Was very saddened to hear of Bobby's passing, not because it was never going to happen, but to mourn our communal loss of this True Racing Icon.  I'd like to share a very personal Bobby story, that I believe illustrates his Humanity and the behaviors that helped make this American Hero so popular.   Back in the late 80's, I was contacted by the Owner of the six-car Race Hauler I was using for our IMSA Firehawk cars about an opportunity to earn some income towards offsetting the cost of the Beast.  He put me in touch with the F.O.R.C.E. (Formula One Race Car Entrants) Owner/Director in SF, and we struck a deal to haul 5 Vintage F-1 cars to the Tacoma Dome, where they would run in concert with a major West Coast Formula Program for Atlantics (WCAR) and Formula Fords.  I was delighted at the opportunity to deliver a V-12 Ferrari, and Cosworth Lola's and March's, especially when I heard that Bobby Unser would be the Grand Marshal and drive an '82 March in the Race.  Imagine; I might be able to stand next to Bobby, get an autograph, and even have a word with him!  Meeting me at the 'Dome were two young Dutchmen, who reportedly worked for the Williams F-1 Team, and would act as Crew for the Cars; I was just to Drive, Unload, Load, and Drive back.  As it turned out, they, uhhh, weren't quite as efficient as they should have been, and improperly installed one of the 'pin-drive' rear wheels on Bobby's Car.  Bobby felt it right away, and limped around the K-Barrier lined course that wound its way around the 'Dome Parking Lot; avoiding a potentially catastrophic crash and serious personal injury.  When he got back to the Pit, he had a quick word 'The Boys', as well as the Car Owner, whereupon I made a quick repair and got the Car back to the Hauler.  As I was assessing the damage, who walks up behind me, but Bobby himself...   "Hi!  Are you, Dave?"   "Uhhhhh, yeah, I mean, uhhhhh yes, Sir, I am..."   Hand extended, "Well, I'm Bobby Unser, and I'd like YOU to work on my Car, would that be OK?"   "Could you also build me a heel support, this car is set up for a lot shorter guy, and I'm having a tough time heel-and-toeing?"   I instantly felt my feet leave the ground, Angels were singing, there was a bright light from an unknown source, I heard a man's voice....   "Is that OK, can you do that, for me?"   Snapping back to some sense of reality, I managed to blurt out some affirmative response, as Bobby grabbed my hand, and shook it forcefully.   I had him sit in the car, get comfortable, removed the footwell inspection plate, adjusted the pedals, measured for the heel plate, then adjusted the lap, shoulder, and sub belts before allowing him to leave...   He said, "Come join us for Lunch", spun on his heels, and walked off...   "Sorry guys, BOBBY wants ME to work on HIS Car!"   I visit my Dear Friend racing Atlantics a few stalls over, Danny Marvin, and ask if he has any Aluminum Right Angle.  "Sure, right over here, help yourself!"   As I'm finishing up the job after measuring, drilling, riveting, grinding, polishing, trying to make a Work of Art out of a small utilitarian bracket, because it's for BOBBY UNSER, here comes his daughter, Cindy in a Golf Cart.  "Are you almost done?  Daddy wants me to take you to Lunch in the VIP Area..."   "I don't have any more than a Pit Pass, I can't get into..."   "Hey, don't worry about that, I've been doing this a LONG time!" she laughed.   Off we go in the EZ-Go, which is a misnomer when there's an Unser at the wheel; it's easy to see that Speed and Skill is profoundly in the DNA.  We blast past Security Checkpoints as if we were Secret Service Agents, with Right hand on the wheel, left holding up her own credential, and me just grinning foolishly, just along for the ride...   "Thank You, Thanks, Hi, Hello, Bye..." as she never even lifted...   We get to the VIP tent, where she grabs my hand and wends her way through the crowd until we arrive at the Head Table.  "Here he is, Daddy!"   "Ohhh, Great, Hey. come sit down next to me!" as he unceremoniously damn near shoves a very well-known journalist sitting to his right yet even further right...   "Baby, can you get him a plate?" he kindly asks Cindy.   Turning to me, she said, "What would you like, Hon?"   "Uhhhhhhhh..."   "Baby, just get him a little of 'everything'..." and off she goes, to return with about 5lbs of BBQ and Fixin's...   I listen intently to the conversations around me, while sitting next to BOBBY UNSER...   Finally, I work up the courage to interject during a lull in the conversation...   "Bobby, you know, I've just only been to one Indy 500, and that was in '81, you know, where you Won, then later that night, someone else was declared the Winner, then the Morning Paper announced You were reinstated, and I just wanted to say it was a very exciting race, and I'm glad you won, and I was there, and well, I thought that Norton car was just beautiful, and inspired the color scheme on my own Race Cars, and..."   His face went from an interested grin, to a broad smile, to the look of Pure Joy on an eight-year-old's face on Christmas Morning; "Dave (he remembered my NAME), Dave, I BOUGHT that car, it's down at the House, we're restoring it NOW, Ya' gotta COME SEE IT!!!"   I do not remember much after that, as the euphoria of the moment seemed all-encompassing and everlasting...   Did I ever go to Albuquerque and visit Bobby and the Norton Car? Nope... Perhaps fearful of a phone call, or letter would be answered with, "Dave, Who?" or worse, no response at all, I never followed up.  Or perhaps, it was just that moment in time, where Bobby Unser spoke to me, an inconsequential 'nobody', but who had touched something within him, and he responded gracefully, enthusiastically, and granted me 'peer' status for just a nanosecond...   Heartfelt and Warmest Condolences to the Unser Family, and especially Cindy for her Kindness and Generosity in fostering such a fortuitous meeting...   Godspeed, Bobby! ... View more

I'll hang onto my 2nd Owner '74 SD 4spd car for that very reason... ... View more

The '74 SD Showcar from the Detroit AutoRama decked out in JPS colors, LIVES! ... View more

I would agree, as my first 'legal' car was a '64 GTO Tri-Power as a 16yr old. My Dad was a GM Guy, and had gone with Chevy's in '55 and '65, both Wagons to haul his growing family. The HP SBC's and Big Blocks available in my Used Car Price Range were exorbitant, so I became a Pontiac Guy, by default. The Olds in '77 wasn't totally terrible, and the SBC in '80 not the end of the World. The Turbo Poncho in the middle, well, let's just call it a misstep and move on... The LT's and LS's of the 4th Gen? Let's call that, "Success"... ... View more

That already happened when Sally played Forrest's Mom... ... View more

Again, can't it be both? ... View more

The 'bathtub-gun slit' combo is a product of the 'long hood-short deck-low roof' look first popularized in the 30's, and, let's not forget Crash Protection! Try building a Race Car out of one of those bodies; either the Camaro, Mustang, or Challenger. You have to cut down the door, as most Snell helmets won't fit through the stock window aperture... Insert smart comments about the size of Race Car Drivers heads here________________! ... View more

Even though the 70's Camaro and Firebird shared the same center rear spoiler, in my opinion, the rounded/blended ends on the Firebird were vastly superior to the Camaro flat-plane look... ... View more

Ask anyone from the Norwood or Van Nuys Plants... ... View more

Yes, but 'Astre' ends with an "e"... ... View more

With the 'cradle to grave' marketing strategies of GM Divisions, Pontiac was always slotted a 'cut above' as was Olds vs Buick, and the DNA of the Firebird was always predicated on what the Chevy Guys provided. Chevy had the Sales Numbers, and nearly double the Dealerships, so Pontiac focused on the more upscale upholstery, bigger engines, more 'power' options, and the like. Most years, it was a nice fit, but some provided for more head-to-head comparisons, which was reflected in the annual sales numbers. Not all remember Chevy ditched the vaunted Z/28 in the mid-70's, while Firebird, and particularly Trans Am sales soared... ... View more

As a former Buick/Pontiac Dealer, I must agree... As Olds (the Original GM Division) before them, GM felt Pontiac had become 'irrelevant' and made the 'hard choice'. I mourned the loss of the Fiero (kept an '88, uprated with a 2L Turbo), but mourned the intro of the Aztek (Ugh!). Buick went from 4 lines of 'full-size' cars, to 4 lines of SUV variants... Much like Plymouth, LaSalle, and Edsel, there was just no more room for 'Tweens'... ... View more

Which is why it was always optional... ... View more

THAT you could say to Burt... ... View more

You wouldn't say that to Burt... ... View more

"Priorities, Priorities..." ... View more

Technically, it's both; now we're just talking price... ... View more

When I repainted my '74 SD 30yrs ago, I left off the Hood Bird and all the TA and SD decals; just don't need the extra attention... ... View more

Who 'grew up' in the 50's and 60's? ;<{)   To quote the Great American Philosopher, Paul Kantner of 'Jefferson Airplane (Starship)', "Man, if you remember the 60's, Dude, you weren't there..."   Nowadays, that quote is attributed to many people, like Paul's band mate, Grace Slick, even Robin Williams, and others, but I believe Paul said it first, at least publicly... ... View more

Great Catch!   A staple of early Hot Rod Revival Years (70's) Bands and DJ's... ... View more

Title? Sure... Lyrics; Not So Much... ... View more

Ya' Think? ... View more

I won't say 'Best', but it gets a spot on the dash above the 8-track, instead of in the glovebox, console, or trunk...   Met her when she was dating George Lucas; he and I were in the Class of '84 SCCA School at Sears Point.  He drove a Sports 2, courtesy of Barbie Kuhn whose father's Construction Company sponsored her racing, and I had my Original '84 TA; still do... ... View more

Good Road Songs, both... Would make me want to go hunt down an AMX or Javelin to race, but buy? Not so much...   Now, the Harris version of 'Cadillac', that would make me want to find a back seat of a Cadillac... Slot this tune for inclusion into the (eventual) remake of, "Car Wash"... ... View more

That's Earl SCHEIB, and it was $29.95... They looked GREAT, for about 4mos in Black or Dark Colors, maybe 9-10mos in White or Lighter colors.  It was a great deal and business model, until the Paint itself was more than $29.95/gal... ... View more

TOO Funny... Love It! You also pulled an Upset, and dialed the 'Wayback Machine' to 'Obscure Golden'... ... View more

Even as a child, I was fascinated with storage devices, they appealed to my OCD need to 'organize'.  I thought the Old School way of screwing the lids of discarded glass baby food jars to the bottom of a shelf, was ingenious, providing a multi-pronged solution where the stored pieces were visible, off the work surface, and could be toted to the work site and returned, safely stored until needed again.  This led to all manner or similar containers; cottage cheese, pudding cups, metal Band-Aid packs with snap lids, breath mint boxes like Altoids, etc...   I've used the ones like you've shown, Sajeev, but they're a little clumsy when loaded, so I stick to lightweight stuff like electrical connectors for those.  I worked for a Shop Consummables company as a younger man, KAR Products, who utilized a fantastic selection of sectioned bins and covered trays which slipped into roller racks as removable drawers.  When we would outfit a new account, we would remove and replace the exact same storage equipment from the previous supplier.  When told to just 'discard', I thought, 'hell no'.  I asked if I could take it home, and he said 'Sure', and thus began a very industrial, yet elegant solution to my Home Shop Storage Dilemma.  I was able to amass a fair collection of various dimensions, and am now the envy of my Fellow Gearheads...   "They're Out There..." ... View more

This article really caught my eye, and when I saw the byline, I knew I had to respond...   Hello, Gary, My Old Friend! How's Jill?   Out first in-person meeting was at a Pontiac early roll-out in SoCal, where there were a lot of charts and graphs, slick ad copy, and flowery product descriptions, and eventually, cars...   I don't think it was intentional, but the 'course' consisted of a partially completed subdivision high in the hills above the LA sprawl, and turned into a bit of a competition...   However, no Federal Laws were broken, and Nobody Died, so it was a Good Day!   It is absolutely true that the car was presented, marketed, and advertised as a Sporty Commuter, and not a Sports or Race Car.  That personality was reinforced by the absence of the featured Alloy Wheels and the Iron Duke under the Hood, uhh, Trunk...   The absence of optional alloys had become an annual hallmark of early-in-the-model year Pontiacs, but I digress...   I would regularly receive calls from Auto Brokers and Chevy Dealers to 'take a few off my hands' at a proposed much discounted price, as they had qualifying GM Fleet Numbers.  Yeah, sure!  I placed 3 in my internal Daily Rental Department to allow for extended 'Test Drives', and to accommodate Fiero Owners, or Potential Owners, who had their own cars in the Shop for Warranty Work under the original warranty, or under the new GM Protection Plan; the You-Pay-For-It extension.   I will take exception to the twist about 'vehicle fires' and workmanship, however.  Being an entry-level priced car, albeit with a swoopy skin, the only 'fires' I had to treat were from a burned oil smell, sometimes accompanied by a little smoke, from the valve cover onto the exhaust, and more due to poor maintenance habits and over revving the little 2.5, which, parenthetically, had spent it's time at Hyster and Mercury Marine after it had left Chevrolet in the early 60's, bought back as a turn-key solution to 'Energy Crisis, 1'...   The body was a mix of different types of composites; the Hood, Roof, and Deck were a type of reinforced Fiberglas, called 'Sheet Molded Compound' in the brochures, and the Fenders, Quarters, Bumper Covers, and Door Skins were a very flexible 'skin' only, as the interior 'Space Frame' was a welded cage of many sizes, shapes, angles, and weights; all triangulated, some corrugated, but all joined by shear plates for rigidity.  The beauty was, integrated into the space frame were mounting pads for all the skins, that, after all the welding was completed, the whole thing went into a jig were each pad was drilled to mount all the skins, relative to one another.  Current auto body construction is much more complex, but in 1983, this was pretty revolutionary, as evidenced by the original fit and finish of these cars.  The skins were a product of Bill Bayley, and his staff at Entech.   As to performance, the Racing part was mostly handled by Huffaker Engineering, then in nearby Petaluma, later actually moved to Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway).  The Race Cars used a completely tubular (it WAS the 80's, should I say 'Totally Tubular'?) frame, but retained the production engine and transaxle layout, with the factory cable shifter, and located the fuel tank in the stock location; the center console.  In the incredibly capable hands of Bob Earl, the cars were not only competitive, but Big Winners in IMSA GTU competition.  The later V6, using a version of Chevy's 4.3 (3/4ths of a 350" V8), and also piloted by Earl, outclassed most everything on the track in GTO, while it was legal.  When Britain's Spice Engineering Group produced a chassis and body combination for GTP Lights, there was the Fiero name again, this time with another NorCal legend at the wheel, Dan Marvin.  The engines in those very popular cars, was a 3.0L version of the Iron Duke, reviving the 'Super Duty' moniker.   The 'toe-link' models for '88, came just in time for the early cancellation of the breed, but not before several looks at putting more under the Hood, uhh, Trunk.  Pfaff Engineering offered a Turbo retrofit for Dealers, attractively priced at around $2,500 in '84.  'Attractive' being a relative term.  I thought it was a very well-engineered set-up, nicely installed, and came with the Full Factory Warranty included, so well-worth the money.  Most owners. however, thought a 30% bump in price was extortion, and made a 'Hard Pass', so that deal went away fairly quickly; pity...   East Coast Pontiac Racer, Mark Porcaro, drop-shipped a Fiero GT V6 to me in '86, which I drove down to Herb Adams in Pacific Grove for Race Outfitting.  Mark campaigned that car in IMSA Firehawk, after running his usual Firebird TA's prior.   I was then approached by a certifiably Crazy Man, not Car Crazy, just 'plain' Crazy named Bob Carter, aka Red Shift Limited, up in Oregon.  I was able to convince certain elements, no names, at Pontiac that a 2.0 Turbo would make a great performance adjunct to the Fiero.  Bob called his a 'Delta T-204', I just called mine, "Pretty Dam Fast', or PDF, YEARS prior to the Adobe software product...   Add a bench-built Trans from the Boys at Hydramatic, a set of Fiero V6 Wheels, bigger tires, a deeper front spoiler, and a hood vent from a Turbo Dodge Charger of the same era, installed into the Hood, uhh, Trunk, and 'voila', SPORTS CAR!  Not as Sexy as the '84 Indy Pace Car, the Huffaker GTU's or GTO's, or even the Spice GTP's, but to paraphrase no less than the 'Winged Lady', "Adequate..."   Still have it... ... 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To quote no less and authority as Car Guy, Jay Leno, on ceiling-busting prices on Collector Cars, and I paraphrase, 'You didn't pay too much; you bought too late', and the corollary, 'You didn't take a major loss, you sold too late, or, too early...' There are practical explanations to all these surges; pent-up demand, low-mile examples, limited availability, unique options, cachet, and one can never rule out auction feeding frenzy, testosterone, 'measuring', and real locomotive power, alcohol... Ask any Vegas Casino Operator! The Chevy truck is about the finest example of the mid-years between the '60-'66 run, whose Stepsides utilized fenders from '55-'66, and the Squares from '73 up to when Chevy started moving their wheel arch 'eyebrows' more often, with ever worsening results, than a male, or female, or something in between, YouTube 'celebrity'... The 'Vette is easy, as its solid performance 'curriculum vitae' of chassis, engine, body, tasteful adornment, especially when combined with low-production, low miles, (relatively) low price, and instant recognizability, make it a logical choice to 'Acquire and Hold'... Same for the pair of Mopar Wagons, with Hemi Power, subdued styling for their respective eras, and clearly a portent of things to come with regard to Wagons; long revered by Boomers, embraced by 'Tweeners, and looked on lovingly by Millennials as Pure Nostalgia... Which brings us to the Monte Carlo... A fine idea, along with it's Pontiac sibling Grand Prix, both hit the market by Storm as 'Personal-sized Luxury Cars', not to mention Muscle Cars, in a Three-Piece Suit. The discussion on whether this particular example is 'Legit' or a Phantasm remains to be seen; but whether a Resto-Mod, an 'undocumented' COPO, or cleverly constructed Silhouette Car, is fodder for Car Folks to dream about... ... View more

I read this article with great interest, not only from the Automotive perspective, but the subtext of a trans-gender shepherd.  Most responders here are leaning toward excusing trans-bashing, xenophobic, misogynistic as contributing factors, and certainly in this context, I must concur.  The Dale did not fail because it was promoted by a Social Minority, it failed because It Didn't Exist, neither literally nor figuratively.  Add the precursor of a years' long fugitive from fraud, etc, and it becomes clearer this was indeed the case.   Now, if we're talking about well-intentioned 'fraud', let's talk about icons like Bill Gates with DOS, or Carroll Shelby with the "Cobra of Many Colors' who history not only remembers fondly and lovingly, but as True Heroes of Yankee Ingenuity and Patriotic Entrepreneurial Adventurism...   Less revered generally, but certainly by those who hold Pirates and Roaring 20's Gangsters in high esteem as more 'Bad Boy' heroes, are John Z and Preston Tucker. Flash forward to Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Malcolm Forbes, and countless others who have, or still are, dabbling in the Transportation Sector with mixed results.  Only recorded history (set your Google and Wiki searches for sometime in the 2050 range...) will tell us. ... View more

In a lot of ways, it was the 'Right' car at almost the Right Time. During the 80's, Buick Owner Demographics had slipped ever 'upward' in age, producing a commensurate 'downward' in popularity. Buick Skipper Lloyd Reuss promised that Buick would be a leader at GM, and Globally, in Automotive Electronics Technology. Problem was, with our Owners 2yrs OLDER than that of Cadillac, it didn't sit too well with our 'graying' owner base. While our Loyal, but Blue-Haired customers were trying to understand and operate the single screen digital dashes of the sporty Riviera and Reatta, or even the more mundane Park Aves and LeSabres, they became overwhelmed with the Digital Age Techno Wizardry... The Roadmaster was built on the Impala/Caprice foundation, ran V-8 Chevy-based power, had familiar dash controls, 'pushed' from the back, and was a BIG Car; which is precisely what they wanted. We did sell a lot of Wagons, mostly to people who tended to mock the 'Soccer Mom' minivans of the day, and would not, or could not, drive a 3/4T Suburban... In Wagon or Sedan trim, I think these will be around awhile, and get Resto=Mod-ed to Death... By the way, the 'C' pillar decoration was a nod to both the Coach Lamp vibe, but more importantly for a Buick, especially a Roadmaster, to Post-War Venti-Ports... Just Sayin'... ... View more

Sajeev,   I think you guys have the seeds for a great documentary SERIES; hey, if 'Little' Dale can do it...   I can scout NorCal, and retrace the 'Dirty Harry' series (Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, etc), though not 'Car' movies, certainly had their fair share of Car Scenes. How about 'Bullitt' in SF, Daly City, and the Choreography rehearsed in Cotati?  'Gone in 60 Seconds (both)', 'The Gumball Rally', 'Repo Man', 'The California Kid'...   California and Car Movies? The List is Endless!   Sounds like an East/West 'Thing'...   Cheers! ... View more

Rob, Though not an AMC Guy, I appreciate the call-out of one of America's non-survivors, and their popular, but clearly not popular enough, offerings. While the Kenosha Cadillac has joined the likes of Pierce Arrow, Packard, and Studebaker (also Plymouth, Olds, and Pontiac); it had it's own following and supporters. In response to the First, but not the Last, "Energy Crisis", Ford introduced the littlest Pony, Pinto (Mustang, Bronco, etc), Chevy rolled out the Vega (thinly disguised '55 Bel Air) while Gremlin introduced a little whimsy with it's name and commensurate Icon. Properly identified as a 'truncated' Hornet, the Gremlin played to the, "Hey, I don't want to drive what everybody else is driving..." mindset (Driving a Gremlin was a Home Run if this was your goal). If you 'sported up' a Pinto, you got 'Hot Pants', a slightly larger carburetor on the Vega (along with decals, white-lettered tires, and anti-roll bars), but you got Wild Paint Colors, Stripes, and you still had the I-6 engine ("Biggest in its Class") in the Gremlin. If that wasn't enough, there was the Gremlin and Hornet X variants; but I digress... The Matador wasn't mentioned; neither the bug-eyed NASCAR Sedan, nor the rebadged Ambassador Cop Car ("One-Adam-Twelve, see the man..."), and where were all the Subaru Outback buyers when the 'Eagle had Landed'? The 'Met' was Cool then, even more so today, my Great Uncle bought a new Marlin in '66, but since he bought one or TWO New Cars every year, I never got my hands on that one. The Pacer seemed ideally suited to the Hero Car role in 'Wayne's World', and was a product of either a Design Team on Crack, or Consumer Focus Group on Crack. Kidding. It was a bold statement from a Group of Executives, Designers, and Builders hungry enough to take a chance at carving out a niche, that, unfortunately, did not exist in sufficient numbers at the time. Long Live the Kelvinator! ... View more

Brandon, Why the top '18'? Great conversation starter though (wink, wink...) If the AMC Guys are going to wax poetic about the AMX-Javelin-Rebel; why not the SC/Rambler? C'mon, Guys, it even had an arrow directing the flow, you know, in case the air was confused where to go... But, how about the 3rd Gen TA's? The shout out for the 2nd Gens was great, considering the original print ads for the TA included the caption, "Gauges that Gauge, Spoilers that Spoil, and Scoops that Scoop!" Both 2nd and 3rd Gens get Bonus Points for producing both functional and non-functional versions; functionality being a judgement on actually flowing Air and not just Adrenaline. Besides, the 'non-functional' were easily modified with factory parts, or a 1/4" drill, a bit porch screen, a little epoxy, and a steady hand. How many Manufacturers were forced to Delete their Intake Scoops because they were TOO LOUD? Those Q-Jets could flow a lot more than people thought then or now... Since Ford gets credit for the Mid-Century Full-Size, how about GMC for the same era pick-ups? As usual though, all great choices; just enough for people to throw in their 2-cents... Bravo! ... View more