B.A: 1960 Studebaker Lark Regal (Mexican Slayride)
The Lark was a pioneering "compact car" designed and built by Studebaker and introduced as a 1959 model.
From its introduction in 1959 until 1962, the Lark was a product of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. In mid-1962, the company dropped "Packard" from its name and reverted to its pre-1954 name, the Studebaker Corporation. In addition to being built in Studebaker's South Bend, Indiana, home plant, the Lark and its descendants were also built in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from 1959 to 1966 by Studebaker of Canada Limited. The cars were also exported to a number of countries around the world as completed units and completely knocked down (CKD) kits.
Lark-based variants represented the bulk of the range of models produced by Studebaker after 1958 and sold in far greater volumes than the Hawk family sports car and the later Avanti. The company, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1952, ceased auto production in 1966.
B.A: 1968 Chevrolet Impala (Mexican Slayride (Pt. 1), EP 1-01)
From 1958 until 1965, the Impala was Chevrolet's most expensive full-size car. In 1965, Chevrolet introduced the more expensive Caprice.
In the late sixties, the Impala was typically positioned just below the top luxury trim, the Caprice, and above the more economical models like the Biscayne or the Bel Air. The Impala, named for a southern African antelope, is most readily distinguished by a pair of three rather than two taillights at its rear. It competed in the market against other full-size cars such as the Ford Galaxie 500 and the Plymouth Fury.
One of both General Motor's and America's most successful auto nameplates, the Impala was often the best-selling automobile in its formative years when full sized cars dominated sales. The 1965 sales of over one million units in the U.S. still stands as a record. From 1958 through 1996, Impala sales were in excess of 13 million, more than any other full-size car in the history of the automobile. The current version of the Impala is the 8th best selling vehicle (of any kind) and 5th best selling car in the United States and has the distinction of being the top selling American nameplate sedan, according to Reuters Top 20 Best-selling Vehicles Scorecard for the calendar year of 2007.
The Chevrolet Impala was, through 1996, a full-sized automobile built by General Motors for their Chevrolet division. The Impala was reintroduced in 2000 as a mid-size front-wheel-drive car. Ed Cole, Chevrolet's chief engineer in the late 1950s, defined the Impala as a "prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen."
B.A: 1983 GMC Vandura G-1500 (Children Of Jamestown, First Appearance)
The Chevrolet Van was one of several vans made by General Motors for North America. Its strongest competition was the Ford Econoline van and the Dodge Ram Van.
The term "Chevrolet van" also refers to the entire series of vans sold by Chevrolet. The first Chevrolet van was released in 1961 on the Corvair platform, and the latest Chevrolet van in production is the Chevrolet Express.
Face: 1984 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Coup� (The Taxicab Wars, First Appearance)
With a total production of 51,547 cars and a base price of $21,800, The '1984' was introduced in March 1983 and was the first all new 'Vette since 1968 with a new body shape, interior, chassis and manual transmission the car recieved automotive praise worldwide.
Known for its sleek look. Instead of fiberglass, it was made from reaction injected molding plastics, a sheet molding compound. The C4 coupe also is the first Corvette to have a glass hatchback (except for the 1982 Collector Edition) for better storage access. It also had all new brakes with aluminum calipers. The Corvette C4 came standard with an electronic dashboard with digital liquid crystal displays for speed and RPM. The C4 was a complete redesign of the previous generation, and the emphasis was on handling. This handling came at the cost of a solid, uncompromising ride, especially with the Z51 performance handling package. The unit-body frame used in the C4 was prone to rattles and squeaks due to minimal sound deadening. Also due to the external unit-body frame, the door sills were quite deep and entry and exit have been likened to a "fall in and climb out" experience. The emergency brake, located between the door sill and the drivers seat, was moved lower and toward the rear of the car in 1988 for easier entry and exit.
Face: 1980 Excalibur Series IV Roadster (Double Heat, EP 3-06)
The Excalibur automobile from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the first of the retro 'contemporary classic' or neoclassic cars, based on the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SS. A prototype premiered at car shows in 1963. The body was fitted on a Studebaker chassis and used a 5362 cc Chevrolet engine.
Amy: 1982 Oldsmobile Firenza (A Small And Deadly War EP 1-05)
The Firenza was Oldsmobile's entry-level compact car, priced below the sightly larger Omega and later Calais/Cutlass Calais. As a J platform car, it was generally seen as one of the mid-level variants (the other being the Skyhawk). The Cavalier and Sunbird represented the budget-end, and the Cimarron the luxury end. That said, with the exception of the Cimarron (which cost thousands more), the base prices of the Cavalier, Sunbird, Firenza, and Skyhawk (in order from least to most expensive) were usually separated only by a few hundred dollars.
It was initially available as a coupe and sedan with a 1.8 liter four-cylinder as the sole powerplant. The Firenza Cruiser wagon was added for 1983. In 1985 the 2.8 L LE2 V6 was added as an option, as well as a new hatchback model which could be ordered with a sporty GT package. The GT, with the V6 standard, became a separate trim level the next year. For its final year it was pared down to just the coupe, sedan, and wagon, only with four-cylinder power.
Trim levels for the Firenza included: base, LX, S, SX, GT (1986-1987), LC (1986-1987), LX Brougham (1987 only). For the Firenza Cruiser station wagons, trim levels included: Cruiser (base), Brougham Cruiser, and LX Cruiser (1984-1985). The name "Cruiser" was applied to all Oldsmobile station wagons at the time; this included the mid-size Cutlass Cruiser and full-size Custom Cruiser. Other options included: air conditioning, leather seats, power seats, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power locks, rear defrost, power steering, manual or power sunroof, power moonroof, alloy wheels, premium wheels, AM/FM stereo radio, and cassette player.
For its final year of 1988, the Firenza received a new Cutlass Ciera-styled front end. All Firenzas came in a one standard trim level, with six available option packages. The hatchback version was also dropped for that year. After the Firenza was discontinued, it was not replaced in Oldsmobile's lineup, leaving the Cutlass Calais as the division's smallest car. The Cimarron was discontinued that year as well. Leeds Assembly, which built the Firenza, was closed. The Skyhawk lasted another year, while GM kept the Sunbird and Cavalier around until 1994 and 2005, respectively.
Amy: 1981 Renault 5 Le Car (West Coast Turnaround, EP 1-10)
The Renault 5 (also called the R5) was a supermini produced by the French automaker Renault in two generations between 1972 and 1996. It was sold in many markets, usually as the Renault 5 but in North America as Le Car from 1976 to 1986.
The Renault 5 was introduced in January 1972. It was Renault's first supermini, and its most prominent feature was its styling by Michel Boue (who died before the car's release), which included a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front fascia. Boue had wanted the taillights to go all the way up from the bumper into the C-pillar, in the fashion of the much later Fiat Punto and Volvo 850 Estate / Wagon, but the lights remained at a more conventional level.
Underneath the skin, it borrowed heavily from the Renault 4, using a longitudinally-mounted engine driving the front wheels with torsion bar suspension. OHV engines were borrowed from the Renault 4, Renault 8 and Renault 16, and ranged from 850 to 1400 cc.
Early R5s used a dashboard-mounted gearshift (the gearbox is in front of the engine), but this was later dropped in favour of a floor mounted shifter. Door handles were formed by a cut-out in the door panel and B-pillar.
Other versions of the first generation included the Renault 5 Alpine (Gordini in the United Kingdom), Alpine/Gordini Turbo, and a four-door sedan version called the Renault 7 and built by FASA-Renault of Spain.
The Renault "Le Car" was marketed the United States by American Motors (AMC) where it competed against other front-wheel-drive subcompacts such the Honda Civic (which was also introduced in 1972) and the newly introduced Volkswagen Rabbit. The American introduction was delayed until 1976.
The Le Car name was ridiculed among Francophones, as it literally means "the coach". The U.S. version featured a 1397 cc I4 engine that produced 55 hp (41 kW), and a more conventional floor-mounted shifter was substituted for the dash-mounted unit. Sales continued through 1986. In the U.S. the car sold for about $5,000.
Amy: 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (When You Comin' Back, Range Rider?)
The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera was a mid-size car produced from 1982 through 1996 at the Oklahoma City plant, the Saint Therese Assembly plant (until 1991) Framingham, Massachusetts, the Fremont, California plant (1982 only) and Doraville, Georgia plant for the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. It shared the front-wheel drive GM A platform, which was based on the earlier X platform, with the very similar Buick Century, Pontiac 6000 and Chevrolet Celebrity, during those years. Available bodystyles included a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, and the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon (added in 1984). Between 1983 and 1986, 814 Cutlass Ciera convertibles were made by Hess & Eisenhardt/Car Craft. During the 1986 model year, the coupe received a new, more rounded roofline that was not shared with the other A-body models. At the same time as the Cutlass Ciera, Oldsmobile produced two other different Cutlass models, the smaller Cutlass Calais and the larger Cutlass Supreme. The Cutlass Ciera was a modern redesign of Oldsmobile's famous Cutlass line. Sales were strong and the car enjoyed many factory specialty models including Holiday coupe, GT, International and Eurosport models, the latter of which had a stock body kit. For 1996, the Cutlass name was dropped and the car was simply called the Ciera. This generation was exported to certain countries in Asia. Throughout much of the 90s, it was ranked as the most stolen vehicle.
Tawnia: 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham (The Battle of Bel-Air)
The Oldsmobile Cutlass became America's best selling car in 1976 and would hold this title for most years into the 1980s. A restyled front end with waterfall-like split grilles and new rectangular headlights was introduced that would become an Olds Cutlass trademark in coming years, lasting into the late 1980s. The sides were also re-shaped for a less contoured look than the 1973-75 design, the tailights were revised and the license plate/fuel filler was moved above the bumper. The base Cutlass line was dropped, with the Cutlass S nameplate now applied to the entry-level coupe and sedan this year - both of which featured an aerodynamic slanted front nose in contrast to the upright front ends of other Cutlass models including the Cutlass Supreme coupe, sedan and wagon, Vista Cruiser wagon, Cutlass Salon coupe and sedan, and the new Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe. |
