I have a habit of driving extinct vehicles. Nothing I currently own is in production today and 2 of the three brands no longer exist. Maybe I have a love for historical automobiles? Maybe I’m hoping they will one day be classics or maybe I just like em and had to have em. In any event being the ends of their respective lines gives a certain finality to them. They represent the ultimate evolution of their breed, the pinnacle of what was.
We’ll start with the car I have the fewest pictures of. It’s my 1997 Saturn SC2. I bought this car from the original owner when it had only 36k miles on it. It’s fully loaded for it’s time. The car has leather interior, front and rear buckets. Alloy wheels, spoiler, sun roof, fog lights, premium sound system (which was promptly removed) and every other creature comfort offered by Saturn in 1997. As an SC2 the car has the DOHC 1.9L which was a saturn only engine. A very efficient little engine it produces 124hp and helps get me close to 40MPG US on the highway. With its thermoplastic body panels and high strength space frame construction the car tips the scales at a featherweight 2300lbs. This one is equipped with a 5 speed close ratio manual transmission
I’ve upgraded this one with a strut tower bar, KYB GR2 struts, high performance tires, AEM short ram intake and a full pioneer premier sound system.
Next up we have My 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC. After the 1998 model year Lincoln stopped producing 2 door luxury coupes so this is the ultimate representation of the breed. It’s the second Mark VIII LSC i’ve owned after previously spending 6 years with a 1997 model. This particular car is factory stock for now. I haven’t decided if I actually want to make any changes to what Ford/Lincoln has made. This car has a 290hp 4.6L DOHC 32v V8. It’s the same engine that was later used in the mustang cobra. The origin of the DOHC modular motor dates back to 1993 in the mark viii. Back then the blocks were being cast by Teksid… yes the same Teksid of Ferrari fame. The crankshafts were forged in Germany and the result of sourcing these exotic components was high output and refinement for its time and a spot on wards best engines list. The 97-98 Mark VIIIs were the first north american cars to use Xenon HID headlamps and were also the first automotive application of a neon light fixture. The entire rear of the car is a neon tube that reacts to brake inputs faster than incandescent bulbs yet has a more pleasing glow than LEDs. The car also features 4 wheel independent suspension, computer controlled air ride springs at all 4 corners, LED turn signals and puddle lamps in the side view mirrors.
Lastly we have my favorite. My 2000 Pontiac SLP Firehawk. This car is rare enough to not qualify for SCCA stock classes and is required to run in street modified classes. back when Pontiac was still a brand and the Firebird was still a model in their portfolio there was a time, specifically 1993-2002, when option code WU6 would cause your pontiac to undergo a factory authorized transformation at the hands of the tuning company Street Legal Performance Engineering. Anyone who checked off this box would get not a firebird but a Firehawk with a complete range of upgrades over the standard pontiac bits. Firehawks had unique intakes and hoods that included functional heat extractors, unique spoilers, rims, tires, exhausts, bushings, suspension, floor mats, badging, limited slip and a car cover. All firehawks were numbered and came with “birth certificates” Mine is 2000 #0036 and is one of only 10 that were built to the same specs. I’ve made my share of changes to the car, far more extensive than the changes to the Saturn and enough to see quarter mile times in the low 12 second range and pull over 1g in cornering.
Wow your cars are awesome. I always like the look of that model Lincoln. I never knew it had such advanced features. The Buick Riviera is a great competitor from that year. I didn’t know that Pontiac allowed you to get the Firebird customized out of house like that. Today’s ZL1 is nastier, but even today the only upfitment that is not from the factory is the Shelby Mustang GT500 I think. It sucks that you have to park them on the street like that.
There were plenty more high end features present on the Mark VIII. I only went over a quick rundown to keep my post from getting incredibly long winded. The riviera was a strong competitor in it’s day but was a vastly different animal, also FWD. Doing a youtube search for Mark VIII will show you dealer training videos more or less admitting that the Mark VIII was a better car with more performance and better handling. A closer competitor would have been the Lexus SC400 of the same year as the Eldorado was also FWD. In my opinion front wheel driven coupes do not fit the formula of the traditional personal GT coupes. Other cars on the market in 98 that DID fit the mold were the BMW 8 series and MB S class coupe, the model had not yet been re designated as the CL.
The firehawk was another car that was pretty far ahead of its time. In 1993 when the first 4th generation firebirds were coming out the SLP firehawk conversions were actually faster and better handling than the Corvette ZR1 of the same year. The 1992 Firehawk based on the 3rd generation firebird was even more extreme but the cost of the conversion limited the numbers to a select few that were sold, if my memory serves me only 25 or so were built. the 93-2002 models had far less extensive changes but the changes that were made were cost effective enough for people to scoop up several hundred to as many as 2k units depending on the year, there was no 98 firehawk. in 93-97 the engine used was the LT1 from the corvette of the same year. in 98-02 the firebird had the LS1 which in the last 2 years of the run was rated at 335hp. This was a HEAVY under rating by GM to protect the corvette of the time. the LS1 in the 2000-02 vette was rated at 350 and the Z06s LS6 had 405. the firehawk, and most any V8 firebird or camaro of the era, had at LEAST 350 just like the vette. When new, many auto magazines would routinely lay down dyno numbers exceeding 305hp and some as high as 315. These cars were a good exhaust and computer tune away from touching upon 400hp
I do have a garage that i use to store 1 car at a time. in the summer the saturn gets put away and in the winter the firehawk gets locked up. it is a shame that i don’t have enough indoor space for all three but they seem to be managing ok as things are.
Thanks for the comments! I’m really loving the V8s in the demo. i got around 1900hp out of one already. I’m wondering if 2k is possible.
I am not currently running drag radials on the Firehawk but it is something i plan on doing at some point this season. I can’t wait to see what it will do with sticky shoes. I’m currently pulling off 2 second flat 60’ times and know that i can get that into the 1.9s with a little more practice. Drag radials should see that fall dramatically.
Thank you for all the compliments and replies. I am glad you all enjoyed my writing. Personally I felt it was a little compressed and rushed, but only because i didn’t want a post that got a lot of TL;DR responses. I could have written tons of things about all three cars. Each of these models have interesting and unique histories and places within automotive history.
I’m something of a scholar of the story behind the metal. I’ve read all the books written by Lee Iacocca, Bob Lutz and even Henry Ford. I’ve also read up on the turnaround at Ford that was lead by Alan Mulally, I can’t wait until he writes his own book. I’ve read stories from engineers behind vehicle platforms, notably the MN-12, FN-10 twins.
Automation game sounds like a concept that was custom tailored to me. With my college background in Marketing and Management and my deep knowledge of how the auto industry works I find myself eagerly anticipating a chance to put all this knowledge to task and see how well I fare in this simulated industry.
Absolutely! My best 60’ time in the green bean was 2.0. Consistent 2.10s. I’m actually going to the track tonight (Raceway Park @ Englishtown), but it’s a little warm, so I’m not expecting to break any records. Which track do you usually go to?
Definitely!
I’d love to hear more about the MN12/FN10 project. If I remember correctly, they started to design them around 1984…but that’s the extent of my knowledge. Please do share!
Well it’s mostly bad things, how much cost cutting went into them and how poor many of the parts were. The gem in the Mark VIII is the engine. They were truly world class powerplants at the time.
An example would be about the poor body structure of the chassis. It’s not an exceptionally stiff platform and as such it becomes very susceptible to vibration. The car had a last minute switch of OEM tires simply because it was the only way to keep the cars vibration free off the lot. Not to mention the poorly designed driveshafts which caused vibrations at speeds above 65mph. A mark Viii with an aftermarket driveshaft and well balanced tires and an exceptional alignment is a fine machine, just gotta keep em that way.
The 4R70W transmission is another point where cost engineering made a weak spot in the car. One of the engineers of the 4R70W wrote and excellent piece about the history of the problems in the cars driveline and ways to mitigate those issues for owners that were so inclined. It’s great reading over at lincolns of distinction.
Also on that site you can find the history of the Bonneville Mark VIII. Ford secretly took a factory stock mark viii to the salt flats for a run at the land speed record. The only things they did were for safety. roll cage, harness, fire extinguisher. They also used off the shelf parts that had the best tolerances to make sure that it was a factory stock example, but one that was built under ideal circumstances.
with the electronic limiter disabled, and the air suspension lowered an additional 20mm over the highway height, that 1993 mark ran a certified two way average of 181mph claiming the world land speed record for it’s class. Lincoln was furious and none of it was ever used in advertising.
