UDman

UDman

81p

649 comments posted · 109 followers · following 0

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Weekend Edition - A 19... · 0 replies · +1 points

They did right up to 1975 (with the last year being Fuel Injected) but the Dollar to German Mark conversion rate meant that the Opel Manta would have been just as expensive as a V-8 equipped Chevrolet Nova (or even the new for 1975 Buick Skylark that was sold in the exact same showroom...) Remember, GM thought small cars equaled Cheap Cars, and with the popularity of the Datsun B210, and Toyota Corolla, they simply turned to their Japanese Partner Isuzu, and the New, Cheaper Opel was introduced... The quite unloved Opel by Isuzu...

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Weekend Edition Last C... · 0 replies · +3 points

There is something a little cheeky with this wagon, and I wonder if anyone else has noticed it... The owners call the the "Grocery Getter"... So, just take a look at what is inside of the cargo area... I'll wait...

See, I told you it was cheeky...

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Weekend Edition - What... · 1 reply · +6 points

No, You're thinking of the USDM Nissan Van. They were all bought back and destroyed because of the fire danger. You see, Nissan stuffed a 2.4L engine into the engine compartment to drive all the accessories the US market demanded (Dual Air Conditioning, Larger Alternator and so on) and the The C22 was not originally designed for such a large engine, and the resulting tight quarters would later contribute to overheating and engine fire issues.

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Cast Your Vote For the... · 0 replies · +4 points

So once again, I voted for my own entry over all the other nominees... However, that doesn't mean I don't like the others, on the contrary, I admire most of the other nominees because they are awesome. How can you not admire the Beast of Turin... How can you ignore the Targa Newfoundland Chevy Truck... How can you not be impressed with the Chevrolet Apache... This was a strong year for the nominees, and it was great.

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Hooniverse Asks- What ... · 0 replies · +11 points

The Ford Thunderbird... This was really an iconic brand that experienced all sorts of questionable styles...

From the 1955 Original


To the 1958-60 Square Birds, which stayed true until this happened...


The 1968 to 1971 T-Bird with 4 Doors...


The 1972 to 1976 Bloated Birds


The 1977 to 1979 Downsized Birds (The Most Successful Models)


The Smaller Fairmont Birds which were hideous...


The Rebirth of the Sporting Thunderbird


The MN-12 Thunderbirds


and finally, these things...

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - On The Road With This ... · 0 replies · +5 points

I knew that wagon looked somewhat familiar...

<a href="http://hooniverse.com/2012/04/18/hooniverse-wagon-wednesday-is-a-wagon-that-sports-air-brushed-woodgrain-hooniversalustworthy/" target="_blank">http://hooniverse.com/2012/04/18/hooniverse-wagon-wednesday-is-a-wagon-that-sports-air-brushed-woodgrain-hooniversalustworthy/

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Classic Captions – T... · 1 reply · +3 points

Hi Skay, Thanks for these prize posts, but you seem a little off this week. The caption last week was for a Mercury, and this week, it's a Buick...

Nice prize though...

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Weekend Edition Quick ... · 1 reply · +2 points

hmmm, color me impressed. I just wish the owner kept the original color scheme.

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - GM of the Early 21st C... · 0 replies · +4 points

This is the million dollar question. If I recall correctly, it was Buick who engineered the VersaTrack all wheel drive system, and placed it under a prototype Buick Century around the 1998 1999 time period. The VersaTrack setup was a complete system, cradled within an aluminum frame that was suppose to bolt right up to any vehicle. All you had to do was engineer a driveshaft from the front engine to be connected to the engineered system. In all reality, VersaTrack was awful, as I remember a few people who bought this system in Azteks, Rendezvous, and the GM Minivans that offered it as an option (Montana, Venture, Silhouette, Relay, Terraza) couldn't gain traction on their snow covered driveway if it had the slightest incline... and this was with just a coating of snow.

Anyway, GM saved money by using the SWB version of the Minivan floor pan, and since the chassis was in production since 1997, it was a way to spread out the costs. By the way, this chassis lives on as the Buick GL8 "Business Edition" in China, much in the same way as the "old" Impala lives on here as the Impala Limited (which will live on until 2015!!!)

9 years ago @ Hooniverse - Hooniverse Obscure Mus... · 0 replies · +1 points

oh for the love of Shelby....