Pontiac did that with some frequency.  There were plenty of incidents where a car would have a 455 SD because someone pulled some strings.   I knew of a 77 Pontiac wagon with a Trans Am code 400, 3.42 gears and a limited slip.   It was ordered new by a service manager at a Pontiac dealer.   ... View more

Turbos and direct injection are a wonderful combination.   I’m making well past your 700 lbs-ft with 70% of your displacement, thanks to a nice turbo and port injection.  There is always a trump card to anyone’s brag.   😉 The malaise era is just that, 455 Buick and Pontiacs were neutered, in 75 dual catalysts were too expensive, so horribly restrictive single cats were used and simply removed by most customers.  With the large car downsizing of 77 and mid  sized in 78, big motors were replaced by 403 Oldsmobiles, Malaise era cars were heavy and the gearing tall for low rpm cruising.  Much of the emissions tune can be corrected, but the compression loss was difficult to overcome.    Import sales were as much a social commentary as they were an economic one, and ultimately a fiscal protest against lax quality control metrics, poor engineering, and inferior components.   While I don’t long for the poor quality, fast rusting sheet metal, or the slow stock performance, even malaise era stuff is a refreshing break from our aero Tupperware transport pods.   ... View more

The pinnacle of arrogant hubris has been the GM belief in customer loyalty. The ES vs LaCrosse argument was lost long before the LaCrosse hit dealers.  First of all, there was a name change, second a major styling change, both resulted in what was presented as and considered all-new, even though it was based on a long running platform and except for the CXS trim, still had the reliable 3800 V6. As good as the LaCrosse was in testing and on paper, it felt less refined than the LeSabre.  Combined with the name change, it was setup for mediocrity.   GM can engineer exceptional products, but they have consistently struggled with matching products with consumer taste.  Add in a dealer network that is outdated, poorly serves the customer, and over buys production of premium models, leaving consumers that want a mid-level model to compromise, or go elsewhere.   Exceptional marketing is only a part of the puzzle.  It won’t make up for mismatched products, or low consumer demand.   Conversely, a good product is destined to fail if the rest of the experience is lousy.     When we are shopping for a replacement vehicle, we always check out GM, but they consistently offer products we don’t want, don’t fit our needs, or are sold at dealers who treat their customers poorly.    ... View more