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The Achieva Story |
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At the 1991 Chicago Auto Show a clean 4 door sedan concept was unveiled to the masses. It was called the Achieva, a 4 door intermediate that promised a low coefficient of drag, clean flowing lines, and a humdrum paint and trim scheme. The crowd looked at it, and kept on walking. I was one of the lucky ones to see the car on the stage that year and I can recall that it wasn't that flashy or impressive. Neither was the 4 door production model . (sorry). |
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With the exception of a longer wheelbase and sweeping roofline, the concept's main theme made it onto the production model in 1992. It served as the replacement to the Calais namplate. Pontiac kept the Grand Am name, and Buick did the same with the Skylark. Why the Calais moniker was killed is beyond me. |
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When production began at GM's Lansing plant, the Achieva coupe and sedan came in the S, SL, and SC trim levels. The car company marketed the vehicles as reliable American alternatives to higher-priced imports. They even distributed a video and sales packet where they traveled the country with an Acheiva, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry and let a team of average consumers drive them. They rated the Achiva best in value, reliability, mileage, and almost every other category. Not to put the N-body down, but I have a feeling their "100,000 Mile Real World Test" was a little bit skewed. |
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Then about halfway through the year, Oldsmobile released the SCX, their last-ditch effort in producing a factory sports car. |
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Keeping with the same formula as the Quad 442 Calais, Oldsmobile put the same W41 motor and close-ratio transmission in the SCX, and gave it a stainless steel, dual exhaust system, FX3 computer command ride control setup with adjustable struts and shocks. Also added were a unique tubular rear axle that gave the car a wider track than a standard coupe, and special emblems and 14 inch aluminum rims. All you needed to do was add a helmet and you could take your daily driver to the local autocross meets and hand the import owners their respective asses. Before I get flamed here is a disclaimer: These stealthy machines were hungry for corners, but in all honesty were not dragstrip legends. They pulled about a 15.7 in stock trim. |
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| Okay, so what's the story with my SCX? |
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Or Chicken out and go |
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HOME |
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Stick around and learn more... |
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