$400 97 Aurora

[kevm14]

https://youtu.be/CQtyQ3dRhkY

Man Adam needs to hit some auctions. This is sweet and I did always think these were cool.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/05/0 ... he-aurora/

[kevm14]

The Impala SS was quite a bit faster for the record...

[kevm14]

Upon thinking about this, it is probably fair to say that this was a FWD version of what Ford did with the Lincoln LS, except 5 years earlier. In fact the Aurora hit the 2nd gen only a year after the LS came out.

Aurora sales
1995 45,677
1996 22,349
1997 25,579
1998 23,955
1999 18,729
2001 53,640
2002 10,865
2003 7,217
Total: 208,011

Lincoln LS sales
1999 26,368
2000 51,039
2001 39,787
2002 39,775
2003 33,581
2004 27,066
2005 19,109
2006 8,797
Total: 245,522

Both lasted 8 years. They both cost nominally around $35k (V8 to V8) at least around the 99-2000 point but not sure about options and standard features (I believe the Aurora came pretty much loaded, at least the 1st gen). Both were supposed to be important departures for their respective brands. Both more or less failed in that ultimate mission even as each of them did bring something tangible and good to the table. Oldsmobile was closed in 2004. And Lincoln would make some very lame badge engineered FWD-based Fords after the LS. The difference there is Cadillac did actually accomplish their mission during that same time period I'd argue, even as they still struggle today. At the very least, Escalade and the V-series are both respected names, which had been building since the early to mid-2000s. Lincoln's respect pretty much just started with the brand new Navigator.

And this is good 90s trivia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Series_1

Shelby Series 1 was a high-performance roadster designed by Carroll Shelby and produced by Shelby American.
It was powered by Oldsmobile's 4.0 L L47 Aurora V8 DOHC engine. It has 320 hp (324 PS) at 6500 rpm, 290 lb⋅ft (390 N⋅m) at 5000 rpm and will do 0-60 mph (0–96 km/h) in 4.4 seconds and records 12.8 seconds in the quarter mile at 112 mph (180 km/h). Top speed is 170 mph (273.5 km/h) (15 mph (24 km/h) faster than the 427 Shelby Cobra). The 1998 car weighed 1,202 kg (2,650 lb).

Technical specifications[edit]
The Series 1 was produced in both supercharged and naturally aspirated versions (but supercharger was optional). Supercharged cars were also outfitted by the factory with larger brakes and a heavy duty clutch. Performance is in the "supercar" category with a 0-60 time at 3.2 seconds. Nicely optioned, Series 1 had power steering, power disc brakes, factory air conditioning, power windows, and an AM/FM/CD audio system. The convertible top folded away out of sight in a compartment located behind the cockpit. Some component cars were sold as a roadster with no convertible top.

The Series 1 had dual wishbone suspension with coil-over remote reservoir dampers mounted inboard, and actuated by "rocker arms". The engine was mounted completely behind the front axle and drove a drive shaft supported in a "torque tube" that spun a 6 speed ZF trans-axle specially modified for the Series 1. The chassis was made of extruded and formed 6061 aluminum. It was welded together and then post-heat-treated for maximum strength throughout. Then aluminum honeycomb panels specially designed were bonded into the floor boards and rocker panels for added structure and stiffness. The body panels were carbon fiber and fiberglass laminate. The engine, torque-tube, trans-axle, and damper mounts were all rubber-isolated from the frame. The supercharged prototypes produced near 600 bhp and 530 lb⋅ft (720 N⋅m) of torque. The Goodyear Eagle F1 tires were based on an IMSA racing "rain tire" that had been used for the "show car" model. Goodyear built custom tires for the car.

[kevm14]

Also

A highly modified 650 hp (485 kW) version of this engine was used by General Motors racing division initially for Indy Racing League competition starting in 1996, then was later used in the Cadillac Northstar LMP program in 2000. Both engines retained the 4.0 L capacity, but the Northstar LMP version was twin-turbocharged.[8] The Aurora had a drag coefficient of 0.32.[9]

The Aurora was highly regarded at the time for its refined engine, excellent build quality, well-balanced ride, and structural integrity. During normal crush-to-failure tests done by automakers to evaluate body torsional rigidity, the Aurora's unibody construction broke GM's testing machine.[10] A frame-crusher otherwise used to test stronger truck frames had to be used instead, with the car exceeding federal standards for passenger cars by two times.

That was, by the way, called the G-body platform (also shared with the Buick Park Ave and Buick Riviera).

Platform consolidation[edit]
Starting with the 1997 Buick Park Avenue, GM consolidated its four large-car platforms; C platform, K platform, H platform, and G platform; all to the G platform. However, GM decided to retain their previous platform designations.[1] These legacy platform designations were used in the VIN number and official GM publications. Models designated as "G" went out of production for MY 1999, but successor models were sold until MY 2011.

The G-body had an extremely resilient structure. For its time, the G-body was one of the strongest unibody car frames in production (25 Hz). This fact did not go untouted as GM literature made much of the need to use a 'frame crusher' designed to test heavy-duty truck frames to finally break the G-body structure in their crush-to-failure procedures.

[Adam]

Jenn already has a K-body car. I've had the G-body car. Too much rust.

[bill25]

I guess G-Body is universal for too much rust. LOL.