Top 3 Funny Sport Betting Quotes
And those sales were good: around 100,000-150,000 a year. The '95 tally was almost as good: just over 410,000. Like Escort, Taurus wouldn't see another major change until late decade. When people think of Austin, they think "hip, cool music not like Texas." The city nurtures and celebrates creativity, entrepreneurship, and independence, yet it's a comfortable existence that's easy to love. The basic idea of wrestling -- two people competing in a physical combat -- is ancient. Announcing a second wave of GM downsizing, these smaller big Buicks shared a 110.8-inch wheelbase and measured some two feet shorter and 400 pounds lighter than the 1977-84 models. It is designed with two flat, curved blades that are attached to a central handle. Just like the sentence says, they are hilarious. Whether you place a dominant foot forward as you throw or stand with feet shoulder-width apart, the motion should be fluid and followed through, like a golf swing (or tossing a Frisbee).
An unfortunate styling resemblance to Buick's N-body Somerset/Skylark didn't help, and hardly anyone liked the gimmicky slot Graphic Control Center, a touch-sensitive Tv-type screen that needlessly complicated even simple tasks like changing radio stations. A significant factor was strong new competition from Pontiac, which offered many of the same basic cars but had recently returned to its '60s-style performance theme and returned to third for the first time since 1970. Trying to be all things to all people, Reuss later conceded, only confused Buick's image -- and its customers. There was a mild facelift for '84, and an optional Olds-built 350 V-8 was offered through '82, but turbo and nonturbo V-6s were available all along (the latter a new 4.1-liter from '81), as was a 350 Olds diesel V-8 (a troublesome beast, and thus rarely ordered), and choice of standard and T Type coupes. But it was heavier and slower with its standard 4.1 V-6 (fitted to most examples, though the turbo 3.8 was ostensibly available) and found few takers at $25,000-plus. Though most buyers opted for standard powerplants, the blown Riv was a fine performer -- able to leap from 0-60 mph in under 12 seconds while averaging close to 20 mpg in more-restrained driving, this despite a still-bulky 3800-pound curb weight.
Riviera's most interesting '80s development was the advent of its first convertible, bowing at mid 1982. A coupe conversion performed by an outside contractor, it was a handsome rig, fairly solid for a droptop and as luxurious as any Riv. Bowing for '82, this was one of GM's five front-drive J-body models, riding a 101.2-inch-wheelbase chassis with all-coil suspension via front MacPherson struts and a rear beam axle on trailing arms. Though it promised much, the little Skyhawk hatch-coupe was never a big seller and disappeared after 1980. One interesting 1979-80 variation was the Road Hawk, a package aimed at younger buyers more interested in sportscar looks than genuine ability. The big 1977-vintage Electra and LeSabre, for example, hardly changed at all after their 1980 update, receiving only minor styling and equipment shuffles through mid-decade while accounting for about a quarter of division output each year. At Flint, this meant a hasty retreat from T types and turbo V-6s, and by decade's end the division had mostly returned to its traditional brand of upper-middle-class luxury -- a "doctor's car" once more.
Critics at first were hesitant to hop on the EV bandwagon, with most of the criticism revolving around the styling, not the actual performance of the car. Buick wasn't able to trade on the popular Regal name the way Olds did with Cutlass, so this car soon became just Somerset. That's the best way to learn. What's the best topping to put on a hot dog? Styling was crisper and tighter, and front-wheel drive finally put the model in line with its Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado cousins. Styling changed little through the final '89 models save an optional hidden-headlamp nose from 1986. Coupes, turbos, and T Types were all dropped after '87 due to dwindling sales and the division's return to its more-traditional "Premium American Motorcars" thrust. Buick had learned its styling lesson, so this new, smaller compact was offered only in traditional notchback form. Skylark performed well with the latter, and tastefully done sport coupe and sport sedan models offered firmer suspension and sportier appointments for more-serious drivers. Electra offered a subtly sporty T Type sedan, LeSabre a T Type coupe. A similar H-body LeSabre arrived the following year.