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vegavairbob
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Post by vegavairbob »

Hello Eastern Region and New Yorkers.
There is a car show in July in Suffolk county, Long Island.
This is a nice show. St James-near Smithtown. A few Berettas would be great. People would like to see them again..There're vanishing from the road. you can have it judged if you like too. contact me for more info/date.
Bob


Robert Spinello

'89 Beretta GT
'73 Vega GT
'71 Vega Panel Express
'64 Corvair Monza Convertible
rweatherford
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Post by rweatherford »

Bob likes all the cars that were abandon by GM...

Beretta, Vega, Corviar....  I see a Pattern.  


Rex Weatherford
92 Beretta GTZ Quad4 Turbo / 5-speed (sold)
Best 1/4 ET =  13.523 @ 105.16 mph

07 Mazda 5 Black on Black (it's slow)

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vegavairbob
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Post by vegavairbob »

I see what you mean.
I like older Chevy small cars.
My grandfather had a new Corvair in '65. I was six and liked it a lot.
After a year of pestering from me, he bought a new Vega in '72. At 13 I liked it a lot.
In '88 i was selling new Chevys and drove a Black Metallic Beretta GT. I was 29. I liked this car even more than the Camaro I had before it.

You got me thinking.....
How about these discontinued nameplates-
Bel Air,Caprice, Chevelle,
Tempest, GTO, LeMans, Rivera. ÂÂÂ

Redesign the line- change the name- an 80's trend. examples- Celebity & Lumina. these 80's midsize cars could have been Chevelle! which brings us to....

The new trend-
Reintroduction of discontinued names- It started in '85 (thru '88)
with the Nova. Malibu namplate brought back from the dead to replace Corsica/Beretta line in '97,
Impala/Monte Carlo replaced Lumina, and in '09 the Camaro namplate will be back!
I could see Bel Air, Chevelle, Nova (again) coming back too..

Of course-not Corvair or Vega. These two sold almost 4 MILLION in 17 years but both had developed poor reputations.... Bogus Nader book and Camaro/Mustang V8's killed the Corvair in '69.
The sleeveless aluminum block engine with it's lack of pre-production development killed the Vega by '77.

Ten years later it was clear that GM had learned its lesson when in '87, the new Corsica /Beretta was sold only to rental agencies its first year.
Any GM car gets a death sentence when production/sales drop regardless of car's reputation-ie. Camaro, which was almost killed tweny years earlier in the early seventies due to slow sales due to the gas crisis and Vega sales.
Even Corvette was almost killed in '55 due to low sales.

Some thoughts on the Vega-
The two best things about it were (are) great handling including- neutral steering, almost perfect weight distribution and timeless style..wagon included. It should have been offered optional with V8 power, notably GM's forgotten ALL ALUMINUM (sleeved block) 215 CI V8 (155 HP/Turbo -180 HP) this engine was offered in 61-63 GM compacts, and would have been a perfect fit for the Vega. with a weight of only 40 pounds more than the 4 cylinder engine, the Vega could have had V8 power AND retain its equal weight distribution and supurb handling capabilities. ÂÂÂ
The 215 V8 tooling was sold to British Leyland/Rover in '65, four years before GM announced it's upcoming mini-car. ÂÂÂ
CHEVY DID BUILD a one-off 283 (bored to 302) ALL ALLUMINUM V8 VEGA prototype (leftover Corvette experimental engine from late 50's)...cover car in HOT ROD -july '72. 1/4 mi.- 13.9 (auto. w/street tires)
That could have been the GM muscle car of the 70's that wasn't!! They let the Vega die a slow death with it's unreliable 4 cylinder engine instead. Anyhow, i know what could have been. There's a company in Georgia that STILL offers a swap kit for the 215 V8.
As big and talented as GM is, only a few people make the decisions. In hindsight they haven't always offered what we want. That keeps the aftermarket and engine swappers happy!!
Bob





Robert Spinello

'89 Beretta GT
'73 Vega GT
'71 Vega Panel Express
'64 Corvair Monza Convertible
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Post by 3X00-Modified »

When in July is this event, I may want to come out there.

Its only about 1 1/2 hr's from me.


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vegavairbob
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Post by vegavairbob »

This show is the next major one in Suffolk. It is towards the end of the month.
I will get back to you shortly with the exact date.
Other than you I haven't had any replies yet from Eastern Region or New Yorkers. A few Berettas...Five or more, shown together, would be cool!
Bob





Robert Spinello

'89 Beretta GT
'73 Vega GT
'71 Vega Panel Express
'64 Corvair Monza Convertible
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Post by 3X00-Modified »

You might want to register over on the Bstuff board, there are a few more down in the lower CT region and upper NJ region that may want to come out to this.  

They dont post over here though.


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