Tag Archives: Pontiac

Five Favorite “Brief Appearances”

Tweet All photos by Randy Stern O, Five Favorites, we hardly knew ye… Frankly, the old Five Faves have been set aside somehow thanks to Auto Show coverage, going Way Off Road and whatever floats V&R’s boat…er, car. That does … Continue reading

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Commentary: VF + SS = ???

We at Victory & Reseda< ?i> have some good news…and some bad news.

First, the good news: Holden will build the VF Commodore before we know it! Essentially, the VF will be a re-skin of the current VE. As you know, the VE came out on General Motors’ Zeta platform designed for a series of rear-wheel-drive vehicles aimed at Australiasia and North America. The VF is slated to use lighter materials – namely aluminum – add a bunch of tech on-board and to emulate a global design language as dictated by Chevrolet.

Power for the VF should be the same. Australian consumers already enjoy two High Feature V6s (a Holden design, in case you’re wondering) of 3.0litre and 3.6litre displacement. The top engine should be the newest generation Small Block V8 – displacing 6.2litres as in the current Corvette.

North American consumers received their first taste of the genial Aussie in the Pontiac G8 – a future classic by all accounts. Currently, the Zeta underpins the Canadian-built Chevrolet Camaro and long-wheelbase Chevrolet Caprice PPV (also sold as a Holden and a Chevrolet in various markets from New Zealand to the Middle East). Continue reading

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The Class of 1982: A Geneological Treatment of the New Performance Race

Tweet What was a young teenager’s fantasy in 1982? A young man loved his cars fast, furious…or astute. The Lamborghini Countach would soon replace Farah Fawcett on some bedroom walls, but even Journey or Rush couldn’t yield to a difficult-to-drive … Continue reading

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Five Favorites from a Six-Year-Old’s Perspective

Tweet Photo by Randy Stern Want another interesting year in automobiles? The turn of the 1970s was a time of transition. It was clear that Richard Nixon wasn’t going anywhere. His administration oversaw the first landing on the moon by … Continue reading

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Five Favorites for a Pigskin Party

If this was any other year, I’d be happy to celebrate my birthday on Super Bowl Sunday.

Not this year, I’m afraid. It is not because the Minnesota Vikings went into complete retrograde. Just my interest in the National Football League waned severely this year, thanks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the constant frustration with the state of cultural relations with most major professional sports leagues.

Frankly, I could care less who is playing in this year’s Super Bowl. If it is your team that will be on the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis – good luck!

Still, football was one of sports for the longest time. I recalled some memories from the game – in attendance, of course. In some cases, they involved automobiles.

On this special Super Bowl/birthday edition of Five Favorites, let me log back into time to see what crazy automobile-related events transpired around the pigskin and the 100-yard field. Continue reading

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The Class of 1982

Thirty years ago…a lot happened.

The list can go on forever, but I will concentrate on the most important thing overall: Graduating high school. As I realize today that I am indeed on the latter side of my forties, remembering every moment of that year seems a bit difficult these days.

Thankfully, there’s Google. Not for what I exactly did in 1982 – but, rather, the trivial parts of that year.

At the onset of graduation, I ended up the responsibility of car ownership. The 1972 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Luxury Sedan of my mother’s was in my care. I was free to do what I please with it – replace tires, fuel up daily, baby the car when it overheated…and so forth.

By that time, I truly grasped the idea of the automobile and its inner workings. At least it was getting there. Sports, cars and music filled my time in-between studies and various plots to go somewhere else. Girls? Well…you probably know where that went by now.

As a public service to the Reseda High School Class of 1982, I offer this little glimpse at our senior year through the windshield of the automobile industry.
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Five Favorites from 1977

Tweet 1977 Cadillac Coupe deVille. Photo (c) 1976, 2011 General Motors Corporation Thirty-five years ago, automobile dealers in North America anticipated a major change in their fortunes. Or, was it all about product all along? 1977 was a watershed year … Continue reading

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Five Favorites for Going Back to Campus

2007 Ford Focus

Ah, college. To be an undergrad again…

Every college town – big and small – face the same onslaught of students coming back from the summer to resume academic life again. The future of our country bound for a college across town or on the other side of the country with their cars filled to the gills with everything for their dormitory or apartment. The parents tag along with a case of tissues hidden amongst the rest of their child’s stuff.

It is uncertain whether the tissues are meant for seeing their precious child off…or, seeing their savings fly out the window in tuition, student expenses, entertainment (your definition varies here) and a vacation to South Padre Island. Continue reading

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The Once and Forever G8

Tweet 2008 Pontiac G8 GT from White Bear Lake Superstore Buick-GMC, White Bear Lake, MN. Photo by Randy Stern Let me get personal for a moment: I miss Pontiac. General Motors’ bankruptcy forced the largest automotive concern in the world … Continue reading

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Five Favorites for The Summer: The Moon of the Misbegotten Edition

Tweet “I bet you miss me already…” Photo by Randy Stern In the past year or so, four brands were sent out to pasture in this country: Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Mercury. They join the misbegotten that danced in front … Continue reading

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