The MANUAL soft-top mechanism was a rube goldberg nightmare to deal with…When somebody spends $55,000 (in 1987) on a convertible all they want to do is push a button, not fight a complex and difficult top mechanism…
The ABS brakes were Bosch prototypes…If the ABS system failed, you had 2 or 3 stops before TOTAL brake failure. Many lawsuits over this…And the ABS system was prone to failure. The high-pressure pump, accumulator, ABS valve control unit, all separate pieces and connected by a maze of hoses and brake lines…By 2002, NO replacement parts were available through General Motors. Even worse, Cadillac dealers turned their back on owners, refusing to work on the cars.
The electronic controls, revolutionary at the time, (this was when a Tandy 1000 was state of the art stuff) proved to be a nightmare for the ill prepared service technicians who were asked to repair them. The car has a DIS, driver information screen, that can and will display hundreds of fault messages that are distracting and annoying and in some cases impossible to clear and stay cleared…Every time you start the car, it displays “ABS system failure” until the fluid pump brings the system pressure up to a safe level. If the pump fails to achieve design pressure for any reason, the display starts flashing “BRAKE FAILURE”…Again, Cadillac owners, having shelled out
$55K were not ready for this nor were they to happy about the hundreds of nag messages waiting to be displayed…Dealerships were overwhelmed with customer complaints and they stopped promoting the car.
The V8 engines, a first in a modern FWD car were no prize winners, but the HT4500 could light up the front tires and get a nice bark going into second gear so owners were happy enough with that…The 0 to 70 acceleration was snappy enough, achieved with a cleverly designed transmission that used gearing to make up for a lack of raw power…Many owners of the '87-'91 models dreamed of installing the Northstar engine when it appeared in 1992, but because of the electronic interfacing it was almost impossible to do so…The '92,s are different cars…So instead they settled for putting the NorthStar trim emblems on the deck lid…
The cars went through a bizarre assembly process…In Detroit, an Eldorado platform had 18" in length removed where the rear seat would normally be. This half finished chassis was then flown to Turin, Italy in a special 747 air-frieghter . There the aluminum PinaFarina body was installed. The semi-finished car was then flown back to New Jersey for final assembly in the same 747. GM lost money on every Allante they sold…
The Volt is the only electric car with unlimited range. It costs a lot to purchase, but it can be leased for $1529 down and $299 per month. But remember that you probably won’t have to buy much gas. If you commute with the Volt, drive a total of 25 miles one way, and charge it at work, you may never buy gas. At $4/gallon, that $299 monthly payment is equivalent to $172/month compared to a 35 MPG car with the same $299 monthly payment. It may not be as bad as you think. Here’s an article that shows both sides of the issue:
good point, SMB. I can’t imagine why a utilitarian car like the Volt would become a classic. My answer was more in response to bscar’s ragging on the Volt.
I’m not much of a fan of the Tucker. Ignoring the business side (who did what to whom), the car itself, aside from some safety innovations, has little that has survived to today.
I think we’re still too interested in how much a car costs. The Classic Car Club of America defines a classic car as “a “fine” or “distinctive” automobile, either American or foreign built, produced between 1925 and 1948” It doesn’t say anything about a minimum price.
So, assuming they slide the time scale (which would make sense, all we need to worry about is whether the car is “fine” or “distinctive.”
The Omni GLHS can be had for sub $10,000, if you manage to find one (I’ve been looking for years and have yet to find an example that isn’t trashed - or more accurately, I have yet to be the first person to find one and buy it before someone else does ). It’s distinctive in that it’s a freaking Omni that was tweaked by Carroll Shelby himself, had a 12psi turbo slapped on it, put out 175hp, and it, as the name says, goes like hell. That’s a very distinctive car, and will be (is, if you’re less conservative about the car having to be nearly 60 years old) a classic.
That GLHS is a good candidate, it had performance and a big name tied to it. But you’d not say a plane jane Omni of the same year is a classic, right? So the key is the ‘fine/distinctive’ part.
@shadowfax - You’ve left out the important part of the CCCA definition. THEY then choose what is a designated Classic:
“The Classic Car Club of America defines a Classic as a “Fine” or “Distinctive” automobile, American or foreign built, produced between 1925* and 1948. Generally, a Classic was high-priced when new and was built in limited quantities. Other factors, including engine displacement, custom coachwork and luxury accessories, such as power brakes, power clutch, and “one-shot” or automatic lubrication systems, help determine whether a car is considered to be a Classic.”
Good point, texases. Although, several of those requirements (power brakes, anything considered “luxury” in 1948, etc) would be found on most cars from the 80’s. The reason I left most of the definition out is because once you move ahead to 1980’s technology, much of the technology in cars has changed such that what they’re looking for is either standard, or ancient history. I did miss, though, the “high-priced when new” requirement (though again, high priced when new for the era they’re looking for is still less than 5 grand). And high priced when new doesn’t necessarily translate to high priced when old - look at old Rolls Royces for an example. You can get them for less than 10 grand too, now (though you’ll probably spend that much every year keeping them on the road).
And then too, all of those requirements are prefaced by “generally,” whereas the “fine or distinctive” is not.
TSM, I agree, the Omni is not “Fine,” but I think a 500-run special edition turbo Omni personally modified by Shelby is certainly “distinctive.”
The list has no credibility. It doesn’t recognize the air-cooled VW Beetle. There is not other car other than the Model T that had that large an impact on the automotive world, and none other that became so ubiquitous. IMHO the air-cooled Beetle has to be considered a classic automobile.
Re: the Omni; to each his own. IMHO even the late Carrol Shellby could not make a distinctive automobile out of a Dodge Omni.
TSMB, remember that’s a list ending in '48. And there are really no ‘mass produced’ cars on the list, no Fords, Chevys, etc. It’s a list of cars you’d see getting bid to high prices at auctions. It’s not an ‘important car’ list.
The air cooled Beetle began in the '30s.
But you’ve made a good point. Current auction value is clearly a factor in their list, and there were so many gazillions of air-cooled Beetles produced over their roughly 30 year history that their value isn;t high.
@texases: While I agree that the term “Classic Car” used to mean exactly what the CCCA said it did, in the modern vernacular the meaning has changed considerably. The CCCA set that definition MANY years ago, and I too have tried to promote it unsuccessfully. Today you hear people talk about classic Chevys meaning '55 '56 and '57 cars. While I do not agree that those are classic by definition, they are pretty classy. The same can be said for a '64-1/2 Mustang, or any MG T series. Good luck getting the populace to change their ideas of what a classic is.
Cars that will be collectible in the future are sporty and/or luxurious or highly sought after cars that were very popular when they were new. Grandpa’s Studebaker might be a neat old car, but it will never be highly collectible because it was NOT popular.
Check this out from ask.com. http://answers.ask.com/Vehicles/Autos/what_age_is_a_classic_car Apparently ask thinks classic is only a matter of age. I say ANTIQUE is a matter of age. In my state a car has to be 35 to get a permanent antique tag. I have several that qualify as antique, and by some people’s definition, classic.
MG McAnick - I agree, I wasn’t trying to say the CCCA definition is the way to go, just showing how one group defines it. I do think a number of '50s through '72 cars are classics, even though they were mass produced, mainstream cars. My original point is that mose '73 to '89 mass produced, mainstream cars will not be regarded by most people as classics. They weren’t special in any way. Sure there are exceptions, but most compare poorly to the pre-'73 versions. Just adding years won’t change that.
). It’s distinctive in that it’s a freaking Omni that was tweaked by Carroll Shelby himself, had a 12psi turbo slapped on it, put out 175hp, and it, as the name says, goes like hell. That’s a very distinctive car, and will be (is, if you’re less conservative about the car having to be nearly 60 years old) a classic.