. I like it in white.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1968-Oldsmobile-Toronado-455-V8-Aut- omatic-VERY-CLEAN_W0QQitemZ170215649414QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZ- ViewItem?hash=item170215649414&
I'd offer about 10,000 for it. Maybe $12,000 once I've eyeballed it and driven it.
May god have mercy on your soul at the gas pump though.
That's funny. I'd always heard, though, that those Toros were really bad off-roaders. I mean, most regular cars aren't exactly GOOD off-roaders, but doesn't the Toro have extra-low ground clearance? I heard it was easy to rip the oil pan.
I know the '66-67 is generally considered the purest of the design, but I always liked the '68, with that split grille. Gorgeous car, and almost enough to make me forget those later, hedonistic 70's monstrosities I've always had a fascination for. Well, almost...
Could you get real leather in those earlier Toronados? It's hard to tell in the pics, but I think that '67 is actually just vinyl...although they could do some pretty impressive things with vinyl in those days.
Ask Dub Schwartz!
1970 Toronado GT
yes, GT. I have personally only seen one GT, and it was quite cool looking. Light blue metallic, black vinyl roof, blue interior with buckets and floor console.
Was the 400 hp version part of the GT package, or a standalone option?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1960-BROUGHAM-rough-rusty-NO-RESERV- E-CALL_W0QQitemZ350059023951QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?ha- sh=item350059023951&
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___LOW-MILES-1983-Cadillac-Eldorado-ON- E-OWNER_W0QQitemZ170220039008QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?h- ash=item170220039008&#mainImage
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190221519577&fromM- akeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:us
"The Oldsmobile Toronado GT of 1970 was a one year only option, the third and final offering of the W34 package. This hi-performance package added 25hp to the base 375hp(gross) Toronado 455 cubic inch engine of 1968-70. Early versions offered ram-air but the 1970 was without this. The GT was a performance package built around a hi-performance camshaft, performance torque converter and dual (two inlet two outlet) exhaust. The GT was also an image package with dual-exhaust cutouts for the bumper, special paint stripes for the wheel wells, and a GT emblem for the hood. Oldsmobile built 5341 GT's in 1970 in exterior colors of Viking Blue, Grenadier Red, Aegean Aqua, Nugget Gold, Ming Jade and Platinum. Other colors were available. Interior colors included Ivory, Black, Saddle, Blue, Green and Gold in various materials. Buckets and a console shift were available. The W34 Toronado carried Oldsmobiles highest horsepower rating during its three year run."
-Mathias
My MIL has an '01(?) Eldorado with the Northstar - it's probably got something like 30K on it, as she never really goes anywhere (really, where is there to go when you live in Cheyenne?). Was always hoping that I could inherit it when the time came.
Now y'all are telling me that the engine isn't as durable as I had originally thought.
Sigh.
I generally don't even comment on Northstars unless I start hearing them touted as "one of the best engines ever made", and that strikes me anyway as a bit of a stretch. Some years back it got voted as one of the best engines but I think time and use in the field has sobered up a few people.
So I wouldn't get bummed out about it, as long as you know the vehicle is well-cared for.