Really nice early '70s luxury-barge, very well done!
Too bad lowering cams makes emissions worse, could be an excuse to make the engines even more underpowered. XD
Great cars still
1973.5 Everette TSR
With the Twisp being an unexpectedly huge market boomer, FHL was looking for ways to capitalize further on its success. At the time the Chevrolet Vega had been boldly promoted by one GM executive as being capable of out-handling any European sports car and as one of the finest cars GM had produced to date. Productions delays in the Vega due to the UAW strike at Lordstown assembly on top of a settlement that left many workers disgruntled and consequently doing intentionally shoddy work had already ruined the carâs image, an image not helped by faulty rust-proofing techniques already bringing in reports of Vegas rusted on the lots when waiting to be sold.
Concurrently, the AMC Gremlin was a goofy looking compact with lackluster sales, the Ford Mustang had become a full-on muscle car (abandoning its pony car roots), and Chrysler and its associated brands seemed to be avoiding small cars of most any kind. There was an obvious gap in the market for a sporty compact that was slick, reliable, and affordable. And after brainstorming ideas, it was realized one day that the Twispâs T platform had a trick up its sleeve. It was derived from the first generation E platform that had hosted the failed Fenton SE meaning most of the rear wheel drive underpinnings were still in tact. So FHL decided to make a pony car.
But it needed to have a name. And this is where the story gets interesting. Although it was known that a trim level of GMâs Pontiac Firebird was the âTransAmâ, it was only a trim level, not a nameplate (although in all fairness it did take on that connotation). And marketing wanted call to mind racing to help with a sporty youthful image, so naming a car after the recently created Trans-American race series was just good business. Thus, the car was named the âTrans-American Sport and Road carâ with the physical badging reading out a slightly abbreviated âTransAm Sport&Roadâ. When the name went public with the carâs release in 1973, a certain one of the Detroit automakers was not happy.
However, because even by GMâs own admission, the copyright case was somewhat weak since âTransAmâ was technically only a trim level of another car, the matter was settled out of courts. FHL agreed to stop referring to the car as the âTransAm Sport and Roadâ and instead referred to it in official company materials by its initialism, âTSRâ. Interestingly enough, because of the expense of retooling the aluminium-die cast badging, all TSRs until late 1976 still wore the full âTransAm Sport&Roadâ badging, with ellipsized âTSRâ only emerging in the final two years of the first generation. This inconsistency has created a myth that TSR stands for âTwisp Sport&Roadâ, an anachronism commonly circulated by amateurs and bystanders more often exposed to 2nd and 3rd generation TSRs.
After a somewhat hasty development period, the TSR was released in April 1973, hence the 1973.5 designation commonly ascribed to the first production models. It rocked a sport tuned 3.0L variant of the same V6 found in the Twisp and Ellston with an option for an even more tuned-up 3.2L V6. Power was driven to a coil-sprung, solid rear axle via a 4-speed manual transmission and a mid-level treadwear tire coupled to this setup give the little bastard a 0-60 time clocked as low as 8.8 seconds by contemporary tests. Front disc brakes were standard as were the racing stripes on the hood, roof, and trunk lid. There was seating for 4, a radio was optional and while the interior was somewhat spruced up over the Twispsâs, the real selling point of the car was the fact that it was a small, light, sporty machine good for doing big smoky burnouts whenever you wanted.
And sell it did. While FHL had though of the TSR to be more of a high trim Twisp (ironically similar to the Pontiac TransAm which it shared a name with), it turned out the nameplate was a hit due to it releasing at a very opportune time. It beat its only true competitor of the era â the Mustang II â into production and the Oil Crisis drove everyone away from the enormous muscle cars in Q4 1973 and all of 1974. Sales of the first two years of TSR rivaled its sibling the Twisp, reaching as high as 210,000 in 1974. The combination of small and packing a wallop meant it was still pretty light on gas with even the origin 3.2L models getting around 11.5 L/100km (21 US mpg) combined and 9.0 (26 US mpg) or better on the highway, a damn site better than the barges and big muscle of the same years.
(1975 model)
Because of the race theme of the car, it was originally only offered in two colors which were naturally the United States racing colors of white and blue, or as Everette referred to them an advertising:
- Championship White
- Patriotic Blue
In 1976, FHLâs signature âOrnamental Evergreenâ color was also added to the palate for a bigger variety.
Increasingly strict emissions standards did hamper the performance of later marks. Power figures for 1975 dropped by a wide margin due to catalytic converters strangling exhaust. For instance, the output the 3.2L V6 dropped from 150 hp to 120 hp. The increasing stringency of crash regulations also forced a restyle in 1975; the under breather grille was removed to make way for soon-to-be required âPhase II Zero Damageâ 5 mph bumper forcing the signals and parking lights into the upper grill. The upper grill was widened and reengineered to compensate for the loss of cooling. The rear received a courtesy style update in the same year.
(1975 model)
Speaking of styling updates, the most reliable way to spot a true 1973.5 and not a 1974 is that '73.5s do not have hood scoops while '74s and onward do.
But in any case, 1975 was not the last year that the poor TSR would suffer some abuse at the hands of the regulatory environment with both emissions and looming CAFE requirements prompting an engine downsizing in 1976. A more sport-tuned 2.6L V6 became the base engine and the top option became the 3.0L â no more 3.2L 
. Performance suffered with the 2.6L models dropping into 12 second 0-60 mph territory.
The last styling update came in 1977 and the TSR transitioned to using the single 200x142 mm rectangular sealed beam headlights, mostly in an effort to stick with the times. The rear lights also lost some ornamentation and the reverse lights were moved inboard with the two brake lights being merged into one.
(1977 model â early production, hence it still has the full badging)
As a âFuck you!â to the man, Everette created a limited run special edition in 1977 and 1978 of which only 10,000 total models were ever made. Called the âTSR Sidewinderâ (a reference to both the missile and the snake), this all black painted limited edition model offered what otherwise enthusiastic customers had always lamented: the lack of a V8. The Sidewinder came from the factory with a small block 4.1L V8 (250 cid) making a 145 hp, almost as much as the unstrangled 3.2L V6 and made it almost as a fast in a straight line.
And a word of warning. Contrary to what some while try to pawn off on you for inflated prices, the Sidewinder is the ONLY 1st generation TSR to have a V8.
The Sidewinder was faster in the corners though than its early mark counterparts thanks to a special set of low profile 185/65/14 sport tires. The gold 14 in wheels were exclusive to the Sidewinder with all other TSRs using silvered alloy or steel 13 in wheels. It also had a lowered suspension with stiffer springs for better handling, 4 wheel disc brakes standard, special âSidewinderâ badging, a custom interior, limited slip differential, and even an 8-track player. Now a coveted collectors item, the Sidewinders are sufficiently rare that several are permanent museum pieces.
Like the Mustang II, the TSR was loved in its time for being a sporty and still economical alternative to the enormous muscle cars of the day. Production stopped just shy of 1 million when the first generation terminated in 1978. FHLâs woes in the late 1970s caused them put the nameplate on hiatus for a period following the termination but like the gap between the C3 and C4 Corvette, the hiatus was not to last. Almost by accident, FHL had spawned one of their biggest legends.
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Nice mini-muscle car the TSR is, especially ind Sidewinder trim. Mostly it has some AMC vibe, apart from the nose, itâs a little bit â78 Fairmont-like. Anyway, itâs a good-lookinâ little coupe.
2013 Fenton Azalea Concept
Some people find the styling of late 2010s Fentons to be bizarre, âout thereâ, or merely dislikable in a noncommunicable way. One thing is for certain though: what Fentonâs stylists call the âFloral Flowâ design language is not what you would call âtrendyâ. And maybe that is why some consumers find it despicable. Instead of more familiar edgy, aggressive, imposing, and beady-eyed designs seen on most mid to late 2010s cars, Fentons have used significant cues from this âFloral Flowâ design language first established by the 2013 Fenton Azalea Concept Car.
The Azalea concept car debuted an evolution of Fentonâs late 2000s âEven Flowâ design language and was intended to, in the words of the placard that accompanied it at the 2013 Detroit International Auto Show:
Or in plane English: It was meant to look regal without being edgy and fast without being aggressive.
It bucked a lot of the trends in styling at the time such as ever more prevalent uses of hard edges and angular lines and substituted them for what some have dubbed â perhaps affectionately or perhaps pejoratively as this could be a construed as an accusation of plagiarism â âThe Covenant Spaceshipâ styling, a reference to the âCovenantâ factionâs spacecraft designs in the popular Halo video game franchise.
Other commentators have compared it to designs from the 1950s with its smooth lines, baroque shapes, and vertically oriented fascias, where the designs were created for the designerâs sake alone and not necessarily for any functional or commercial purpose. Still others have hearkened it to late 1960s or early 1970s Cadillacs in spirit, as they stood apart in their time as hard-edged and angular designs in a time when most were smooth and flowing.
Critics both then and now are very divided on this particular design language established by the 2013 Azalea Concept. Some scorn it has not adhering to general trends in luxury styling and thus Fenton has, in their eyes, lost credit as a luxury brand. Others however, applauded it for being unique, wide-eyed, and endearing. As one journalist stated:
In the end though, discussion over this divisive design is irrelevant since the themes and cues put up by the this E segment 2-door executive concept sedan were adopted by and large by Fenton going further into the 2010s with initial applications appearing in the years immediately following the conceptâs debut.
It is somewhat of a shame that all attention went towards the stylistic design of the Azalea concept as it was also intended to be a debut of the future of Fentonâs engineering. A twin-turbocharged 3.5L flat-6 engine with both variable valve lift and timing cranked out close to 380 horsepowers which were directed to a fully torque-vectored AWD system through a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. In compliment to the tech-heavy drivetrain was a similarly techy active suspension system that allowed the carâs roll angles, spring rates, and damping to all be controlled dynamically in response to road and driving conditions. The interior also did not come up short and was near fully clad in soft materials, had an infotainment system, and a full heads-up display.
But all people seem to be able to talk about is that derned stylingâŚ
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