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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
One was sold at a Mecum auction in 2019. I don't know the selling price but I was pretty-much stunned at how comparatively low the estimate was--$45K to 65K. Only 400 manufactured, at least according to Mecum.
Here is the Mecum car like the one I saw yesterday:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/CA0819-380888/1941-cadillac-series-61-convertible-sedan/
And, on the Olds versus Chevy front, I can proudly say that the 3.8 in my '82 Cutlass Supreme would walk the 3.8 in my '80 Malibu like a dog (even if it was a Buick engine in the Olds...)
...and the Chevy had five more horses (at least in '80, LOL).
At some point though, I think Chevy did do something to the 229 to get its torque up to 190 ft-lb as well, but I forget the year.
My grandparents' '82 Malibu wagon had the 229, and they HATED that thing. Grandmom loved to complain about the stationary rear door windows, and that always sticks in my mind...probably partly because that was the first time I ever saw a 4-door car like that. But, I remember them complaining constantly about how slow it was, how they hated having to do a high-speed merge, and so on. This car replaced a '72 Impala 4-door hardtop with the 165 hp 350. Not exactly a musclecar, but I'm sure coming off of that, Grandmom and Granddad were definitely suffering horsepower withdrawal!
I always thought it was a shame that Buick didn't do more with the 252 V6. It had 125 hp and, I think, 205 ft-lb of torque. I think the one road test I read of it was in an '82 Bonneville G, where they got 0-60 in about 12.9 seconds. In contrast, I remember an '81 Grand Prix with the Pontiac 265 V8 taking 14.9 seconds, and I think I've seen a Consumer Guide test of an '81 Cutlass Supreme with the 260 taking close to 18! Some of that might have been gearing, though. I just looked up the specs on automobile-catalog, and it looks like the 252 used a 2.41 axle as standard, in the midsized cars at least, while the Olds 260 and Pontiac 265 V8s had a 2.29:1 axle standard. Maybe that's not a HUGE difference, but it was enough that when Mopar tried something similar (going from a 2.45:1 to a 2.26:1), they had to adjust 1st and 2nd gear in the transmissions, because with the normal gear ratios, it would strain the transmission.
I guess there really was no need for the 4.1 in later years though, as the 3.8 went with fuel injection and started becoming a pretty good performer. And in the cars that still used the carbureted version, most buyers were probably opting for V8s.
In a masochistic sort of way, I'd kind of like to see a drag race between an '81 DeVille with the 252 V6, and an '82 with the aluminum 249 V8. I don't know which one would actually be lighter...while the V8 was aluminum, the Buick V6 was already pretty lightweight. And despite both having 125 hp, the V6 had a 10 ft-lb advantage in torque.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Also a large number of modern fair-weather cars like a modded BMW M4 coupe, an expensive-looking AMG M-B roadster, too many Porsches to count, and even a showroom-condition Pontiac Solistice with the top down.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I have joked that lately if I drove the fintail, the stuff coming out the tailpipe would be cleaner than the ambient air.
https://www.oregonlive.com/trending/2020/09/portland-man-grandson-of-warren-g-harding-and-presidents-lover-wants-hardings-body-exhumed.html?fbclid=IwAR1IGuOpr87F_Hhnbp5xfV51CqJaF1bqtJkMuDjMQfxzISkhcrF0iizHHQM
The 267 V8 was slow, but at least it was smooth and quiet, and sounded like a V8 when you 'goosed' it.
My parents bought a new '84 Monte Carlo with 305 4-barrel and it felt like an absolute hot rod at the time. Really light gas pedal touch too.
https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/1692387650936513/?media_id=3&ref=share_attachment
Not nice times for a cruise in old cars:
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
Anyway, it was a surprising convoy to see on a Monday morning. I left home at about 0430, so it was probably around 1030 at this time, about thirty miles shy of Anchorage proper.
Now, when she took us to Hearst Castle, I had a hundred questions. I'm always amazed at what the human mind and hands could do, especially in that era before trucks and power equipment.
When I was a kid, I remember the "sea green" color in the Crayola 64 box. It was similar to the hue of the '53 DeSoto Firedome my Granddad had bought from his brother in law. I never understood, at the time, why it was called "sea" green, because no water at any of the beaches I'd ever been to even looked remotely like that. It was usually just, at best, sort of grayish blue. But, in Aruba, at certain times of the day, the water really did turn that shade of "sea green". Usually in the afternoon, the shallower, sandier parts would pick up that hue, while the deeper parts, or the parts that had seaweed, sea grass, or whatever, would be some of the darker colors that auto makers in the 50s and 60's would attach Caribbean-alluding names to.
Also, the water was usually pretty warm, so you could just hop right in. Oh, and every time except that last time, we had a room at a resort right on the beach. The last time, December 2019, we rented a house that was right across the street from the beach, so that just made it even sweeter. After that, coming back to the beaches, especially the ones here in Maryland, are sort of a buzzkill.
Oddly, Aruba is the only place I've seen a DeSoto "in the wild", for lack of a better word, in recent memory. Back here in the States, the only time I'll usually see one is around car show time, when it's either at the show, en route to it, or heading home from it. But, the first time we were in Aruba, I saw a '56 Fireflite 2-door hardtop in a parking lot. And in 2014, while driving, I saw a '57 Firedome 2-door hardtop, same red and white color scheme as mine, in the oncoming lane. While those still aren't everyday occurrences, on an island of roughly 100,000 people, it's almost an infestation!
Like this?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Needless to say, it didn't end well...
In this aftermath shot, it actually doesn't look bad, mostly just the lower bumper...
However, the front-end buckled pretty noticeably, when it landed, so I'd be shocked if the frame wasn't bent. Or at the least, some serious suspension work would be in order. Kind of a shame though, as a '72 Impala was always one of those cars I thought was cool, and wouldn't mind having, as my grandparents once had one.
My late, favorite widowed aunt drove a DeSoto of that year, in a dark, maroon color. It had been owned by the elderly neighbors of my grandparents--neighbors were named McDonald--and my grandfather bought it for my aunt to drive. I can remember the car so we're talking probably no earlier than '64 or so. She didn't have it long though. I remember it followed by a '50 Chevy, '56 Ford Customline, then a '58 Ford Fairlane.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Saw an 86-88 Century out in the smog today.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Years later, in 1992, I went down to that junkyard for a nostalgia trip, mostly. I asked the owner about that '53 DeSoto, and he said that it was actually one of the first cars they got in when the junkyard opened in the early 60's. It was just an old car nobody wanted, but still ran, so it was driven to the junkyard. In the early days it sat out towards the front, but then the guy bought more land further back, and actually drove it to its final resting place. I was able to find the car, and it looked like not much else had been picked over since Granddad had at it. It was weathered, some windows were broken/missing, and the interior was shot, but for a car that had, at that point, been in that junkyard about 30 years, it was still remarkably solid.
I went down a few more times, but the last time was 1997. By that point, the owner had financial problems and was starting to crush cars. Plus, a lot of stuff had rotted/rusted away by that point to where it was essentially worthless, so I'd imagine that car is gone, now. I'd be kinda curious, though. I've tried looking at it on Google Maps, but the resolution in that area is too vague. I can tell though, that a lot of the cars have definitely been cleared out.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I always thought that style of Supra was nice...a bit smoother than the boxier '86 and earlier, but not so over-the-top as the '93 and later models. That generation of Maxima never did much for me, but I think that's mostly because I thought the '89-94 was a real looker, and a tough act to follow. Still, it seemed like a style that's aged nicely.
Neither one is exactly a high-dollar collectible, although I guess there could be some market for that Supra? Still, it was kind of cool to see both of them still being used as daily transportation, and in rainy weather even.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Saw a few this afternoon: 2x Saab 900 - 1 a pre-flush headlight Turbo, the other a GM era "Talladega", Volvo P1800, first gen Taurus, Bentley Arnage, running and driving Audi Allroad, first gen Lexus SC.
For some reason, when I was a kid, I thought the '79-81 Supra was kind of an exotic looking car. When I look at the pics of them now, I don't see it quite as much, although I do still find it a handsome looking car. Perhaps one reason I liked it is that, for a Japanese car, it was actually a bit on the large side!
andre--did the Supra have the wheel opening flares? Not a fan of those. I think the Celica didn't have those though, right?
Of course, admiring something from afar, and owning it are two different things. I wonder if I'd like owning something like one of these cars? I know it's a bit out of the normal range for me.
It pretty much looked like this, although I don't remember if it had the color keyed wheels or not. I thought about trying to get a pic of it, but there was a lot of traffic and it was starting to rain...
This maybe more Americanized one popped up for sale on local CL several years ago. I think it was around 3K, and looked quite nice - maybe should have gone for it:
My uncle had a 200SX of the angular 80-83 style (not the funky astro-boy style prior model), but it was a hatchback. IIRC it didn't have a hardtop feature, but the notchback did,
I also recall the 626, from my young memory. A woman down the street had a yellow Fox Mustang hatch, I think some kind of sport model maybe with t-tops. I was maybe 5 years old, and found that car to be pretty cool, I think I maybe even asked for a ride in it. One day it was gone, and she was driving a new 626 hardtop coupe, I still remember the "Luxus" badge. It didn't excite me.