When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
It seems that GM is about to resurrect the Pontiac Trans Am through GMC dealership line calling it a GM Firebird... Think there is any chance Olds may have a shot... I know, wishful thinking on our part...
Looks like a wheel and grill change on a Camero, no?
For the most part, Yes... Excerpt from the article:
"We were told that the 2017-2018 Firebird will share a lot of common parts but receive a unique front and rear fascia, hood, wheels, unique spoiler, interior accents, suspension/ride and decals and possibly more."
In my opinion, no. The Camaro and Firebird are iconic brands that were (and are) around for decades. The 442 was a flash-in-the-pan by comparison. It's heyday was maybe '65 to '71. Yes, there were 442s in later years, but not consistently year after year, and not with the kind of performance or styling as the earlier ones.
Plus, the Camaro and Firebird have always been their own series, haven't they? With the exception of the '68 to '71 models, the 442, when it was available, has always been an option on one or the other of the various Cutlass lines.
If they had to pick a year I'd say they would have to go 70-72 for the W-25 hood alone, but logic & capitalism would dictate they would go with what sold the most. If they did go with those years everything would get lost because everything today is hard sharp lines. How could you produce a car to resemble the A body line today? I can't see it ever happening, but hell we can dream.
I read something not long ago that stated Buick is the oldest car company in the US. That sickened me since Olds was the oldest from 1897. That alone should have been reason enough not to close Olds.
I also read, some 30 years ago, Olds was the last to sell to Billy Durante who started GM back in the early 20th century. Ford held out for more money and he couldn't afford them otherwise they would be GM as well.
I get that it's all about money but it's sickening, everything that went into Caddy was tried out in the Olds the year before then they just casted them aside like a cheep *****.
That would be cool if they actually did bring the Firebird back. I always preferred them to Camaros and was disappointed when the new Camaro came out as they were shuttering Pontiac. I've enjoyed seeing pictures of the newer Camaros that have been dressed up to resemble Firebirds but ironically, my favorite is the GTO kit. It really captures the flavor of the original while bringing it into the 21st century without looking like it should have a Mattel logo on it. Bringing the Firebird back under the GMC banner would have some nice symmetry to it in that Pontiac and GMC were effectively one division for a long time and long before Pontiac claimed the Firebird name in the late '60s, GM used it for a series of experimental gas turbine cars in the '50s.
Zeeke--As for the shuttering of Oldsmobile, my personal theory is that it was sacrificed at the altar of Saturn. GM had too many brands in the '90s and not enough advertising resources to go around. Launching the Saturn brand took a lot of extra resources and they had to come from somewhere so Oldsmobile lost out. The first rumors and speculation that the brand might be dropped started circulating around 1992, but they propped the brand up long enough to see it through its centennial year and into the new century.
If you look at the timeline, Oldsmobile's death spiral began at almost the moment the first Saturns were introduced. Annual sales went from 1.2 million units in 1986 to barely 300,000 in 1993. Another weird thing was the first Saturns borrowed much too heavily from Oldsmobile's styling cues. The early Saturns borrowed Oldsmobile's split grille and even slapped a vertical rectangular emblem in the middle of it. The first Saturn sedans and wagons had a front clip that looked like an update of the iconic '66 Toronado, replacing the hideaway headlights with composites. And the first Saturn sedan was line for line almost a perfectly scaled-down copy of the W-body Cutlass Supreme sedan. Those Olds-like styling cues vanished almost instantly once Oldsmobile was gone.
Last edited by Human; March 24th, 2017 at 06:56 PM.
When the article started off with, "It seems that GM wants to sell more Camaros than Mustangs (duh), and in order to triumph over the best selling car (in the world)...", I was wondering how they were going to sell more Camaros than Toyota sells Corollas. It's all relative I guess.
When the article started off with, "It seems that GM wants to sell more Camaros than Mustangs (duh), and in order to triumph over the best selling car (in the world)...", I was wondering how they were going to sell more Camaros than Toyota sells Corollas. It's all relative I guess.
I'm a Toyota engineer, and although the company claims that the Corolla is the best selling car ever, it is not. The Corolla is the best selling NAME ever, but the modern car has nothing in common with the original.
The car that is the best selling car ever is the Volkswagen Beetle. You could hook the original body of the first year to the frame of the last year of the last Mexican made one, and any engine in between, and it would bolt up and work. That's a single car over the run, there, and it will probably be forever untouched as the record.
If they had to pick a year I'd say they would have to go 70-72 for the W-25 hood alone,
Can't dispute that since IMO, the 70/72 (with the W25 Hood) were very iconic and stood out among the crowd... However, the W25 Hood can look good on other applications as well... For example:
That's a single car over the run, there, and it will probably be forever untouched as the record.
Wanna bet? Changes like going to a McPherson strut front suspension or changing to EFI, or body parts from later years that don't interchange still make it the same car?
It seems that to bring a performance 442, etc. would be bringing back a larger performance car then the muscle ponies. The makers may be making a move in that direction, but for GM that probably would be a performance Impala . I heard Ford is doing a Torino. IMHO, Chrysler has the edge in modern performance larger car with luxuries, ala the Charger.
442 and W cars...I say do it. As long as its RWD, high HP with a genuine 6-7-8....speed stick. Don't bother if it's anything else. Plenty of design cues can be brought together throughout the run to. Start out with the 64 on up to the 72...And now I can actually afford a new one. Do the W31 with a hot blown small cubed V8 say the 5.3. I'd think the markets there??? Dream on....
March 24th, 2017, 03:53 PM
