When You’re Uniquely Qualified To Make A Nerdy Comment On The Autopian: COTD

Something I love about our readers is that everyone is an expert in something, regardless if it’s obscure Star Trek references or the mechanics of a heavy diesel bus. Sometimes, you get an article in the comments of the article!

Today, David wrote about driving a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. Tony Sestito:

Ok, I am overqualified to comment on this one, as I have owned a 1979 Trans Am WS6 for the past 24 years.

Unless you got the W72 Pontiac 400 (this one’s an Olds 403, BTW, not a Pontiac 400), these were about as fast stock as your grandma’s Delta 88. GM knew this, and that’s why they made them HANDLE. This one has the optional WS6 package, which gave you all sorts of handling goodies, like wider 15×8 wheels, bigger sway bars, a tighter steering box, small subframe connectors, different suspension components, and the aforementioned 4 wheel disc brakes. It was actually rated the best handling domestic car of 1979 by some of the car mags back then!

These were best as “Day Two” cars, and there were aftermarket tuning houses that would turn your cash into performance. Someone did this with mine back in the day, so it has a few period performance parts that helped it hang with the older muscle cars.

LTDScott also has good insight:

I don’t agree with this being considered a personal luxury coupe. Go drive a Chrysler Cordoba or Ford Elite after driving this and you’d be singing a different tune. These were definitely slow, but for the era they weren’t bad and the Radial Tuned Suspension some of these got was pretty good. The true personal luxury coupes were wallowy.

The dashboard isn’t polished, it’s engine turned. I love that look on these Trans Ams.

I currently own the oldest car I’ve ever had, a ’79 Fairmont, and I apparently take for granted some features that are standard nowadays – I just bought aftermarket convex glass for the passenger side mirror because it’s not convex from the factory and makes it tough to change lanes.

Data:

David Tracy smiles.
Rusty Jeep XJ whispers.
Now dreams in i3.

Antti wrote about a 2010 Peugeot 206 SD that was built in Iran and imported from Russia. Jay Vette:

Iran so fast, you could say I was Russian.

Matt wrote a Morning Dump that contained a story about how Nissan’s shareholder meeting went so poorly that someone suggested a return of Carlos Ghosn. Phil:

Stay strong, Espinosa. The Board will be tough. The ego may be bruised. The company may continue to sink and create headlines. Decisions will have impacts on your employees. Tough decisions.

Just be strong and remember why you are here: the parachute. It’s golden, it’s ripe, and it’s luscious. When the time comes it will whisk you away no matter the outcome.

Jatco Xtronic CVT:

When will Nissan want me back?

Dodsworth:

There’s a case to be made for Ghosn.

MATTinMKE:

Is the case big enough for Carlos to fit into?

Nsane In The MembraNe would bring VW’s madman back:

Make a deal with the god/the devil to hand over Elon Musk to hell in exchange for Ferdinand Piech returning to this mortal coil and put him in charge of the dumpster fire that is VAG. Will it work? Probably not, but at least they’ll be making entertaining cars again.

Have a great evening, everyone!

Top graphic image: Griffin Riley