INFO wanted, hummer, saturn, olds

[balthazar]

Looking for some verified, SPECIFIC dates:

When was Saturn announced ?

I have a clipping of then-POTUS Reagan driving a GM concept that looks like a red banana, it's captioned as a "Saturn concept", but it's wearing a Bowtie. It bears resmblence to & came after the Chevy Aero 2000, but has an enormous rear overhang:

and I seem to remember this 'red banana' being called the "Citation IV" at one point. Could not find an online pic. This pic is from Time, 06-17-85.

Have another clipping, undated, that says 'Saturn was announced Thursday', and by the back side- it points to Nov (reports of Oct car sales), I assume this is '85 again.

Also, when was Saturn incorporated ?

Did Hummer have an official announcment / agreement date?

When was Oldsmobile's discontinuation announced ?

Edited May 3, 2009 by balthazar

[Brougham-Holiday]

Olds was announced December 12, 2000.

[balthazar]

Somehow I knew you'd kno, Brough-Ho. Thanks.

[Dsuupr]

Saturn was introduced as the next big GM division in the winter of 1985 as a Roger Smith project. I have some of the original clippings from magazines back then announcing the division with some early pictures of the proto-types.

[!!!TED!!!]

It bears resmblence to & came after the Chevy Aero 2000, but has an enormous rear overhang:

and I seem to remember this 'red banana' being called the "Citation IV" at one point. Could not find an online pic.

The Citation IV was an evolution of the Aero 2000. It achieved a drag coefficient of 0.15!!!

There was a comparison test done bt Car&Driver in 1984 piting it against the Ford Probe IV.

[ocnblu]

Experimental GM cars always fascinate me, especially old ones like this. It's cool to see how far ahead the engineers are thinking, and how many ideas flash by in a concept car, only to show up maybe decades later in production.

[Cory Wolfe]

Hmm... the side glass on that Probe looks similar to the Volt's.

[balthazar]

Yea- that's it, Ted. Clearly, RE the pic w/ Reagan I mentioned, this was not any Saturn concept, but I was hoping this would pinpoint the announcement better.

Interesting that Mercedes by 2015 intends to be at .20 and GM had an (ungraceful yet) producable car at .15 in 1985!

Aero 2000 is not horrible in an antiseptic sort of way. IIRC it had flexible front wheel skirts that enabled the tires to 'stretch' them when turning.

Dsuupr- if you feel motivated, take a peek thru your info and see if a specific date is there.

[!!!TED!!!]

Experimental GM cars always fascinate me, especially old ones like this. It's cool to see how far ahead the engineers are thinking, and how many ideas flash by in a concept car, only to show up maybe decades later in production.

Im completely facinated by GM concept cars.

The period from the 80's to the 90's was just amazing. There were even many cars made that were never shown at any autoshows (Ill have to do a thread maybe). Im learning as much as I can.

I think there was even a concept that bridged the gap between the Aero 2000 and Citation IV.

Take a look at this ad featuring an Aero 2002 from 1983!

There was also the 1981 GM Aero-X. Check this out!

http://www.carstyling.ru/en/cars.1981_GM_Aero-X.html

I have been scouring the web recently, and compiling a database of pictures and info. http://www.carstyling.ru/ doesnt list everything.

There are some AMAZING pictures to be found on Flickr! :AH-HA_wink:

Check these out! ---> http://www.flickr.com/photos/etmccaus/2360822042/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/claymanz/1110120053/

[ocnblu]

That Aero-X has Pontiac cues, with the ribbed bumper and taillights and dual exhaust cutouts...

[!!!TED!!!]

Looking for some verified, SPECIFIC dates:

When was Saturn announced ?

http://www.saturnfans.com/cars/flashback-f...aturn-prototype

Roger Smith and F. James McDonald are pictured with the 1985 Saturn four-door sedan concept. This was the first Saturn demonstration prototype vehicle. It was completed for evaluation and shown to the media on September 15, 1984.

Source: Saturn

Some reading:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/for...66593/index.htm

[!!!TED!!!]

There was also a 1988 GM Aero 2004

http://www.geocities.com/conceptcarcentralusa/aero2004.html

[capriceman]

There was also a 1988 GM Aero 2004

http://www.geocities.com/conceptcarcentralusa/aero2004.html

Damn does that look modern and i want one no. Wish i could find more pics..

[!!!TED!!!]

I don't know what the deal is, but the GM Photo Store has conflicting info on the Aero 2002.

http://www.gmphotostore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=53217393

They call it the 1980 GM Epcot 2003.

This is pretty funny:

http://www.gadgetspage.com/cars/park-a-dre...droom-wall.html