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Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 01:06:41 -0400
From: Dexter J <lamealameadingdongnospamlamelame.org>
Subject: Re: New SAAB = SUBARU WRX!!


Salutations: On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 00:22:26 +0000, Grunff <grunffnospam.com> wrote: > Murphwiz wrote: > >> Thats been happening pretty much since 1986 in one form or another... > > You mean since the 9000 development? True - and the 9000 isn't a bad > car. But that's exactly the point - it isn't a bad car, but neither is > it in any way outstanding. Don't misunderstand - I've owned a 9000 (and > still do, but it's retired), and they're good cars. But there were many > other cars of the same vintage which were as good or better. > > Compare this with say the 99T - what else in 1980 was in the same > bracket? Not very much. > > I won't go on about the C900 because I'm extremely biased there, but I > do believe this is a design one-off. The SAABARU thread again - you'd think the marketing folks at GM were poking around for opinion on this one. My take is that its a bid for the World Rally and/or Paris Dakar in hopes of re-flying the brand in the same way the 99T did back in the late 70's. However even they do pull that one out of the bag - the problem will honestly be that its a still a tarted pony - isn't it? The vivisection of a Subaru and a SAAB 9-3/5 only further isolates and deludes the brand and the servicing model and frankly if I were one of the current Saturn SAAB Izusu dealerships I would be flipping angry at this as they should see it the same way folks who ran once BSA or, alternatively, Triump motorcycle dealerships in the 70's came to see it. Trident anyone? If they had any sense left at all, the good folks at GM should have applied the Epsilon platform into an honest 4 wheel drive turbo using a wider flatter 9000 based super wedge lagonda time design. A stand apart GM to compete with VW, BMW and Volvo to go kick some World Rally butt, with an honest GM tag under the hood. Heck, why not peal off a four wheel drive drive train from the GMC truck group, put it on a diet, hook it up with a vette V8, let Scania turbine division have a crack at it and then - really - stomp the terra? Putting aside reliable stock 500hp in sub 2,700pd chassis wet dreams for a moment - a high end Epsilon base could perhaps provide what SAAB has always really needed - a common platform with varying grades of chassis and drive train options that can be readily serviced across GM parts catalogue and dealerships. That way the almost razor thin performance spread between the Euro Sport Sedans can be offset by making the SAAB the competitive service and price winner. And actually - its really too bad if you think about it. Here they spent a considerable amount of investor dough and now they are effectively writing off the provenance of the marque - which in the end is really where the value was. I have never 'got' GM that way. They don't actually make absolutely rotten machines and often can spit out something really special. Here they have a real chance to actually give the Malibu and the Eon a shot in the perception arm by putting a hot version of the platform out there with a SAAB badge on it and they just give it away to Subaru. Now brother Grunff and I disagree on the 9000/C900 question - but he's dead right about the 99T. Almost everyone at the time knew it was a Triump block - but - it was the handling package and turbo that won the championship. Here they had a chance to do the same thing with Epsilon. I wonder if GM just doesn't get turbo technology? -- J Dexter - webmaster - http://www.dexterdyne.org/ all tunes - no cookies no subscription no weather no ads no news no phone in - RealAudio 8+ Required - all the Time Radio Free Dexterdyne Top Tune o'be-do-da-day Joe Cocker - Bird on a Wire http://www.dexterdyne.org/888/060.RAM

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