HarleyEarl

toe jam?

Hey thanks for that info. I'm a fan of this type of design esthetic. It has a muscular purity about it.

Ooooh the Oldsmobile Intrigue!....this is like a Ian Flemming novel.

And the Wildcat name....always loved that Buick name. But I like this Grand National for it's rarity. It's an interesting little bit of Buick history that's not widely known. And it was a time that Buick was interested in a performance image. I'm glad they flirted with it.

Drives me insane. Nothing, I repeat nothing is as sexyhot as a true hardtop with the windows down on a warm summers evening. What was the last hardtop that GM built?

I had never heard of this car, the 1986 Buick LeSabre Grand National: http://www.lesabret-type.com/LeSabreGN.html Exactly What is a LeSabre Grand National? Many do not even know that Buick Division of General Motors produced the Grand National on a platform other than on the Regal but there was a very unique Grand National built in late1985 – the 1986 LeSabre Grand National. 117 (or 112) copies were built to qualify the new, first year 1986 LeSabre FWD Coupe body for NASCAR competition. The main reason for building the 1986 LeSabre Grand National was to get the new body with modified rear quarter windows sanctioned for Winston Cup racing that year. The modified windows gave the car a streamline advantage over the large rear quarter windows. All LeSabre Grand Nationals were produced in December, 1985 in one run, from one run sheet – some of the first FWD LeSabre Coupes produced. Serial numbers are sequential or nearly sequential and all have the same exact options. Around that time Buick Motor Division changed its marketing strategy from a performance to luxury car image and cancelled future LeSabre Grand National builds. Only the one production run of LeSabre Grand Nationals was completed and Buick decided to build no more. As such, the 1986 LeSabre Grand National is the rarest of Buicks wearing the Grand National emblem and one of the rarest of all “modern” era Buicks.

I like how Mercedes-Benz explains their CLK coupe: http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?ID=351 The B-pillar separates the front and rear side windows. But what do you get if you leave out the B-pillar? You get one of the most attractive coupes ever built. The absence of the B-pillar means that the view from inside the car is unobstructed, unfettered, and frankly, unbelievable. So you can see the world in all it's pillar-less beauty. What's more, envious outsiders can admire the interior of the CLK that much more easily. Brace yourself. People will stare. You need not worry about strength, either. Mercedes-Benz engineers have created a super-strong roof structure. In short, you are protected from above. The CLK-Class. Expect to be admired. (from Mercedes-Benz)

Damn, there is something about a true hardtop....honestly I almost get hard myself. It does something to me. It has such a purity to the look.

RED01GPGT....I like that concept too...very clean.

Looks like this has been covered before....couldn't find anything on it. Anyhow, I hadn't seen it and I like it alot. Kia must be hiring some good designers.

Isn't that the truth....I wish someone would explain to me why GM and others just refuse to do a proper hardtop. Anyone?

Don't know if any of you have seen this Kia concept, it's been out for awhile. I think it's a hot looking car.

Very interesting....first I've ever heard of that configuration. Does any other car have a transverse straight?

I happened upon 2 Pontiac G8s today at the dealership downtown. First time for me, up close and personal. Interestingly enough I was drawn to the 6 cyl version first as I like the wheels better. And I was pleasantly surprised at the price, 33 and change. The 8 cyl was 41. It has a nice taut, from a piece look....I like it alot. Seeing them got me very hopeful for Pontiac. It made the Buick sedans nearby look dated.

GM is going rebadge nuts with this car. And eww.

So true. For me, it's a love/hate thing with GM. They have produced some of the most wonderful vehicles and some of the most awful and a few inbetween. I currently love GM.

So what do you guys think of this car?

1935 Oldsmobile:

2009 Holden Epica

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...:en-US%26sa%3DN This photo of this beautiful Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 is by David Orea, see above link.

I think it was a mistake dropping Oldsmobile but GM will never admit that. I think they just wanted one less division for whatever reason and Oldsmobile got picked. I don't think I'll ever get over it. It was and is one of my favorite brands. I hope one day some of the management will tell exactly what went on behind the scenes. Does anyone know or remember when the first hint that it was to be eventually axed?

Start digging around, so much on this site, here's just some subjects on Chevrolet: http://wiki.gmnext.com/wiki/index.php?titl...egory:Chevrolet

Some interesting compiling of Oldsmobile history: http://wiki.gmnext.com/wiki/index.php/Olds...2004._Chapter_1

I like the little personal stories of people who worked at GM over the years. Very interesting. It gives a peak inside the car building process.

I think this is going to be an incredible car on the street. It will be a head turner for sure. Can't wait.