Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Monkeyleg on October 03, 2015, 10:13:28 PM
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Today I was at the mall. As I was pulling out of my spot in my old beater Saturn, something on the rear of the car parked next to me caught my eye. It was the name plate. I looked, then looked again. It said, "Maserati".
I remember when Maserati's were rare, and had a look that couldn't be mistaken for any other car. Like this:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmomentcar.com%2Fimages%2Fmaserati-sebring-9.jpg&hash=31f8a9bcf40b76efa812cd935c85d4822e312e15)
So, I was underwhelmed when I saw this. It looks like a Buick, which looks like a Mercedes, which looks like a BMW, which looks like a Toyota.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fm.leasetrader.com%2Fimages%2Fphoto%2F640x480%2F2015_Maserati-Quattroporte-S-Rear-view_22442.jpeg&hash=a02feaafd9563b7efa2eaa73e2b4107d89e6bc34)
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But did it do 185?
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Blame the wind tunnel. Everyone wants a close to ideal shape for fuel economy.
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But did it do 185?
Who cares? I doubt I'll ever see 185, but I'll be seen in the classier looking vehicle while driving around at 35mph. :)
It's one of the reasons I prefer the look of the older Porsches to the newest ones. Sure the new ones are "better", but I think the older ones look better and have more character.
BTw, have Maseratis suddenly become "affordable? I have been seeing them a lot lately (a lot meaning more than 1 every few months).
Chris
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Not affordable, just trendy. Every Tom, Dick, and Penelope has a BMW, Mercedes, or Porsche. Maseratis are... different.
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There's a guy in my building who drives a Quattroporte S-4.
It's an nice looking car, but certainly nothing special.
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But did it do 185?
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
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But did it do 185?
I lost my license, now I don't drive.
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I've seen a number of Maseratis around . . . the local rag carries dealer ads for them, sometimes for tens of thousands of dollars below MSRP.
Maybe if I drove one (fat chance!) I'd have a different opinion, but from appearance alone - I'm unimpressed. I've also heard that if you own one, you're likely to come to know your local Maserati mechanic very well, since you'll be seeing a lot of him.
Parked next to a Bentley convertible in the Lowe's parking lot about a month ago - interior coachwork looked very nice. Not north of $200k nice . . . but nice.
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But did it do 185?
I've done 145 in my Mustang going over the Tennessee River on the I-65 bridge, and there was plenty to go.
It's one of the reasons I prefer the look of the older Porsches to the newest ones. Sure the new ones are "better", but I think the older ones look better and have more character.
Yeah,the new Porsche's look like they've been on a Dunkn' Donuts diet.
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I've done 145 in my Mustang going over the Tennessee River on the I-65 bridge, and there was plenty to go.
Yeah,the new Porsche's look like they've been on a Dunkn' Donuts diet.
Could be worse, Bug 3.0 looks like the lovechild of a bug 2.0, Audi, and Porsche 3 way. Which of course it is.
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Some of you have no appreciation for Joe Walsh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls
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I've done 115 in A Ford 4 cylinder Pinto Pony MPG... with a Mustang Cobra II turbo on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I3xN36N6Tg
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Blame the wind tunnel. Everyone wants a close to ideal shape for fuel economy.
Government.
Fuel efficiency standards.
Crash standards.
Now even pedestrian safety Standards.
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Government.
Fuel efficiency standards.
Crash standards.
Now even pedestrian safety Standards.
That's sure a big part of it. The Jaguar E-type had triple SU carburetors until 1967, when the US government required emission controls. They went to dual Strombergs to meet standards. Those were 6 cylinder motors. Jaguar went to the V-12 motor to regain the lost horsepower, going from 4.2 to 5 liter displacement, but the V-12's were still not as fast as the pre-1967 cars.
It just seems like there's a groupthink with auto designers, though. There's a few cars that stand out today: the Mustang, the Challenger, the Camaro, Corvette, Pontiac Solstice, Mercedes SLS, Toyota Scion xB (not for good reasons, and others.
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Some of you have no appreciation for Joe Walsh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls
Joe Walsh lives around here. He likes to call in to the local classic rock station's morning show and comment on whatever they are commenting on that morning.
Great example of why drugs are bad...
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Some of you have no appreciation for Joe Walsh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls
I'm glad a couple of people got the reference....
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I'm glad a couple of people got the reference....
I got the reference. I just didn't think it was comment-worthy. ;)
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I got the reference. I just didn't think it was comment-worthy. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMTbkfgT_jc
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I hate the fact that Dodge Chargers are only available as a 4door, but I bet they handle a lot better then the muscle car era Dodge Chargers.
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I got the reference. I just didn't think it was comment-worthy. ;)
Apparently you've never heard "ILBT."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET7wb651VFI
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Back in the day, in the sixties, Masers were terrible to work on. They were strapped for money and the factory was staffed by incompetent teenagers and the spot welders were run with too little current, leaving little "taffy pulls" at each spot. These things are as sharp as needles and would leave your hands looking like you were boxing with a porcupine. They were also allied with Citroen which I'm sure did Maserati no good. They are not the cars they were in the '50s, they are trading on that reputation.
Russ
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Joe Walsh lives around here. He likes to call in to the local classic rock station's morning show and comment on whatever they are commenting on that morning.
Great example of why drugs are bad...
i'm really hoping that the Joe Walsh in question is a fictitious creation of the morning crew. Who I can only listen to sparingly as they are liberal jackwagons. As opposed to the afternoon guy who is funny yet more out there than Trump.
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i'm really hoping that the Joe Walsh in question is a fictitious creation of the morning crew. Who I can only listen to sparingly as they are liberal jackwagons. As opposed to the afternoon guy who is funny yet more out there than Trump.
I hate the lot of them.
I like the new rock station. It doesn't have DJs get.
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I remember when Maserati's were rare, and had a look that couldn't be mistaken for any other car. Like this:
C'mon Dick, you have to remember when Maserati slapped their name on K-cars, I mean LeBarons, right?. :rofl:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQz95AwCABmDEPdLCgudn1-ruxAH25cJC6dK8CjK_C_lfa9Z7fsrg)
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I don't remember Maserati owning Chrysler. I must have been drunk.
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They didn't own chysler but they put their names on craptacular k-cars anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_TC_by_Maserati
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEAQFjAHahUKEwj_rqyGtf3IAhUDez4KHccaBag&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjalopnik.com%2Fa-chrysler-tc-by-maserati-is-only-worth-a-couple-iphone-1446348608&usg=AFQjCNG5dg7SUMckRZechTOYBg7lK-sq2A&sig2=fZH7W9aqMZIimOM8u-u9eQ
I only remember this car because a bunch of us drove down to florida in one (belonged to a friend's dad) for spring break in the early 90s and the engine seized up somewhere in Alabama on the way back.