Nice cars. Nice license plate indent btw, how did you do that?
I am still in the 70s in my thread, but when I look at your further creations… prepare for another slugfest with CMT. That will become hard competition.
Nice cars. Nice license plate indent btw, how did you do that?
I am still in the 70s in my thread, but when I look at your further creations… prepare for another slugfest with CMT. That will become hard competition.
Some of the grills have a variant that is all body, specifically to create indents
The 1996 Legion saw a new overhaul. Gone was the SE trim, but the base model got a new engine in the form of a 231 SOHC V6.
The 1996 Stasera was also equipped with the same engine.
1997 was the year for the first overhaul of the Enforcer.
The second Generation Interceptor made use of the same changes though it retained a slightly more performance oriented configuration.
The Estate model Enforcer also received an update.
The 231 V6 found its way into the 1997 base model Stag.
The SE trim of the Stag featured the updated 301 TriForce and an improved interior.
The 1997 base model Montauk made use of the 231 mated to a 4RE3 transmission.
The 1997 Montauk Rally featured an all new 301 TriForce geared for performance.
The 1997 Meteor saw a variant worthy of the IX-4 title.
To be continued.
The 1998 Lakota XT1 was updated to now use the 231 SOHC V6.
The 1998 Stasera represented a bold change to the van.
Things were going well for Petoskey Motors, however since the Strider was dropped in 1995, the company has lacked a basic economy car until now. The all new Keweenaw was an inexpensive but practical sedan.
For those who are unable to drive a manual, the Keweenaw LE featured a 4FE2 transmission.
The Keweenaw Rally used a turbocharged engine to offer more than twice the output.
The 1999 base Lakota received a new 135 cubic inch DOHC four cylinder engine. The most notable improvements are fuel efficiency and power.
The 1990s were a great time for Petoskey Motors. Not only did they have a competetive lineup, but they also had a decade free from scandal and controversy. While some still view Petoskey Motors with a criminal stigma, that dark cloud is smoothly passing away. What will be in store for Petoskey Motors in the 2000s? Only time will tell.
The Millennium!
Well, truth be told nothing really exciting happened during the year 2000, Petoskey Motors was cranking out their lineup as usual with no notable changes.
In the mid-1990s Petoskey Motors entered into an arrangement with CMT exchanging designs and technology. The first use on the American side of the arrangement came in the form of the 2001 Keweenaw Kaiser Edition. This model was designed to showcase the CMT Small Premium Four and it’s advanced German engineering, namely a Direct Injection system.
The year of our Lord 2002 marked five years since the last update to the Enforcer, which meant another one was due.
As before, the Interceptor variant was also updated.
The Estate version also received an update.
The 2002 Ventnor Prefect received an update which vastly improved it’s performance as well as internal electronics and comfort.
The 432 V8 was retired one year prior. To fill the heavy truck needs, a new 402 V8 was developed. Unlike the Ventnor 402 from the 60s and 70s, this one was a completely modern design using AlSi materials and a DOHC setup from the beginning.
To be continued…
Nice to see you still keep the Enforcer alive as Ford did with the CV. Without knowing Enforcer, I made nearlly a copy of it. Well, CMT could have saved a lot of money if they had asked Petoskey earlier.
CMT and Petoskeys alliance began in the late 80s, after Christoph Martin Thanner (now you got the CEOs name) mourned his competitor Gordon Petoskey who died in prison. Thanner and Petoskey were far from being friends, but they truly appreciated each other, even after CMT outsold Petoskey clearly since the 70s. Thanner, not a conservative but already a very old man, a gentleman of the old stamp, had serious problems with the harsh Eleanor Ventnor as she roughly defeated him when he wanted to buy Petoskey. But Christoph’s oldest son Jack (approx. five years older than Ms. Ventnor) liked Eleanor’s attitude and made friends with her.
In 1994, the famous Montauk was fitted with a new front design and CMT engines and became the CMT pony/muscle as the small brother of the 1987 Le Mans. That car was not unsuccessful and dropped out of production in 2001, when, as a compensation, the revised Small Premium Four was given to Petoskey plus relatively cheap access to some cars CMT built in the 2000s.
But now a few words regarding the engine just presented:
The Small Premium Four was developed for the 1989 Vaillante, one of the first premium small cars. The first try with the Turbo Dwarf was a disaster, now Vaillante should make everything right. Clean german engineering, world-class design and excellent marketing for young, successful people. Without the Vaillante, Audi A3 and even BMW 1 may never existed, as Vaillante sold relatively well for its outrageous price.
In competiton with rooted in the soil-Petoskey CMT often made the painful experience that the most advanced is not always the best. (Just look at the 1980 Donnington SE engine in CMT thread and at that horrible Turbo Dwarf).
In 1989, Small Premium Four was one of the best engines on the market, smooth and brisk at the same time. Its consumption could have been lower, as 8 liters were rather standard than state of the art.
A better power-to-mpg ratio offered the turbo, as CMT learned from the mistakes from the Donnington SE turbo engine. It was offered in a sporty Vaillante and the top-level Commuter variant. Did I already mention the excellent reliability of the Small Premium Four family?
To reduce unit costs, a simpler variant using cheaper components was introduced in 1998. CMT managed to keep power at the same level, but consumption did not improve at all.
CMT had put more effort in that engine in 2001, as the new midsize Atlas got the SPF as entry-level-engine. If you look at the ratings, that much heavier car is faster and thriftier (well, aerodynamics improved as well a little compared to Vaillante, but mostly the engine). That car flopped anyway, as the Atlas was a very expensive premium car, and the higher trims offered nearlly Ventnor qualities in a small body. But no one wanted a sparing version of that that was still expensive. Atlas Classic was a flop even compared to the Petoskey Kaiser variant! The SPF in its 01 SE variant was mainly ordred in CMTs premium city vehicles untill in 2004, the all-new economy-trimmed Ecofour substituted it.
I like how this thread is going - it showcases the history of a marque whose history actually goes all the way back to the early war years, unlike either of the companies I made a thread about. I’d like to see where this thread goes next!
The 2002 Keweenaw saw some improvements.
The base model Stag pickup received an update in 2003 featuring an improved powertrain as well as interior features.
The Stag SE made use of the updated 301 TriForce. Like the previous SE this generation boasted a premium quality interior and 4WD.
The '03 Lakota XT1 proved a hard sell. The demand for the premium compact pickup truck was waning. Unfortunately this truck proved to be less comfortable than the previous generation.
The business arrangement with CMT allowed more flexibility with Petoskey’s engineers to design new models as well as changing existing ones. The Petoskey Huron is one such example.
The 2003 Legion was equipped with the second generation 231 V6.
This proved to be especially true with the release of the Legion Rally.
A more positively accepted 2003 model was the Petoskey Stasera.
With many overhauls and updates, one question remained: Is Petoskey Motors going to come out with something new? The answer is yes.
Starting around the turn of the millennium, a retro craze started to sweep the automotive world. Among the most recognized exampled is the Volkswagen Beetle. A less successful example is the Ford Thunderbird. Despite differing success, it’s clear that retro themed designs were all the rage…
… And Eleanor Ventnor was more than ready to capitalize on that.
It was announced that 2002 would be the last year of the Petoskey Montauk. There was considerable disappointment as there was no announcement on whether a new generation would be built. This was in fact a calculated risk. Petoskey Motors had in fact been working on a prototype in secret. Different components were designed and fabricated at different locations throughout the United States. The plan was kept so secret that only four individuals in the company had full knowledge of what was going on. In mid-2002, the project was revealed:
The Montauk Rally used the standard 301 TriForce. This gave the car a niche as an intermediate sport model.
However, the ultimate revelation had yet to be made…
To be continued…
There wasn’t much going on for 2004, none of the models being produced by Petoskey had any changes. 2005 would be the last years of production for the Keweenaw and Legion. Their replacements came in 2006…
The first model to make it’s debut was the Petoskey Saber.
The 2006 Owosso proved to be a bigger hit. The Owosso replaced the Legion as Petoskey’s mid-size sedan.
The Phase VII Meteor was a big hit at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show. When it was built for the 2006 model year, the car was a big success.
2006 also marked the year Ventnor got into the SUV market with the release of the Royale.
To be continued…
2007 was a significant year for the Petoskey lineup. The partnership with CMT continued on with the release of the CMT City based Petoskey Champlain.
The beloved Enforcer also received an update. This was the final step in the longevity program started in 1992. The idea was to run a single vehicle for an extended period of time providing major updates to the design to keep it competitive. Externally the only real noticeable change was the rear pillar was slightly extended and the indicator lights no longer used amber lenses.
Petoskey’s iconic muscle car, the Montauk also saw an update.
Nothing was planned for the base model as the engine remained unchanged, but it was decided the rest of the car could use an update to remain competitive.
Most of these were much needed updates to the Petoskey lineup. Unfortunately a general opinion is that Petoskey has remained somewhat out of touch when it comes to technological development. One advantage is that Petoskey vehicles tend to be cheaper than their competitors. However, it cannot be denied that the times are changing, and Petoskey Motors must be prepared to change with them. What will the future have to offer?
To be continued…
I really like the city car, it looks so friendly.
Would probably buy in real life.
Well, if you are going for value for money, ask your local Petoskey dealer.
Petoskey motors did not change the design of my car (why should they, it’s not ugly at all), so if you are willing to spend a premium markup you get the same car more refined by CMT - CMT dealers are ready for a test drive appointment.
Too bad my competition does not leave me the time to update my thread… CMT is still stuck in 1985…
(Due to some inspiring downloads from the Steam Workshop Petoskey models may no longer be listed in order)
When the Ventnor Chieftain rolled off the assembly line in 1988 it generated considerable enthusiasm among buyers as a top end executive sedan. Unfortunately they could not be produced in significant quantities to generate desired revenue. With the extreme age of the Regent and the poor sales of the Fortescue, Ventnor turned to it’s newest model: The 1989 Emissary.
A much rarer vehicle was the 1989 Ventnor Avanti.
When the Romero was launched in 1967, it was no surprise that a two door version would be built given that it was the height of the muscle car era.
2008 marked a paradigm shift for the Petoskey truck market. Both the Stag and Lakota were getting on in years and were desperately in need of an update.
For the 2008 model year the Stag grew to a larger size and the Big Chief variant was dropped.
The Lakota followed the same design scheme only it featured the 135 inline 4 as it’s standard engine.
The Plus variant came with a new 213 cubic inch DOHC direct injected V6
The change in the lineup means that the Stag Pickup now assumes the role of the Big Chief of previous years, A new truck was introduced to fill the gap between, the Seneca.
The Crew Cab Seneca uses the 301 TriForce V8.
The Seneca Utility fills the void where Petoskey Motors lacked much in the way of SUVs.
The Seneca Utility proved intriguing enough that a Police Interceptor variant was also built. While the standard Utility uses the 213 V6, the Interceptor uses a 301 TriForce.
The truck overhaul of 2008 marked a major change in the strategy of Petoskey Motors. With the development of significantly more advanced engines, the trend will soon trickle down the whole Petoskey lineup.
To be continued…
Nothing was on the table for 2009, but for 2010, a new Owosso full size sedan was released.
When the 213 was developed, many felt the engine had potential for a performance model. A special twin-turbocharged version was built. Boasting considerable output with only a marginal decrease in fuel efficiency, the 213 EcoForce was born. This engine offered exceptional fuel efficiency, awesome power, and to top it all off, regular gasoline was all she needed. A special all-wheel-drive Owosso sport used this new engine mated to a six speed sequential transmission. The first of it’s kind, designated the 6AS4.
It was no surprise that with this new engine, a Police Interceptor would also be built.
In a head to head comparison, the Enforcer proved considerably inferior in performance to the Owosso. There have been rumors circulating about plans to retire the Enforcer, with these latest performance figures, those rumors have gained considerable ground. However, the Enforcer is slightly more forgiving as many officers need to adjust to the new turbocharged design, and the Enforcer retains higher storage space. The biggest factor is the price difference, an Owosso Interceptor costs roughly $30,000 while an Enforcer runs around $20,000. There is significant demand for the Enforcer in rural and suburban communities, especially those who lack financial capital. Thus as of yet there has been no justifiable reason to discontinue the Enforcer at this moment. But it’s days are numbered.
To be continued…
Fuel efficiency has constantly been a goal for Petoskey Motors over the years. The recent development of the 213 EcoForce V6 provided a template for high economy engines. A smaller 85 cubic inch four cylinder was developed using similar technology. The 85 EcoForce had little in the way of power, but made up for it in fuel efficiency. The 2011 Seminole was the recipient of this new powertrain.
The Seminole S used the naturally aspirated 213 V6.
The Ventnor Regent name returned for the 2011 model year.
Ventnor has always held high esteem among the public as a sophisticated luxury brand. Over the years they had produced many exceptional models, the ultra high end Chieftain, the Monarch which managed to weather the CAFE and emissions standards of the 1970s, the Sovereign which pioneered the automatic transmission which would later spread to other Petoskey models.
Not all were successes however. The Regent (first gen) held controversy due to it no longer offering a Ventnor engine plus having a long production run after its popularity severely declined, the Fortescue which was just a rebadged Rebel with a jacked up price, and the Emissary, which was a good car, but aged poorly due to plain styling.
In all the history of Ventnor is pretty solid, many reflect upon the Bambino and Bambino GT which were among the fastest cars of their day. But there was one model which left them all behind. It was such a radical concept that was completely over the top. I’m talking about the legendary Ventnor Speedster, the fastest car in the world in 1945. With only ten ever built it is also one of the rarest cars in the world. It was this car that represented such an abstract approach to automotive design. It is this model that I speak of that the staff at Ventnor turned to for inspiration for their next design. Something they haven’t done in over sixty years, make a true hyper car.
It is here where I announce in the Year of our Lord 2012, the newest vehicle from Ventnor: The new Speedster!
okay literally the last thing I expected to be made from this body was a luxury cruiser
I like to think outside the box at times.