ron@wjvax.UUCP (Ron Christian) (09/29/84)
() [Caution: What follows is a purely emotional response to (count 'em) ONE article on the 1985 trans am (note lower case) which included (count 'em again) a total of THREE photographs.] Aww, geeze, excuse me.... <retch> Ahem. Let's try to approach this rationally. F**K rationality. They've ruined it. Pontiac has taken what was becoming a classic style and turned it into a bright plastic toy. Point one: The return of the screaming chicken. Yes, that huge $300 hood decal (1978 price, I don't know how much it costs now) is back. Why? Kickback money from Hot Wheels(tm)? Point two: The 'aero' package. This collection of lumpy plastic is now STOCK on the trans-am. I had to read that twice. Didn't believe it the first time. New for 1985: More lumps in the nose. Point three: The 'new' tail fin. The old rear spoiler shape was unique. I have seen good looking new Z-28s and older non-pontiacs that have had this nifty piece installed aftermarket. New for 1985: Remove old metal rear spoiler, replace with giant plastic lunch box handle. Point four: Holes in your hood. In the old days the hood scoop pointed forward. Later they pointed it at the driver. (Probably so he could see the vacuum operated plastic vent open and close.) They still haven't made up their minds: In 1985 there is no hood scoop, simply a bunch of gaps cut in the hood. Maybe the engine runs on rain water? Now comes the good point: (Was 'points' but I could only think of one.) The old optional handling package is now standard. The new optional handling package is even better, including even sticker tires, rear disks, limited slip differential and even heavier torsion bars. But what's the use if people are going to be laughing at your car's appearance? And finally, marginal points: If I understand correctly, there are now three 305 V8's to choose from. The new top-of-the-line develops over 200 ponies stock. Now for the bad news. It's only available with an automatic transmission. This makes the full blast 1985 T/A slower than the full blast 1984 T/A through the quarter mile. The reason given was that chevy had not yet developed a 5 speed transmission that could handle that kind of torque. Hunh? What did they do in the old days???? What's in the new corvette??? A new 'knight rider' electronic instrument panel is available as an option. Am reserving opinion until I see it. Old plastic dash covering is replaced with new plastic dash covering. Why this is important I haven't the slightest idea, but the magazine made a big deal out of it. So I guess if you still want an american 4 seater world-class sport car, buy an older (82 to 84) T/A and put the better parts on it. How much does anyone want to bet they change it back in a couple of years? Comments? -- "Trivia is important." Ron Christian (syntax bug) Watkins-Johnson Co. San Jose, Calif. (...ios!wjvax!ron)
seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert) (10/04/84)
> So I guess if you still want an american 4 seater world-class sport car, I thought oxymorons belonged in net.jokes? BTW, the idea behind forward facing hood scoops is so that the air gets rammed in as you drive along. The idea behind the rear-facing hod scoops is that there is a high pressure area at the back of the hood where the hood meets the windshield. Many cars collect ventilation air for the passenger compartment here. If the scoop faces the rear but is not near the hood-windshield intersection, they messed up. -- "We've got a full tank of gas, it's dark, and we're _____ wearing sunglasses" /_____\ "Hit it!" /_______\ |___| Snoopy ____|___|_____ ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert