Back II

["Mahoney, John" <JMahoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Do cars America needs today and tomorrow

http://www.km77.com/marcas/subaru/2006/r1/gra/03.jpg

http://www.subaru.co.jp/r1/

recall any cars old AMC built yesterday?

http://tinyurl.com/cqvhh

http://www.javelinamx.com/JavHome/articles/70gremad.jpg

If the Americans didn't learn from history, the old America dies and the poor survivors wonder what to do, maybe they had their chance(s), didn't make the right choice(s), and will pay today and tomorrow for yesterday.

200,000 Detroit jobs lost in half the years I've blogged here; more cuts coming in '06; more "domestic" loss of market share.  If Americans can't learn from their -past- mistakes, why can't they stop making -new- ones?

GM is still losing $24 million a day (but if Lucerne is, GM hopes, their "better Avalon," we hope that'll change), Ford is still shrinking to, as the Brits quoted some academic guru, "a profitable base [hoping] to grow from there" (q.v. ~1979 AMC?), Daimler is still finding Chrysler reality to replace with virtual Mercedes (while US Mopar history is still being mined for all the gold it may hold), Japanese and Korean makes are still becoming as American as apple pie (so the good old 'Merican boys will be buying Camry on Monday 'cuz it won their NASCAR race on Sunday), and the Chinese are still, ah, on the road to something bigger.  Geely gee, they even build a new Amphicar.

http://auto.sina.com.cn/bbs/p/2006/0124/15146541.html     

Since Chrysler may be the healthiest "US maker" now (as both inventory and incentives are growing) and Mazda may claim the best "style sense" today (but its current sales don't match its future view), AMC must be the "make to watch" for those who've seen cars go up and down over the years.  If anyone is still watching, reading, or learning anything now.  

If BMW becomes known for building econo-boxes and Saab for selling cool Chevrolet trucks; if the Mexican Fords become known for being as bad in quality as when they were Mexican VWs, if Jaguar goes down Humber Road* to Nottingham and still ends up dead at the Chippy stand** (if the fish take-out still functions, the car manufactory will still be dead as the Lakefront plant in Kenosha),

http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/images/history/humber_01.jpg

then AMC is ready to be the next big thing to buy, restore, and drive.

And if you say, "Yeah, great!!" --- then that's the way it's gonna be.

You know it all already.  Thus you don't need me to tell you anything.

(While you're thinking, remember the "forgotten" Hawk two-tone scheme

http://i2.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/e7/25/26_1_b.JPG

even if you don't remember this "forgotten" make down that road* ---

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/vintage/commer2.jpg

and as you're independent-minded, remember who designed the paintwork

http://tinyurl.com/adj4d

[Loewy] and remember which US car [Rambler] its style was similar to. 

http://www.rootes.ch/mainau/images/Rapier.jpg

**Not the same as the Canucks

http://www.chippys.ca/main.htm

who sell some good fish, too.

>>
otta Jeep question, was looking at an 85 waggoner today, The guy said it had a  chevy V6 in it, and it came from the factory that way. During our conversation he mentioned it had something to do with GM getting designs frtom Jeep when they aquired AM General. If someone pout there knows any thing about this I would sure appreciate some info
<<

>>
gm does not now, nor ever did, own am general.  they have a big stake
in it now but not as i understand a controlling interest.  Renault
<<

Andrew got the idea that L. D. inquired about AMC's XJ "waggoner" [sic] 

>>
the xj cherokee that appeared in '84 had as power a four derived from
<<

(which, in fact, appeared in '83 -as- an '84), but forgot postings after he last wrote about the relationship between AMG and GM.  Read more now.      

http://www.amgeneral.com/corporate_faqs.php#3

Or reflect on why Hummer's was one of the lowest-rated Super Bowl spots. 

http://www.hummer.com/

AFA a "GM getting designs from Jeep" question, turn it around and ahead: the AMC Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ to prevent more confusion) that AMC ---yes, AMC --- developed in the 1980s came from the eye of a former GM and Ford designer, now remembered mostly for his Corvette and Mustang style. 

His [~'85] clay speaks louder than I need to

http://img31.echo.cx/img31/589/shinodajgc1ko.jpg

and AMC-Renault tells the rest of his story.

http://www.wjjeeps.com/concept/zj_concept1.jpg

If you know AMC, you can play the slots.  Count seven, eight, or nine.

>>
In 86 and 87, maybe a year sooner and later, Jeep XJ came in a model designated "Wagoneer". It had four real small funky expensive stacked headlights
<<

If you know Jeep, you can shine the light.  Sooner AND later: '84-'90.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/morbius/jeep.cherokee/galerie_xj.html

(And you can learn that the headlights and model name changed in '91...)

If you know Renault, you can say "funky" in French, too.  It's "funky." 

http://www.mangue.net/steph/DCP_1599.JPG

But not fetid --- despite what some AMC-Renault-Jeep-Eagle fans smell.