balthazar

What does the '450' and '550' stand for/mean?

Rare '32 Pontiac V-8 badge :

Correct on the LaSalle proposal for the '76 Seville. There was strong support for the name, but eventually they turned away from it because the initial incarnation ('27-40) was discontinued... and some felt there may have been a negative association with that discontinuance. Read; 'failed'. I love the 'Seville' name. Of course, it was also used earlier on the Eldorado hardtops ('56-60). The '76-79 Seviles are truly an excellent, well-balanced design. But I also like the '80-84s.

Correct. It was pitched to Cadillac (thusly badged LaSalle), but Cadillac didn't have the production capacity (only 1 plant). It was then opened up to the other divisions, but Buick was the only one who agreed not to alter the design. Buick also had recently seen a fairly drastic fall in sales, from #3 in '56 to #10 in '60. They really wanted it.

‘Costco lunchers’ ? - - - - - ‘90s street rod :

^ Dogs in commercials are fine. Dogs driving cars the advertising brand is trying to sell is dumb. ?

Yea, I would concur and go with the Riviera. It's just that the Riviera and the GP occupied the same marketing space and the GP is a year older (and the Starfire; 2). But fair point on the unique body. Galaxie XL and Merc S-55 were minor trim/equipment packages, not different enough to even warrant a new model name. I had a Park Lane Marauder fastback years ago- other than buckets/console it didn't get anything special. GPs had a ton of little details that made then relatively unique within the brand.

Obviously you're specifically speaking from your own opinion, and that's fine. I believe Jeep also is only about profits from 'forgettable SUVs', but the vast majority of consumers find them 'memorable' enough to buy them. I expect the Corvette & Camaro to continue, and at least a pair of sport sedans @ Cadillac.

"relaxing sort of wallow" ? I could never get over the horrendous looks. I think it's going to be historically quick out-of-date. And it sounds like a bunch of cheapness throughout.

For the VAST portion of the SL's existence, it's been miles away from being a sports car. The parallels are so interesting; • mercedes & Chevrolet both bring out a sports car in 1953. • both are powered by inline 6s. • MB has a hardtop, Chevy has a convertible. • 3 years in: Chevrolet considers dropping the car, but insteads adds a V8 and a hardtop. ª 3 years in: mercedes kills off their hardtop, kills off the 6-cyl and focuses on an anemic 4-banger to save money. I've never inspected a '53-55 up close, but I got a good look at a partially-disassembled '59 and it was cheap crap in every way. If this was a halo car, it's no wonder it took MB 35 years to gain any market traction.

Ahhhh; dog owners! For some reason I couldn't figure out what the marketing target was; I find any anthropomorphic animal commercial dumb. I like animals just fine, was repeatedly petting a customer's cat ('Houdini') & dog ('River') just this afternoon... and there's 3 cats here inside (plus one outside), but I have never found the animal advertising relevant or effective.

The '62 Grand Prix was the answer to the Thunderbird. I'd say the '61 Starfire, but it doesn't quite feel 'special' enough IMO.

Hard no to a 4-cyl Corvette.

That'll be a brief discussion.

I agree with the statement that the Vette would not hit 80K/yr, but more importantly; why would anyone WANT it to?? It’s a low volume machine that already sells (traditionally) in higher numbers than I personally think it should. 25K (U.S.) is a good target.

Maybe the '30s SSK. Lo-oooooong time ago. I did admire the '17 Maybach Vision, but that's a concept they'll never build (like almost all their concepts).

I don't think I've noticed a K5 out on the road. It basically is a Malibu body with a cheaper-looking nose, so I doubt I would.

The Corvette has never stood for 'high MPG and low maintenance'. Personally I've never cared for the Euro exotics I've been around; I remember a 355 Spyder one customer had where I was working, and it sounded like garbage. It will be interesting to see the reactions / consumer acceptance. Corvette has stayed more true to it's mission than any other car that's been around 50+ years.

A '68-72 Impala Craft Avenger. About 10-ft long. Super rare, only about 16-20 known to exist. This would make that 17-21. For sale soon.

Read elsewhere that Q2 2021 BE sales reached a tick over 110,000 for the quarter. This was against the total Q2 vehicle sales of 4,412,737 units; a market share of 2.0%. (Hybrids are outside the BE number.)