MotorWeek | Retro Review '86 GM Full Line

motorWeek is made possible by Rock auto tech and diehard hello and welcome to motor week and a part 2 of our 1986 Detroit new car preview and to our celebration of the 100th anniversary of the motor car besides the latest models from giant General Motors and spunky American Motors Pat Goss will trace the century long quest for better automotive brakes you know just about everything associated with the automobile has come a long way in a hundred years and a long way since 1928 when you could buy the Chevrolet Cabriolet for under seven hundred dollars this beautiful example belongs to our friend Walter Cline later that year Chevy sent shockwaves through the auto industry especially its competitor Ford by introducing the first six-cylinder engine in a low-priced car and Chevrolet well today the largest nameplate of General Motors hasn't looked back since leading is what GM seems to do best in 1986 is no exception with two new chassis z' that will redefine the classes in which they compete there's a real surprise in store for some of GM's oldest and most affluent customers they'll hardly recognize the 86 renditions of the Oldsmobile Toronado Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado and Seville the new upmarket machines are codenamed GM 30 or EK cards length is down 18 inches from last year wheelbase is down 6 inches and weight down 500 or more pounds overall interior size is similar the cars are wider with a bit less legroom the EK models also have a unitized chassis with an all independent suspension performance potential is much better this year thanks to a plastic Corvette like transverse leaf spring at the rear and disc brakes at all four corners the front drive engine for the Riviera and Toronado is Buicks 3.8 liter sequentially injected v6 it delivers 142 horsepower and 200 pound feet of torque the Cadillac Seville and El Dorado will their own 4.1 liter iron aluminum alloy v8 all models are striking blend of old styling and new technology like the original 1966 Toronado this 86 old sports a broad thin bar horizontal grille with concealed headlights beans are GM's new f-type units that are smaller and brighter than the normal quad rectangular systems Buicks entry also matches the old and new well with the Riviera's familiar laid-back grille up front and further along the most modern interpretation of the formal coupe roofline to date inside too each car has its own personality this tornado has more buttons in its cockpit than a 747 there are over 50 controls in the center - section for sound and climate they may be confusing but the electronic instruments do convey lots of information seats are supportive and here's a nice touch a copper coin rotating tray you'll also find that in the Eldorado and Seville for the Buick Riviera the big news is the revised graphic control center we saw a prototype on a few of last year's Riviera's and now it's standard a touch sensitive CRT that covers sound climate trip computer and diagnostic functions but in the new Riviera's it's placed near the drivers line-of-sight and includes engine gauge readouts in both bar graphs and numbers as you might expect this eman ttle cadillac eldorado concentrates on luxury and cadillac will be the only division to offer a four-door variant the kei body the now trimly shaped Seville so luxury will never be the same at GM and about a year from now we'll find out if buyers appreciate it but if the new GM 30 luxury coupes really are radical departure for their well-heeled clientele changing the way the average American family gets around is an even more important challenge in the throes of the downsizing epidemic some automakers seem to forget that big families still want big cars but General Motors is trying to correct that oversight they're introducing this most modern full-size family model in 86 project GM 70 the H car Buick LeSabre and companion Ozma Bill Delta 88 based on the top-line sea body Electra 98 introduced a little over a year ago the LeSabre and 88 are naturally front-wheel drive they come in two body styles a striking two-door with semi fastback roof and a more traditional four-door the LeSabre and 88 are over 400 pounds lighter 22 inches shorter and 5 inches less and wheelbase than the rear drive cars they replace but interior dimensions are virtually the same and a lot of the space is more usable the H cars are available with Buick Design v6 s a standard 125 horsepower 3 liter and this optional 150 horse 3.8 liter both have multi-port fuel injection the larger powertrain uses the more efficient sequential method of fuel delivery timing both transverse motors come attached to a standard four-speed automatic with overdrive differences between the Buick LeSabre and O's Mobile Delta 88 are subtle but both cars do manage to keep their divisional personalities the Delta 88 sports old split grille theme in the front and tall wraparound lights at the rear the arrow shaped body boast a moderately low drag coefficient of 0.38 on the sedan and point three six on the coupe in contrast the Buick LeSabre retains its trademark egg-crate grille in the front and low broad hinge taillights in the rear and here's another detail while the 88 has a normal rear hinged hood the LeSabre x' opens clamshell style to the front you can order seating for five or six in both cars and you get excellent leg and Headroom all round both this 88 and the LeSabre feature a wide - top instrument pod with both analog and digital gauge packages even the trunk is generous and the spare is located under the floor so GM is definitely not forgetting the domestic big car market after all that's what made GM what it is today and with the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile Delta 88 it may have started a new term of dominance but even with the latest in GM's advanced front drive cars coming online there's still plenty of spunk left in their oldest carryover products for 1986 enter the best-selling full-size car in the world the Chevrolet Caprice also available as a two-door sedan or four-door wagon in 1986 we say aloha to the old familiar Impala nameplate while a new Caprice Classic bromb trim level is added as top model Pontiac also has its version the Parisienne and 4-door sedans and station wagons both Buick and Oldsmobile have lost their full-size rear drive sedans but East Division will still have a rear drive station wagon the Buick LeSabre and Electra estate and olds custom cruiser those good ol rear drive GM G bodies will still be around with some updates for 1986 Chevrolet's Monte Carlo adds a new LS series with aerodynamic body styling and the sizzling Monte Carlo SS gets upgraded handling manners the latest version of the Buick Regal t-type and grand national sports yet another v6 turbo improvement an intercooler it boosts horsepower 15% now rated at 235 automobile keeps its g-body program going with the two and four-door cutlass supreme while pontiac still offers the grand prix coupe and Bonneville sedan the generals only rear drive hatchbacks are the familiar subcompact Chevrolet Chevette and Pontiac 1000 their design is now 11 years old and it stays the same for 1986 as does the annual rumor that this year will be its last but on the heels of a trio of introductions of Japanese designed models for Chevrolet last year wider distribution and more body styles are in store for 1986 the mini compact sprint made by Suzuki breaks out of its west coast only sales territory and is now available nationwide joining the original three-cylinder three-door is a new five-door you now can also get the Isuzu made Chevy spectrum in all 50 states as a three-door hatchback and four-door sedan the new me made Chevrolet Nova will add a five-door hatchback to its Toyota sprinter based four-door sedan again the Nova should be for sale coast to coast by late fall or early winter as for GM small cars designed in-house the J bodies have had significant facelifts for 1986 Chevrolet has finally made it to the market with the hauteur v6 cavalier z24 which you can only get as a two-door coupe or three door hatch the new Cavalier RS series comes in all body styles including convertible and station wagon Jake our exterior changes are even more dramatic at Pontiac they put an aggressive front end on the top-line Sunbird GT complete with semi hidden headlights the sunny sunbird convertible is also available as the GT and as the more conventionally styled SE the sunbirds 1.8 litre turbocharged four-cylinder can also be found in the buick Skyhawk behind yet another new front end although the lights here fold completely out of sight oldsmobile rounds out the J Series family with its Forenza there's a new coupe this year while the v6 Forenza GT hatchback becomes the top performance monitor oles will also add sports models to its end car Calais series for 1986 though the biggest news for this compact is the addition of two more doors Buicks in-car also has a four-door version only using the Skylark nameplate the two-door Somerset isn't a regal anymore and it adds a t type variant with the three liter multi-port v6 standard Pontiacs two and four-door n cars get extra European appeal the Grand Am se promises and delivers the same kind of handling technology and personalized style as the larger 6000 ste some of GM's midsize a bodies also undergo some styling changes for 1986 the Chevrolet celebrity sports a finely louvered lower grille line the first change since it was in 1982 a five-speed manual should be an option on the celebrity with the improved high output 2.8 litre multi-port v6 by this time next year also on the Pontiac 6000 ste now with Aero headlights and a 4% lower drag coefficient than 1985 the ste will be one of a select group of GM models to offer the Tevez anti-lock braking system inside Pontiac has answered ste critics by remodeling its electronic gauges for a clearer view through the steering wheel that's good since the wheel itself has plenty to see as well as do with Pontiacs advanced radio concept hub mounted buttons manage most functions including a unique mute feature the performance of the O's 'mobile a body's cutlass Sierra GT and Sierra ES has been enhanced this year you get standard a multi-port 3.8 liter v6 and a well-thought-out F III handling package Buick is making like BMW with this new grille on its century series the terrific century t-type will be offered in four-door only for 1986 the largest front drive models GM offers the luxury buick electra in oldsmobile 98 a few changes for 1986 the biggest are the availability of anti-lock brakes by mid-year and the addition of a top-line grande addition to the 98 most f-body camaro and Firebirds will include a value enhancement package it adds z28 and Trans Am like performance components to all v6 and v8 models and here's another notable F option an automatic rear hatch pulldown feature for fingertip closing Chevy's thrilling iroc-z remains thrilling pontiac fiero se gets the nd pace car package they used to be exclusive to the GT and after the first of the year the Fiero GT will emerge with sailplanes behind the passenger compartment and hopefully a five-speed manual gearbox that brings us to America's premier sports car the Chevrolet Corvette anti-lock brakes this time by Bosch will be standard on all works Corvettes will also include bats that means vehicle anti-theft system new colors include the return of Corvette yellow and this sparkling copper metallic at mid-year we'll see the first Corvette Convertible since 1975 from early pictures the roadster looks like it will be worth the wait with all the fuss about cars let it be known that GM sold far more trucks last year than any individual car line both the chevrolet astro and GMC safari vans are making big headway in the small van market changes are limited to throttle body injection on the optional 4.3 liter v6 the S series pickups and blazer Jimmy series at a pod mounted arrangement to their instrument cluster and 5% more v6 power through fuel injection but with all our talk about Chevrolet GMC Buick Pontiac and O's Mobil we've nary said a word about their market cresting division Cadillac the new Eldorado and Seville may be the biggest news but there's plenty to note in there other luxury lines Cadillac is adding too slick variations on their biggest front drive de Ville and Fleetwood models the neutering coupe and touring sedan their impressive handling cars while still being good riding Cadillac will continue to offer other versions of its de Ville and Fleetwood - and 4-door sedans all available by mid-year with an anti-lock braking system and here's the longest front driver and Cadillacs table there Fleetwood 75 limo with modest interior and exterior additions this car can lead some to far-out fantasies you in a rollerskates I want two burgers two orders of fries a couple cokes one of them cheering okay make it step back by popular demand as caddies rear-drive Fleetwood Brougham now with a top line to elegance version even the resurging Cimarron gets tweaked the gold tinted Cimarron de Oro marks Cadillacs first use of arrow headlights that rounds out the usual incredible array of General Motors vehicles they have cars for every lifestyle known and maybe even a few new ones you

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Id: 7j_n7t1RgTU

Length: 15min 31sec (931 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 07 2015