I've always loved that car. Nothing as cool as the big huge chrome rear bumper!
FBI and the Buick Grand National
- Thread starter Malo83
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SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Oh yeah. That is Syclone? I bet that was a handfull and could plant ur back and bottom to the seats when you stepped on the pedal. Think they also had some SUV or specialty limited truck called the tubo Typhoon? May have been FORD.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Plus front lower air dam below that bumper + the rear deck spoiler!!!! Oh so sweet. Just hard to imagine a time when guys could walk into a dealership and order up some excitement like that and it not be a Corvette.
Have no idea why windowed EPROMs were so common in the 80s and 90s. There was no real need for them other than for development, where it was wasteful to just chuck them out when they could be reprogrammed. In production you'd just program it, verify, and install. Sometimes there would be verification errors though, but who would spend the time to erase them? I guess they were ubiquitous, even though non-windowed PROMs were much cheaper. PCs from the 90s often had windowed EPROMs although it might be difficult to tell without removing the sticker.
The other thing about traditional PROMs is that they're erased to all 1s, and can only be programmed to 0. It was possible to program without erasing if one just needed to program to 0. There might have been some applications where that made sense.
I've heard of some who specialize in re-flashing newer ECUs, although I'm not sure how. And it may not be legal.
The fact that they made cars like that and the 80's GNXs and don't anymore, is the reason i hate buick now. Buick to me is just an really old mans 5:00 buffet mobile.
Saw a Syclone once. I guess the standard was to cover the bed for better aerodynamics. Saw some article in one of the auto magazines (Motor Trend) that created a fictional account of one drag racing a Ferrari 328 for pink slips.
Shoot if i could go back in time with some money to those days.... Id buy a hurst olds, a grey 442, a pace car trans am and a GN...
And I'd have kept my 77 TA.
I tried to buy a yellow stick Fiero GT and the dealer principal didn't want to get real on price, so i went and got a CRX Si (also Yellow) he was not happy... Bonus to me it was cheaper...
And I'd have kept my 77 TA.
I tried to buy a yellow stick Fiero GT and the dealer principal didn't want to get real on price, so i went and got a CRX Si (also Yellow) he was not happy... Bonus to me it was cheaper...
Im pretty sure the bed cover was standard on the Syclone it might have been an option but all three we sold had them. They were fast but two of the three blew up.
Along about this time we also had like 6 or 8 Starcraft/Ducks Unlimited Camouflage GMC Suburbans with an aluminum john boat on top ... they were outrageously expensive...
Anyway...
Along about this time we also had like 6 or 8 Starcraft/Ducks Unlimited Camouflage GMC Suburbans with an aluminum john boat on top ... they were outrageously expensive...
Anyway...
There was a Turbo Monte Carlo in the early '80's with a QuadraJet fed 3.8L Buick (Same engine used in early 80's Turbo Regals), Not to be confused with the later Fuel Injected 3.8L Turbo engines.
I love these trucks and wish Ford had done something on this level with the 89-92 Ranger and 91-94 Explorer. If there was a 91-94 Explorer Typhoon equivalent I would definitely be looking for one. The Saleens are cool, but any jellybean Explorer is a commuter car to me. The Ranger GT was mostly show, a touch of handling, and nothing done for performance. So much missed potential, though they built a Taurus SHO Yamaha V6 powered Ranger GT concept to tease people. That would have been such a cool truck, I hope the concept one is still intact somewhere.
Even a HO-5.0L Ranger would've been cool as would a Turbo 2.3L Lima.
80 or 81 Turbo Trans Am. Not sure how beefed up it was, they had a terrible reputation..
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I miss this kind of one-off car making altogether. The era where a car maker let their engineers and design teams do something like a Syclone are gone for the most part, and that's a shame. People expect super powerful Challengers, Mustangs, and Camaros, but who expected an @$$ kicking S15 pickup and Jimmy? I just read a short article about the Syclone & Typhoon, and at the end, GM was practically begging people to take the remaining 80 or so off their hands, selling them at fire sale prices. I didn't know until yesterday that this was the case, and that's a punch in the gut to those of us who would kill to have one now.
You also had SLP doing FireHawks.
I guess the closest you get now are Saleen, Roush, Shelby and Henessy but they are actually considered manufacturers if i am not mistaken. I know Saleen and Shelby are. Does Callaway still do stuff... i guess they do:
www.callawaycars.com
OH there is the Bison, that is probably closest to the arraignment that was in force for the Grand Prix and Syclone (i think Mercury owns Cyclone)
I guess the closest you get now are Saleen, Roush, Shelby and Henessy but they are actually considered manufacturers if i am not mistaken. I know Saleen and Shelby are. Does Callaway still do stuff... i guess they do:
Callaway Powerfully Engineered Automobiles
Callaway develops and installs powerfully engineered packages for GM vehicles providing significantly increased performance and value.
www.callawaycars.com
OH there is the Bison, that is probably closest to the arraignment that was in force for the Grand Prix and Syclone (i think Mercury owns Cyclone)
You also had SLP doing FireHawks.
I guess the closest you get now are Saleen, Roush, Shelby and Henessy but they are actually considered manufacturers if i am not mistaken. I know Saleen and Shelby are. Does Callaway still do stuff... i guess they do:
Callaway Powerfully Engineered Automobiles
Callaway develops and installs powerfully engineered packages for GM vehicles providing significantly increased performance and value.
OH there is the Bison, that is probably closest to the arraignment that was in force for the Grand Prix and Syclone (i think Mercury owns Cyclone)
Imports still have in-house tuning like TRD, AMG, STi, Honda's Type-R, BMW's M-Technik, etc.
True, and Chryslers SRT...
But that really isn't what Syclones, Turbo Grand Prix and the first Firehawks were - they were shipped to third parties who did the modifications - like Boss 429s and Superbirds...
It is more akin to an Alpina, Hartge, Brabus or maybe Mugen back in the day... (though i think Alpina always had manufacturer status, not sure, its been a while)
Anyhow, we have strayed far away from the turbo Buicks...
1984 Buick Regal T-Type at Indy 2018 as G207.1 - Mecum Auctions
1984 Buick Regal T-Type crossing the auction block at Indy 2018 as G207.1.
www.mecum.com
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
yeah I think the California emissions laws created that car. Pontiac would put a certain Olds engine in the California cars and if you were not in Ca, you were lucky and got the Pontiac motor. Of course back then with all the detuned and emission choked engines even what were supposed to be sports cars were more like boat anchors. I still loved the designs and body styles of many but those were some awful years for auto / speed freaks to endure.80 or 81 Turbo Trans Am. Not sure how beefed up it was, they had a terrible reputation..
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