<VV> Interesting GM cars

[Padgett]

>  And even though on paper the GM  cars seemed better to me,

My experience was that GM did build better cars, you just had to know which 
options to tick off (and they made it hard). Back when I was seriously 
autocrossing a 67 Camaro ( http://padgett.ws/files/camaro2.jpg ) they 
always underrated the really interesting engines below the mass production 
ones. For instance the only way to tell a 67 Z-28 was by the lack of 
insignia and in the brochures it was rated at 290 hp while the SS-350 was 295.

As far as I know they never advertised the 78 Sunbird V-8 (if equiped with 
manual transmission, a/c was not available - made it hard to order one in 
South Florida) but never met a solo II Mustang it could not beat. ( 
http://padgett.ws/files/sbird.jpg ).

Fiero, Allante, Reatta, all two-seaters, all suffered from bean counters, 
and all lasted only a few years. Any could have been great if developed 
(e.g. the many L-67 Fieros).

So, yes, at first glance the Mustang has always had a performance image and 
the current somewhat retro look is brilliant, but GM has always had 
interesting cars, it just seems that they have never known how to promote 
them (probably the fastest muscle car ever was the 1970 Buick GS-455 stage 
II. At the time no one believed it).

Padgett