I had to chime in on this one. Being the owner of a
true fast forward design Imperial (55) sedan. I know
what comfort ride and other luxury things are like.
Two years ago we bought a new car. After looking for
2 months for a car that fits an old stiff bodied male
in comfort. We bought a PT. Why you might ask? One
important reason. I could get my upper body into the
car without any pain. Five years ago I fell 14 feet
head first into the cement. My neck and upper body
are very stiff. Not only can I get into this car in
the front seat, the back seat has more room. I have
driven cars with the the same engine for years. It
had nothing to prove to me. Leather interior, air
power windows and seats all made the pluses list. The
style didn't mean squat to me. Getting into the car
did. Both the PT and the 55 have ample headroom. I
also own a 1958 ford sedan set up as a street rod. It
too has ample room and comfort (air ride). Not one
rice grinder fit the bill. The funny thing is quality
is job one (ford saying not Imperial). If you can not
drive the car in comfort were is the quality. I
remember years ago talking to a guy with a Yotota. It
was a hot summer day. He was setting in a pool of
sweat on the floor of his fuel mileage getting car.
No air, back windows would not open, and the seat 2
inches off the floor. Now that is real comfort eh.
RC Billings Montanaaaaa
--- "Wm. R. Ulman" <twolaneblacktop@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote: > I really have to chime in here on this one.
If we
> were to look back 35
> years when our cars were still in daily service, and
> look around to see
> what else was on the road we would see a very
> different picture.
> Imperials were very limited production due to people
> buying Cadillac's &
> Lincolns over our cars. Mustang, Camero and even
> Barracuda's were a
> dime a dozen, and making there way into teenagers
> hands at a horrific
> rate for their final destruction. Gas was 32 cents
> a gallon (whatever
> happened to the "cents" key on typewriters?) and
> quality was job none on
> most American cars. The Edsel was still a joke, as
> were fins on cars.
> People complained about the poor build quality of
> all cars back then.
> In the late '60's the Japanese had not yet hired
> West Coast auto
> designers to come in and make over their brands
> i.e.: Toyota.
> Volkswagen was the really only viable import at the
> time for the masses,
> and getting an automatic transmission from them was
> a joke. Full size
> cars were not so much as in vogue as much as being
> just what America
> drove. Drum brakes and bias ply tires were still
> standard equipment,
> and air conditioning was a luxury few Americans
> opted for. People died
> in collisions at a far greater rate than they do
> today. Long hair
> styles of the time helped to kill off the
> convertible (that is a fact)
> long before the governments rollover standards were
> challenged in the
> courts. By the time the courts ruled persons who
> buy convertibles know
> the inherent dangers of such cars, Detroit had
> abandoned the style.
>
> There are hundreds of other examples, but you all
> should get the jist of
> it by now. The PT Cruiser came along as a mass
> produced auto, unlike
> the Prowler, and filled a nitch that people
> obviously wanted. By the
> way, I was surprised to find out that the PT Cruiser
> has an EXCELLENT
> rating for quality. Something the American auto
> makers claim to have
> these days, but unfortunately cannot hold a candle
> to the Japanese
> imports. I would also like to note that prior to
> the 1994 model year,
> Dodge truck sales were at the 1-3% sales range, and
> with the retro
> styled front clip of 1994 they jumped to something
> like 15% market
> share. Ford did not like that one bit.
>
> It will be interesting to see how/if today's cars
> hold up to time.
> Computer chips are usually obsolete by the time they
> get to market and
> people may have to go to Hemmings to get chips and
> trim when restoring
> their PT Cruisers in the future. Most any car that
> was immensely
> popular when new becomes a collector car after
> enough years have passed.
>
> Hope your new year is going smoothly everybody!
>
> Bill Ulman
> Seattle, WA
> '66 Crown Convertible (Doris Day)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Woolf,Richard
> Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2004 4:46 AM
> To: 'mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
> Subject: RE: IML: Cars w/No Soul!
>
>
> Ernie,
>
> You're right about the PT Cruiser. When they first
> came out I thought
> "wow what a cool looking vehicle!" Now I don't even
> look at them. I
> think that if more modern cars had some character
> there wouldn't be so
> many PT Cruisers on the road. There would be more
> choices.
>
> I would really like to see the Imperial come back
> with a V-8, rear wheel
> drive, all the goodies, and of course lot of
> character. It could be
> done. Lincoln and Cadillac needs some competition.
> Are you listening
> Detroit??????
>
> Rich Woolf
> '66 Crown
> '73 LeBaron
>
>
>
>
>
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