Good Night(hawk), Oppo

"AMC/Renauledge" (n2skylark) 09/04/2015 at 04:14 • Filed to: None

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KnowsAboutCars > AMC/Renauledge 09/04/2015 at 04:23

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For 1979 it was replaced with Roadhawk.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > AMC/Renauledge 09/04/2015 at 11:41

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Ahh... the malaise era, late-70s, early 80’s... when all else had run out performance was strangled nearly to death, and all that was left to try and sell new cars was gimmicky graphics packages.

AMC/Renauledge > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/04/2015 at 11:46

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Pretty much. Although there were some rumblings within Buick about putting the turbo 3.8 in the Skyhawk. But that would have made it faster than the Corvette, so GM brass nixed the idea.

There was an aftermarket company called Phoenix that would convert Skyhawks to Turbos, though. With graphics packages to show the world.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > AMC/Renauledge 09/04/2015 at 11:50

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We all know how GM was iron fisted about anything that could remotely challenge Corvette.

John DeLorean’s Banshee concept, all the way down to the Fiero being corked, and ultimately cancelled.

Kind of a shame, really... Heaven forbid there be alternatives, or Corvette would have had to actually sell on it’s merits and compete.

AMC/Renauledge > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 09/04/2015 at 11:56

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Yeah, it’s frustrating. But Buick got their comeuppance with the GNX 9 years later.

For a company still deep in the Sloan business model back then, I find it really strange that Chevy - the cheap brand - could jealously guard their ability to sell GM’s fastest and most expensive car for so long, and to the detriment of all the other brands.