Awful American cars

[Milford Cubicle]

 

I'd have one of these, but fitted with a BMW turbodiesel from the factory.

[Captain Mainwaring]

What're they called? Isn't there a completely horrible 'hatchback' version with one of those hearse-style motifs at the back?

[wuvvum]

Lincoln Continental, innit?

[wuvvum]

1981 Dodge Aries. Does it get any better in this shade of brown with tan roof lining. 80bhp 2.2 engine through FWD.

 

I had one of those, in white. Bloke round the corner had it up for sale on his drive, I ended up paying £90 for it. It was absolutely dire to drive, but the seats were pretty comfy and it could seat 6 in something barely bigger than a Mondeo.

[Station]

Chrysler Cordoba:

 

 

shared the same platform as the Dodge Mirada:

 

 

and Imperial Coupe:

 

 

The above car (which was a sales disaster) could be bought as an Imperial FS. The 'Frank Sinatra Edition".

 

The car was available only in Glacier Blue Crystal paint, said to be made to match the color of Sinatra's eyes, and had special "fs" (lowercase) external badging, with a large interal glovebox placard proclaiming "Frank Sinatra Signature Edition". Inside, 16 cassettes of Sinatra titles were presented in a specially-made Mark Cross leather case.

 

Haha.

 

Then Chrysler realised America might need another shitemobile in line with the rest and produced a prototype of a new Imperial:

 

 

 

(haha).

[Alexg]

 

I want that car - I think it looks great

 

[wuvvum]

My old LTD was good too. 6.6 litres and about 180 bhp. Probably the worst-handling car I've ever owned. Good turning circle though, for a car which was over 20 feet long. And it could seat ten people.

 

[brammy777]

Cant believe no ones mentioned the Chevrolet Chevette yet. To be honest, I like them. This yellow being the now famous example parked right next to Harrods.

SS Monte Carlo fronted El Camino.

Pontiac Parisienne (at least I think it is), funny name. 4.3 V8 engine with 120 hp of power.

This is a Fleetwood right?

Oh and I saw this the other day:

[Rocket88]

Having had the dubious pleasure in owning a wide variety of old Yank shite over the years, trying to compare it with stuff built anywhere else in the known Universe is silly. Yanks play by thier own rules. It has to be simple, durable, and comfy.....with a few exceptions American cars are all built to this specification. All of thier 6 pot and V8 lumps [again, with a few exceptions] will go to the moon and back with just the occasional oil change. They are are almost always vastly understressed, but with the capability to be tuned at a reasonable cost. I had a '55 Chevy 210, with a 4.2 six pot [think large Cresta engine] stock bhp, 130. With a torque cam, extractor exhaust manifold, new inlet manifold with twin carbs, I got 190 bhp out of it. Total cost [4 years ago,] and all these parts were new, $820 including carriage!

Although almost all Yanks are "underpowered" in ordinary driving it's never an issue. Just surf that great mountain of torque...........

[sprig]

Chrysler fifth avenue = P.I.M.P

 

 

We're really starting to move into the hi-riser/donk car territory now, they must be so bad to drive?? dosey yanks!

 

 

 

 

[garethj]

 

Wasn't just Sherrif Rosco that drove them, they were all over the place in the Fall Guy, A Team and I'm sure loads of others. There must have been a workshop in LA somewhere whose sole job was knocking up roll cages for them.

 

As an impressionable 9 year old kid, they seemed to slide pretty well and obviously they're tough. Wonder what they're really like?

 

Cant believe no ones mentioned the Chevrolet Chevette yet. To be honest, I like them. This yellow being the now famous example parked right next to Harrods.

When I used to work in Chelsea I used to see this every day. My office was just off Draycott Avenue and I'd either see it parked or being driven by a little old lady

 

In fact, this is parked on Draycott Avenue, not Bromton Road where Harrods is.

[Station]

It's quite famous that Chevette, how long has it been there?

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmbrown/4004025687/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmbrown/4004025351/

[garethj]

It's quite famous that Chevette, how long has it been there?

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmbrown/4004025687/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmbrown/4004025351/

Dunno, but I haven't worked there for 2 years. I'm sure it was there around 1999 when I started there.

 

The duct tape is a new addition

[Milford Cubicle]

What're they called? Isn't there a completely horrible 'hatchback' version with one of those hearse-style motifs at the back?

Are you thinking of the Cadillac Seville 'bustle-back'?

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

That's it. Not sure where I got the hearse motif thing from, oh well.

 

What an absolute horror!

[CIH]

It would be an absurd car to buy but I'd love an 80s Pony Car;

 

 

 

 

for true dire how about an americanised J-motor;

 

[Barry Cade]

 

 

MMMM!

[Vin]

 

for true dire how about an americanised J-motor;

 

How about some Americanised EuroTAT too - Strada.

 

[warren t claim]

Have we had the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon yet?

 

Or the Pontiac LeMans Astra mk2 with button down velour and a column shift autobox?

[Barry Cade]

Dodge Challenger.

 

[Lukas]

That´s a Mitsubishi Sapporo, so not suitable for this topic!

[Station]

 

What on earth is that?

[Tayne]

.

[Clevtrev]

 

What on earth is that?

Dodge Omni 024 then Charger from 1982. Available with either a 1.7 or 2.2. Horrific aren't they?

 

[Lankytim]

 

Mk2 Cavalier derived Cadillac Cimmaron. Wonder if they have the old 8v Vauxhall lump?

[mouseflakes]

Something of interest here...

 

http://autoshite.commlm/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 747#186747

 

[Quintus]

Cadillac Seville by Gucci. It came with matching luggage.

 

[warren t claim]

As someone who spent a fair bit of his time in Canada and North America back in the early eighties, these barges are not as bad as you might think.

 

As the late, great Mr Zappa would say.. "What we've got here's American made, it's a little bit cheesy but it's nicely displayed."

[myglaren]

There is a subculture in Sweden known as 'Raggare' that drive American cars - they are all over the place.

I used to watch them on the Lysekil webcam but it is no longer functional. (Lysekil is a wonderful little fishing town on the west coast, only been there the once but long to return)

 

Here they are in Kungälve, the Lysekil videos seem to be 'stuck'

 

When I was much younger, in the mid sixties, there was an Oldsmobile - Cutlass I think - owned by an American Airforce officer, always parked near the school I attended. Fascinated me, looked reaaly cool compared to the Morris Minors and A40s of the time but the most curious thing was a tiny 'telescope' with red lenses mounted on the passenger side dash. Never did find out what that was for

 

 

Another USAF officer had a lovely Plymouth Barracuda, lived out of town down a windy and bumpy coast road. You could hear him coming from five miles away.

 

[Lukas]

Why on earth did this guy film the rusty Suzuki Alto and not the red Chevrolet Caprice?