"" (bignslow)
11/09/2014 at 11:20 • Filed to: None
3
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"" (bignslow)
11/09/2014 at 11:20 • Filed to: None | 3
| 29 |
In late 80's and early 90's GM built some horrible cars. They then tried to make those horrible cars less horrible by making a few oddball editions to stir the pot.
Anyone remember the A-bodies? Olds Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000, Chevrolet Celebrity, Buick...can't remember what the Buick was called. Prime examples of rental cars.
Then someone came with a bright idea of loading said rental cars with every single option from GM's part bin of unreliable 80's electronics. As a result we got these,
Pontiac 6000 STE AWD.
It's hard to believe that these were tested along side BMW and Audi.
Oldsmobile and Chevy had them too.
And then there was the W-Body. Pontiac Grand Prix, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Chevy Lumina, Buick Regal. They too were prime example of rentals for more money. They too had oddball models loaded with all the available options.
Pontiac Grand Prix STE, TGP and GTP models. I actually used to have one of these 1990 turbo sedans. Yes, turbo! GM had a bright idea to turbocharge their intake gasket failure prone 3.1 liter V6. The result was turbo lag galore low 15 second quarter mile time tire roasting machine. I remember guys with just a tune running 14s.
Only 1000 were ever made. I blew the engine on mine a year after doing a complete overhaul. These cars do ride nice and mine handled awesome thanks to touring suspension which offered beefier sway bars and wide tires.
Interior had some fancy options like Head Up Display and the most comfortable OEM seats I've ever tried in a late 80's car. Both butt cheeks on the seats could move up and down as well as 3 separate lumbar supports. I still have the seats sitting in my basement. The only thing I have left from that car.
Oh and can't forget 80's GM electronics. My fuel gauge was always empty and my "check gauges" light was always on.
Oldsmobile, Chevy and Buick also had their own versions which weren't nearly as cool. Althought Buick did have a supercharged GS.
What other oddball models do you remember? Cavalier Z34? Syclone, Typhoon, Regal GS? How about an AWD Tempo?
Beretta Z26? (oh yes)
fhrblig
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11/09/2014 at 11:22 |
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I always thought this Olds coupe looked a bit like a Prelude. It weirded me out.
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> fhrblig
11/09/2014 at 11:24 |
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Forgot to mention I had one of those too. lol Mine wasn't a fancy International Series though. Just a regular Brougham sedan with a carburated 2.8 liter V6. It was a GM carb though from the mid 80's so every winter it would stall at every stop light. I had to get out and jam a screw driver down the carb to keep it open in order to start it. Yea, I was that guy, sitting in the left lane with his 4 ways on with a line of traffic behind him trying to start his car.
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fhrblig
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11/09/2014 at 11:28 |
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I had a Chevy Celebrity with the same 2.8 and the carb never gave me any trouble. Other bits attached to the car didn't work well, but the drivetrain never failed me.
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fhrblig
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11/09/2014 at 11:36 |
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Oh, speaking of oddballs, my best high-school friend's mom had a spotless Beretta GTU that she babied. He loved that car and was obsessed with it. I didn't really get it. It was pretty much identical to this one.
j250ex
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11/09/2014 at 11:48 |
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This is old but its a good one. Meant for the GM dealer network. Probably one of the better written training videos I've seen. Only reason i posted this was the mention of the euro sport celebrity at the end.
That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
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11/09/2014 at 12:03 |
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My dad had a trio of Pontiac 6000s in succession. A blue 6000 LE, a silver STE, and a maroon '88 STE. He followed them up with a '92 Grand Prix GTP with the AWFUL 3.4L DOHC V6. What a gutless engine. But I liked those 6000s a lot...the maroon '88 is actually one of my favorite cars he's owned. Eventually we sold it to a friend of mine who promptly wrapped it around a telephone pole.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
>
11/09/2014 at 12:13 |
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That Grand Prix was actually McLaren tuned and my sources say that 2000 of them were made.
Tohru
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11/09/2014 at 12:14 |
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How about the Oldsmobile Toronado Trofeo?
They had digital dashboards and an optional voice alert system ("The door is ajar.", etc.) The Trofeo also came standard with leather bucket seats ("Ultrasuede" optional 1991-92), fake dual exhaust, and the FE3 suspension package. Starting in 1989, it was available with the same touchscreen CRT "Visual Information Center" as the Buick Reatta.
P.S. - The Buick A-body was the Buick Century.
RoadHead -- Armand
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11/09/2014 at 12:16 |
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Jesus do those seats look comfy
lonestranger
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11/09/2014 at 12:17 |
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Cavalier Z34? Is that a typo? I remember the Lumina Z34 (pictured above) and the Cavalier Z24:
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.
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My favourite oddball GM performance model would be any Oldsmobile with the optional FE3 suspension, simply because it's such an odd feature for the brand to offer.
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> fhrblig
11/09/2014 at 12:25 |
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Was it the GTU or GTZ that got the Quad 4 with ~180 hp and a nasty, raspy noise?
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fhrblig
> Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
11/09/2014 at 12:30 |
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That was the GTU. I only rode in it once. It was fast, but on the downside, it was a Beretta.
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> lonestranger
11/09/2014 at 12:39 |
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Yea, was suppose to be Z24.
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> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
11/09/2014 at 12:41 |
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2000 coupes, I was talking about the STE sedan which is what I had.
shop-teacher
> Tohru
11/09/2014 at 12:42 |
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My first car was a midnight blue '89 Olds Toronado Trofeo. I loved that car, but man did it ever fall apart.
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>
11/09/2014 at 12:42 |
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Anyone remember Electra T-type?
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Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
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11/09/2014 at 12:46 |
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Two-seat coupe / convertible on a shortened Riviera chassis, 165-hp 3.8, enough room in the trunk for two golf bags, and a FREAKING TOUCHSCREEN CLIMATE/STEREO?
IN 1989?????
GeorgeyBoy
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11/09/2014 at 13:08 |
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Mine refuses to die.
Jonee
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11/09/2014 at 13:11 |
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Skyhawk/lark T-Type is another fun one. I really don't hate it.
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> GeorgeyBoy
11/09/2014 at 13:18 |
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Other than the constant stalling in the winter that car was a tank. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if I could find one not rusted to shit.
Sally O'Broder
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11/09/2014 at 14:18 |
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This is clearly why GM killed the Geo brand: They needed all of those designers and engineers to make the rest of their cars worthwhile.
BadMotorScooter
> fhrblig
11/09/2014 at 17:34 |
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1990-91 Oldsmobile 442 (Cutlas Calais). This had the 'quad-4' 16-valve 4-cylinder and could be had with a 5-speed manual. They even offered a W-30 (W-41 in 1991, as seen on the bumber in this pic) package for it. Produced in small numbers.
Nobi
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
11/09/2014 at 18:47 |
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I had a '95 Monte Z34 with the TDC 3.4, and I LOVED that engine. Yeah, it had no torque down low, but it loved to be revved. With a decent exhaust on it, the exhaust note was quite pleasant too. Mine just had a generic aftermarket high flow cat welded in once my stock one let go at around 90k. There used to be a guy that made some performance parts for it too. I had his billet under drive crank pulley and billet top motor mounts installed on mine. It was no rocket, but it was fun to flog. Pity w-body auto transmissions are made of glass. I blew two up in my Monte.
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That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> Nobi
11/09/2014 at 18:50 |
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True story on the transmissions. My dad was also on his 3rd by the time he got rid of the car. The real reason it actually went away was that at a stop light, my brother kicked his ass in his (and later my) '89 Dodge Shadow ES with a 2.5 turbo automatic. Then my dad wizened up and bought a '94 Z28 with a 6 speed, which he still has (174k on the original clutch!).
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Nobi
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
11/09/2014 at 19:21 |
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I blew up my first one shifting from reverse-to-neutral-to-drive (I was a 17 year old idiot). Second one was from running over ice and the wheel spinning to who knows how fast, then catching dry pavement. Third one was whining when I got rear ended in it, and the whole car was toast.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
11/11/2014 at 06:02 |
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i like your friend!
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That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> pip bip - choose Corrour
11/11/2014 at 09:53 |
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She's one of the reasons we don't have 80s cars around anymore. Rust is another.
Vic788
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11/11/2014 at 11:14 |
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Syclone, Typhoon, = Those were straight up mental to own and mantain all I reamember was problem pronw.
SALfan
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11/11/2014 at 13:49 |
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We had a 1988 Celebrity with the 2.5 I4 (Pontiac engine). Ours was a pretty good car. At the end looked like crap because GM couldn't figure out how to make paint stick to metal.