Repair-It

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p ... of-1977-96

A pretty good way to kick off the series. I think the 4th gen B-body was a pretty clear GM success story, starting from the well-funded, well-executed and well-timed 1977 model and leading all the way through 80s development. The 90s ones had something to offer but sales were declining, 'cause SUVs. Think about this one: it is ironic, indeed, that the decline of B-bodies wasn't because they were too big and heavy, but because they weren't big and heavy enough.

Anyway, some good quotes from the article:

The distinctions between GM brands would be ever more blurred, with Cadillac suffering heavily from it, given that a loaded Chevrolet Caprice offered everything you needed and didn't feel that different, while also likely having a better engine than what Cadillac were offering. Speaking of which, the first decade of this platform's life saw the full force of GM's engine horrors- the Oldsmobile diesel, and Cadillac V8-6-4 and HT4100.

The love of traditional American cars was always strong in the Middle East, and even a cult following in Scandinavia- in both cases such cars resonate due to harsh conditions demanding a simple car that can at least run.

You heard it here first, folks. The B-body was Scandinavia's Volvo 240. Yes, I very much enjoy that.

Be sure to catch the shout out to F41 in the comments.

Also, check out the Electra wagon with 3.8 SFI turbo test mule. Need to find that C/D archive article. They could have built any number of interesting B-body muscle cars, even in the terrible 80s. That's amazing.