goingincirclez

I assume you mean the bustle-back Conti, which oh yes was very much around for '83. Went from 82-86 IIRC. The "Continental" name has been so overused, abused, extraneous and redundantly applied throughout its history it's a wonder people still have any fondness for the plate at all. I mean, technically all Mark Series cars from II up to and including VI were "Continentals"... but this gets dangerously confusing when looking at service literature because the "Continental" (no suffix) was itself an entirely different car... ...until 1981 when the Continetal Town Coupe was dropped, and the Continental Town Car was renamed simply to "Town Car"... which meant the only Continental was the Mark VI (which very much looked like a Town Car with an Opera Window)... ...until 1982 when the new fox Continental debuted, much smaller than ever before. Compared to all that nonsense, I never understood the fanboy ulcers over the FWD contis that killed off the marque for good. Much like the name "Cougar" (and even "Thunderbird"), "Continental" became almost meaningless in terms of what if anything it was ever supposed to truly represent.

Just a addition/correction: 1982 had 9, and 1983 had 10 Fox nameplates each, respectively (!) 1982 Mustang Fairmont (2/4/W) Granada (2/4/W) Thunderbrick Capri Zephyr (2/4/W) Cougar (2/4/W) (a Cougar wagon... yeesh) Marquis [new this year] Continental (new this year) 1983 Mustang Fairmont (2/4/W) LTD (4/W) [nee Granada] Thunderbird [aero] Capri Zephyr (2/4/W) Marquis (4/W) Cougar [aero] Continental Mark VII [new] Now if you count bodystyles (2 door vs 4 door vs Wagon), 1982 had SEVENTEEN!!!! different cars on one platform! 1983 had one less. It was that kind of frugality that saved Ford back then. Hey look, everything old is new again!

I think the difference with Hyundai's price guarantee is it truly sets the price at an artificial low that nobody expects a return to, so it really does have value. Chrysler's was what, $2.99? Even when paying $4 or $5 for gas at the time, most people knew/hoped the real cost of gas would come down closer to $3 at some point anyway. Yet I don't know or a single reasonable person who expects gas to consistently stay under $2 for any length of time. Plus the promotion seems to fit in with Hyundai's tricks of adding value other than cash on the hood. I dare say if Chrysler used similar language and presentation "for these hard economic times" - which if you recall were being roundly denied in 2008 - they'd look just as brilliant. As for Buick? Feh. Show me one person under 30, under 40, maybe even 50, who has the slightest esteem for anything other than that fluke 20-year-old tuner G-body. IMHO GM killed the wrong brand. Call them Buicks in China if you must, but why keep that casketeer badge here?

Yikes, this is hardly a shining example to use for a "good" bankruptcy. Have you even been to a Kmart lately? They suck as bad as ever! Really, I always thought Kmart buying Sears was like the tail wagging the dog. Sears has been on a slow death march ever since. They'll be selling the Craftsman and possibly Kenmore brands in bankruptcy court soon enough. For more examples of "successful bankruptcies" and/or mergers (and I use the term with all the dripping sarcasm and irony that can possibly be conveyed), just pick any non-SWA airline...

Whenever someone would pace me in the left lane such that their headlights reflected from my sideview mirrors into my eyes for an unconscionable amount of time (ARRGH WOULD YOU JUST FREAKING PASS ME ALREADY!) I used to adjust my mirrors to try to aim the reflection back at them. Honestly, I wasn't fully convinced this would work... I mean the random potential light and distance and reflection geometry combos would need to be tested in a lab, etc... BUT a few times it seemed the other driver finally did get their ass in gear and move on. And it always made me feel better.

Remember, Mercury was once very successful, even as recently as the mid-80's through 90's. The reason for that could be argued that at that point in time, Mercury was by far much more distinct from Ford: - 80's-90's Mercurys had their last true unifying brand design theme of lightbar grille and/or "fade-to-black" taillights - They often used very distinct sheetmetal apart from their Ford platform mates... -- Cougar was nothing like Thunderbird aft of the doors, with its notchback design and inverted (83-88) quarter window -- Topaz was again far different than Tempo with a more formal roofline -- Sable was actually more aerodynamic than Taurus and shared almost no sheetmetal -- Capri was a unit to itself -- Villager was nothing like Aerostar/Windstar -- Tracer was originally a Mazda 323, not an Escort clone Personally, I would love to see Mercury return to its own identity like it had then - it really used to be a different style and brand even in my own lifetime. Today's M.O. of simply revised front and rear fascias are woefully insufficient - it way as well be just a trim level. Obviously, Ford made lots of investment in differentiating Mercury, and it paid off with Mercury's best sales rates. However, if these rates were even then not enough to sustain such differentiation, then the result is what we painfully see now. Which in turn becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. A little of GM within Ford, as it were...

I'd argue it's no more cartoonish than the last T-bird, or the current Mustang. It's another post-retro design and it works well compared to the original. If you want a cartoon, look at the Toyota/Scion iQ. If you can... :blink:

Fer chrissakes, why don't we just erect a monument to that clown on this site? I mean you ban the guy, but then actively troll for and repost his garbage here? WTF is that about? Is he banned for real? Or all you all going to continue assisting his perverse pleasures? I imagine he's fapping at all the attention he still gets here months later (he can lurk after all). He's PWNED you all all every time you go through the trouble to repost, redirect, and discuss his tripe back here on this site. So can we all quit looking like fools for a while? Or why not just unban him already?

Hah, my first thought was "Huh? A Fiero GT with a T-bird interior"? then I read the article. ^_^ It's surprising this car got the go-ahead at all, given the less-than stellar performance of the EXP. Still, they certainly look great! I always did like the Fiero GT; it's amazing how close those are even though IIRC these prototypes slightly predate the Fiero GT. My '88 T-bird has the exact same dash (color and all). Would have made a neat ride, but not sure on a pedigree as worthy successor to the Pantera.

Just when things seem like they could be looking up, posts like this make me lose faith for the future of this country all over again.

Almost, yeah, but see, those things are in large part always done by private individuals after the initial sale. As such, they don't count, because the car(s) above were BUILT and SOLD that way! I mean, can you get a "Fart & Furious" or "Blingsta mobile" off the lot, brand new and warrantied, from anyone? One-offs from So-Cal chop shops don't count...

I loved that vid. It seemed even the engineers had a hard time coming up with a valid excuse other than "showing off"! Makes me long for a new SHO of my own even more...

OK... at first this won't seem Ford related. But there is a connection, however tangential. If any of you recall the recent discussion of "lux vs. faux lux" a few weeks ago... in comparison to where we are and where we've come from in the luxury segment and how it became a fad for all, hold on because I just found the Gilded Gauntlet of Gauche, for sale right here in Frankfort KY. I knew the 70's were bad, but good lord! Can you tell what it is... and what it was trying to be... before the 5th picture? I think this car has nearly every bad 70's lux cliche - taken to excess. Let's tally: - Vinyl roof? Check. Hell, it's even got a partly-vinyl DOOR! :lol: - Landau bar? Check. :rolleyes: - Opera windows? Not one, but TWO.. straight off a Ford Elite. B) - Chrome? Check... - Redonculous hood ornament? CHECK. - Tire Hump? Somewhere, a Mark IV is crying... :o - ... and WISHING it had a VINYL hump. :P - ...but at least the Mark IV did the "Rolls Grille" the right way... :huh: - ...I mean just look at that freaking grille surround! :blink: - Thank heavens the tint is impenetrable or who knows what terrors the contrasting RED LEATHER INTERIOR (which matches the painted brake calipers and inner wheel hubs! :o ) would spring... - The only thing missing is Coach Lamps. But hey, it's got vinyl doors, twindoperas AND a landau bar for the win. :wacko: Monroney Coachbuilders apparently sold and built 274 of these in 1976. From what little I can find online, Monroney began in the late 60's by building stretch Lincolns to order in the Chicago area, and tried to win more contracts direct from Ford around that time. But they somehow fell out of favor with Ford, and so began using GM chassis. But apparently they were used to Lincoln styling cues... Oy vey!

Of course not. When you're a synonym for Failure, it makes sense you'd fail at failing.

Don't you mean the Onion News Network? http://tv.theonion.com/

Hah, I always wondered if changing the filter (I always did mine at the interval) really made any difference. Getting that stupid $2 tool really does make the job a lot easier. Could have been worse Rich: you could have been looking at a heater core in 8-degree weather. Had to do that on my '88 T-bird once - with no garage. 6 hours (infamous dashboard removal procedure) in the parking lot later I was amazed I my fingers were still pliable at all (I kept worrying about feeling after the first hour).

I tend to misread it as "Pinto Ghia".

Hey, that makes me happy, cuz it must mean my 3.0 Freestyle is as potent as a sporty nuke! :happy feet:

Unfortunately I'll beg to differ there. The dashes on my 97 tbirds (and others I have access to) are all pretty "hard"... but still 100% intact after going on 13 years now. By contrast, the Fox-body (83-88) Tbirds and Cougars I've been around - including my own '88 - virtually all had split and cracked dashes even before that age. My 75 Lincoln may well be made of carboard, the materials in that car are hideous. (Kinda redefines that concept of "faux lux" that was discussed here a while back; in may cases the "faux" was as genuine if not even superior to the "real" lux.) I'll grant you, I still prefer the softer dash of the earlier cars. I know I shouldn't care and it has no discernible benefit - I just "seems" better somehow. Actually even the '97's have kind of a softer texture to them (I guess using a more durable vinyl and foam) than current cars. But, as for a truck: A truck does not need ultra-cushy materials. A hard yet functional dash woudl suit me just fine. Except for possibly a 50K Lariat or King Ranch, where I could see a need for extra refinement.

Thanks for posting that link. Looks like I was right - the GM skin is largely intact underneath. The pic of the open trunk makes the whole thing a bit more absurd than I had hoped for... but the vision and craftsmanship is still great.

Ah, I pity Retro-man for he simply just bought the wrong-year T-bird. My '97 was bulletproof, and my wife's still is. In fact, you know the scene in "Bringing Out the Dead" where Tom Sizemore describes his ambulance? "I have tried to kill it many times, but it will not die..."? I could have auditioned for that. Of course, just one year after the T-bird, they built the '98 Windstar, which was a total POS. Win some, lose some, I guess.

What an amazing work... I mean it really does look OEM original, as if fins and rocket lights were the current fads of today. The integration and craftsmanship is just astounding. The only thing I don't like is the extreme vondutch striping (I mean, it looks way too much like a tuft of personal fur) but then I can appreciate the sentiment behind it so it gets a pass. I am curious as to how the car was really reshapen. If you look at the slideshow pic of the motor with the hood up, look very closely at the inner top fender seam: Toward the front of the car the seam splits and it hollows out, and it appears the original Grand Marquis fender contour/profile continues while the custom fender was grafted on top (fitting the profile of the hood). I wonder how much of the original "skin" is under the new, and how heavy that beast is. Still, what an awesome piece of work. Jay Leno should commission this guy.

Mmm, I guess... tho I kinda see it more like picking on a kid in the special olympics... Fusion Sport = tasty. Like a poor-man's SHO. What a great time to be a Ford fan... it's about damn time!

I had a love-hate relationship with the stock detuned mod in my 97 t-birds. I mean on the one hand the power was almost laughable... but on the other they were a blast to wind up and sounded beautiful at full song. And just could not be killed. True story: my alpine green '97 had some sort of racket coming from the bottom end for a year. I suspected it was either the water pump or a lower crank bearing, but hadn't been able to narrow it down or work on it. We actually had the car at my in-laws' farm once I had designs to remove the water pump, but couldn't get the #&*^ thing off the motor!!! So I ended up driving the car with all its dieselish racket for over a year... Eventually in a fit of prescription-med 'roid rage, I decided I was GOING to GET that damn water pump off the car for once and for all... with the aid of a 15-lb sledge. Well, that water pump is now a trophy: once it was off the car, it could not be turned even by hand! Needless to say a new pump had the motor as quiet as new. But how it ran for 25K miles with a nearly seized water pump, I'll never understand. Long live the Mod.

For someone who was so hated and banned, that matt guy sure still gets a lot of attention around here. Hell he's become legendary - maybe he won by default? I thought this was going to be about the Fusion...