You wrote: "While I'm not a huge fan of fake convertible tops..."
I am a longtime "Car Guy."
I wrote for the Mercedes USA Club's "Star" magazine.
Later, my crack habit got so bad that I actually sold new Volkswagens from a VW dealership in 2004.
(Erm, the crack part was an attempted joke.)
I talked to a lot of people... when there were no customers.
My VW dealership (Cross My Heart and Hope to Die) was trying to offload singer Sergio Franchi's 1970-ish Rolls Silver Shadow, asking price $16,000.
I made an acerbic comment about how the new owner should budget the money to tear off the tacky vinyl roof and repaint the roof.
An older guy said, "Those bastards (meaning R-R) made vinyl roofs mandatory, because a vinyl roof was a lot cheaper than grinding down all the hand-work welding to attach the roof structure to the body structure."
I replied, "The Bastards."
I guess GM felt the same way: Charge More, Pay Less.
A dastardly libel, Sir; this is a Curbside Classic comment I've brought over.
"It took me a little bit to confirm the info, as someone who ran a Rolls-Royce restoration and repair shop for years, and a former owner of a 1973 LWB Shadow, I can report that the LWB cars were not regular wheelbase shadows that were cut and lengthened. They were built with longer panels to include the roof, doors and floor sections.
My shop has done complete shadow interior R & R work, and I can say we never noticed any sectioning of the roof, no seams were visible on the inside. We had to replace one of the “Everflex” vinyl roofs, but the body underneath was fully painted, so no seams were evident either. And FYI, installing an Everflex vinyl roof is probably the worst vinyl top to install, as it requires special effort to stretch the material into the built-in rain channels, and you only get one chance!"
But I read it in a book! Very glad to hear it isn't true as it sounds like the very definition of a bodge... I hereby apologise for this egregious calumnification* of the fine name of British engineering.
* A friend advises me that this isn't a word; however, if Shakespeare was allowed to make them up, I claim the same privilege for my own modest genius.
It's possible to get rid of the vinyl (see Harry's Garage XJ12), but I dare say that involved additional work around the roof to rear wing/fender join that the factory didn't bother with. It looks much better without!
I'm a weirdo in that I've always liked these years of FWD GM cars. Perhaps it's because they coincided with the best of my teens/early 20s, which I tend to view with rose-colored glasses these days.
I drove a 1986 Olds 98 through college. White with dark blue velour and a white vinyl landau top.
It was quite a bargain, I bought it from a farmer with a blown engine. My dad and I swapped in a remanufactured long block from a place called Jasper, was delivered in a big crate. Learned a ton doing that that job, great memories with my dad.
I drove it for four years, then gave it to my sister who drove it another six years including through her college years. Only other things it ever needed in all that time were three sets of Co-Op tires and a fuel pump.
I’d love to revisit one of these cars, just for a few days. As a fellow midwesterner I’m sure you remember that these were absolutely ubiquitous for years and years, everyone drove them.
I’d rather have the Celica that’s lurking in the background in some of the shots. I don’t get the interest in these bombs, but then I’m hard core, west coast gen-x.
When I started working on cars as a young man about 25 years ago, these and their platform mates were still everywhere as daily traffic. They had remarkable longevity. I maintained many high mileage examples for their owners at the shop I worked at.
I bought a 1994 88 for my girlfriend in the mid-2000s as her first car and it went on forever.
My memory of these is likely shared with many other Millennials...smoking weed in them after they were handed down from grandma or grandpa once they stopped driving. While very comfortable, the velour interiors were very hard to rid of blunt guts or worse the weed it self,. If you spilled a chopped, or picked, leafy substance on them the material seemed to turn into Velcro and no amount of car wash vacuuming would get all of it up.
Neat car, although I think the top would work better with a white interior. Was "triple white" possible on the '85? I'm glad Jack gives you a platform for these.
Obviously it has the TruCoat! They put that on at the factory nowadays! There's nothing I can do about it!
Nice!
You wrote: "While I'm not a huge fan of fake convertible tops..."
I am a longtime "Car Guy."
I wrote for the Mercedes USA Club's "Star" magazine.
Later, my crack habit got so bad that I actually sold new Volkswagens from a VW dealership in 2004.
(Erm, the crack part was an attempted joke.)
I talked to a lot of people... when there were no customers.
My VW dealership (Cross My Heart and Hope to Die) was trying to offload singer Sergio Franchi's 1970-ish Rolls Silver Shadow, asking price $16,000.
I made an acerbic comment about how the new owner should budget the money to tear off the tacky vinyl roof and repaint the roof.
An older guy said, "Those bastards (meaning R-R) made vinyl roofs mandatory, because a vinyl roof was a lot cheaper than grinding down all the hand-work welding to attach the roof structure to the body structure."
I replied, "The Bastards."
I guess GM felt the same way: Charge More, Pay Less.
saint-jean
Only applicable to the long wheelbase version, I think, where they had to saw a standard body in half to let in another four inches.
A dastardly libel, Sir; this is a Curbside Classic comment I've brought over.
"It took me a little bit to confirm the info, as someone who ran a Rolls-Royce restoration and repair shop for years, and a former owner of a 1973 LWB Shadow, I can report that the LWB cars were not regular wheelbase shadows that were cut and lengthened. They were built with longer panels to include the roof, doors and floor sections.
My shop has done complete shadow interior R & R work, and I can say we never noticed any sectioning of the roof, no seams were visible on the inside. We had to replace one of the “Everflex” vinyl roofs, but the body underneath was fully painted, so no seams were evident either. And FYI, installing an Everflex vinyl roof is probably the worst vinyl top to install, as it requires special effort to stretch the material into the built-in rain channels, and you only get one chance!"
But I read it in a book! Very glad to hear it isn't true as it sounds like the very definition of a bodge... I hereby apologise for this egregious calumnification* of the fine name of British engineering.
* A friend advises me that this isn't a word; however, if Shakespeare was allowed to make them up, I claim the same privilege for my own modest genius.
I think it was the Jaguar XJ6 coupes that had a required vinyl top to hide weld marks. That is a gorgeous car though, even with the vinyl top.
It's possible to get rid of the vinyl (see Harry's Garage XJ12), but I dare say that involved additional work around the roof to rear wing/fender join that the factory didn't bother with. It looks much better without!
neat ride but i dont think id throw someone in a woodchipper for it
Tom; I also love these 98’s. I still have the 1989 98 touring sedan that I bought new.
Lucky fellow!
Damn. Nice. I'm jealous
I'm a weirdo in that I've always liked these years of FWD GM cars. Perhaps it's because they coincided with the best of my teens/early 20s, which I tend to view with rose-colored glasses these days.
I like the Park Avenues best of all; those clamshell hoods!
I drove a 1986 Olds 98 through college. White with dark blue velour and a white vinyl landau top.
It was quite a bargain, I bought it from a farmer with a blown engine. My dad and I swapped in a remanufactured long block from a place called Jasper, was delivered in a big crate. Learned a ton doing that that job, great memories with my dad.
I drove it for four years, then gave it to my sister who drove it another six years including through her college years. Only other things it ever needed in all that time were three sets of Co-Op tires and a fuel pump.
I’d love to revisit one of these cars, just for a few days. As a fellow midwesterner I’m sure you remember that these were absolutely ubiquitous for years and years, everyone drove them.
Jasper is still very much in business.
I’d rather have the Celica that’s lurking in the background in some of the shots. I don’t get the interest in these bombs, but then I’m hard core, west coast gen-x.
When I started working on cars as a young man about 25 years ago, these and their platform mates were still everywhere as daily traffic. They had remarkable longevity. I maintained many high mileage examples for their owners at the shop I worked at.
I bought a 1994 88 for my girlfriend in the mid-2000s as her first car and it went on forever.
My memory of these is likely shared with many other Millennials...smoking weed in them after they were handed down from grandma or grandpa once they stopped driving. While very comfortable, the velour interiors were very hard to rid of blunt guts or worse the weed it self,. If you spilled a chopped, or picked, leafy substance on them the material seemed to turn into Velcro and no amount of car wash vacuuming would get all of it up.
I always loved GM's whorehouse red velour. So cushy. It's too bad about the 125 Hp V6.
Miller: "Find one in every car. You'll see."
In this case you find two.
Neat car, although I think the top would work better with a white interior. Was "triple white" possible on the '85? I'm glad Jack gives you a platform for these.
Wasn't Jerry Lundegard paying off the hitmen with a Ciera?
Yes but Jerry drove a 98 like this one himself. And there were lots of these in the Olds showroom where he worked.
Wade had a 98 Regency Brougham too.