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Via Autoweek...
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/image...0sml-thumb.jpg
Rumors are flying that Saab will revive the Sonnet and put it on the Solstice/Sky platform.
I'd love to see them do this.
The proportions are pretty similar:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/1185-1.jpg
Although the Solstice is RWD...
S.
Those old Sonnets were cool.
Man I miss my old 83 900...
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...801_7_full.jpg
The Solstice looks uglier than I remembered in that pic.
Different strokes, I guess... My first car was an '82 Saab 900. I swore off of European cars for life after that fiasco. :evil:Quote:
Originally Posted by jolberry
I know what you mean about those cars.......I was living in Little Rock with my folks at the time I owned this car. And the fact that my Dad is a Saab mechanic..... it was easy to keep up with the car with parts up for grabs for free. We took out the 8 valve and rebuilt an 86 16 valve to drop in. After a year of driving it here in Dallas for a year I decided to sell it.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
I have noticed that I have heard more about Saabs here from srivendel over the last year then I have heard anywhere over the last several years. The only other time in my life that I can ever remember hearing anything about Saabs was in the movie Crazy People. Where am I going with this? No, I am not sick of Saab news from srivendel... GM needs to spend some money on product awareness. They waste millions on TV ads for an H2 that sells itself to a select few but turns off everyone else, but they don't spend anything to try to get people out to a Saab dealership to check out the Saab offerings. The Saabs seems to me like cars that could steal market share from others if people actually thought to consider them. Much more so then the H2, that really doesn't have much of an opportunity to steel market share from anybody outside of the GM umbrella.
Gee.... GM is in trouble. Big surprise.
http://www.screenselect.co.uk/images...5710-large.jpg
For life, you say!? http://www.dallasimports.net/forums/...ult/shifty.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Yeah, I was tempted... but you'll note that I didn't actually buy the AMG. Euro-car repair costs were one of the reasons why. :wink:Quote:
Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
You're preaching to the choir on that one, brother!Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Yep, European cars are fun to talk about -- and I do MORE than my share of talking -- but in the end, you just can't get past those reliability issues.
FYI, I own 3 cars -- all Japanese. I'd like to find another manufacturer -- particularly an American manufacturer -- that builds cars that are both exciting and reasonably reliable, but I defy you to find one.
The only vehicle that I've ever had that was as reliable as the Miata was my old 1978 Chevy Pickup. We built and installed a 400ci V8 w/ TH400 transmission about a month after I got it. I ran that thing into the ground for 6 years @ about 26,000 miles per year and still couldn't kill it. Everything, including the AC still worked when I finally sold it. That was also the last year you could get a half ton without emissions and computer controls.
That's why a European car based on a Pontiac platform is so perfect! Oh, wait... :scratch:
S.
European body on a GM chassis... This sounds a little familiar...Quote:
Originally Posted by srivendel
Ahhh..... I remember!
http://www.murrayco.com/allante/alla...nt_qtr1921.jpgQuote:
Unlike any ultra-luxury roadster that has come before it, here is the limited production Cadillac Allanté. Using premium german steel, a unique Swiss alloy and exterior trim from France, Italian artisans handcraft its coachwork at the studios of Pininfarina, designer for appointment to Ferrari and Rolls Royce.
Then, specially modified 747s transport the sculptured bodies to a specially-built Cadillac facility in North America. After final drive train assembly, every Allanté undergoes a 40 km (25-mile) test track evaluation, unique to Cadillac. Two teams of highly trained technicians, after testing procedure, must sign off each vehicle with their own signature. Further proof of Cadillac's commitment to Allanté's integrity.
European road manners, Cadillac comfort, convenience and front-wheel drive. There's spirited power in the exclusive high output V8 with Sequential-Port Fuel Injection, precise -- never harsh -- handling. Impressive control with the Bosch III Anti-Lock Braking System.
Allanté brings a new concept to two-passenger automobiles: Cadillac comfort. Defying the traditional space constraints of a copupe/roadster, its pass-through trunk even accepts skis with a total of 453 litres (16 cu. ft.) of space.
Hand-fitted Italian leather covers the Recaro seat (with new lower headrests) featuring driver and passenger ten-way electric power. A memory function on the driver's side "rmembers" two preferred seating positions. In strumentation is a unique blend of electronic Liquid Crystal Display and analogue dials. Power equipment runs the full gauntlet. There are simply no extra cost options.
The 7 year / 160,000 kilometere (100,000 mile) Allanté Limited Warranty is designed to make you the most cared-for owner in the world.
Cadillac Allanté. Modern in the true North american sense, it retains all the sense of a classic Italian beauty. Allanté is for those fortunate few who can write their own rules.
You can certainly tell GM is in charge of SAAB. Isn't this Sonnet just yet another re-badged GM product this time from Pontiac? Just like SAAB has done with the 9-2X which is a Subaru WRX & the 9-7X that is a Chevy Trailblazer. Not a who lot of Europe in any of the above group of SAABs. :roll:Quote:
Originally Posted by srivendel
BTW. Another re-badged top runner from GM's past was the Cadillac Cimarron which holds the distinction of being voted the eighth worst car of the millennium by CarTalk.(cartalk.com) :cheers: