Brendan Moore

Nice piece that gives a brief history of one of the most sought-after sports cars of the 1980's - go - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Merc1

Man I used to love these back in the day. I forget which show it was, but one of them used to feature a 911 Turbo Flat Nose Cabriolet. It was stunning back then.

M

martinbo

Never got to drive that flat-nose 930 but I did manage to get a few drives in a 930 Turbo with the extra ponies.

A left hand drive model with the craziest stiff clutch and 4 speed gearbox geared for (now this is if my dodgy booze-clouded memory of my student years serves me well...) an indicated 90-odd km/h in first, 160 km/h in second, 220 km/h in third and well, let's just say that I lost my bottle in fourth gear at 240 km/h and charging hard. Mad mad car. I'd love to drive one again now with more experience behind me.

Merc1

I wonder if Porsche would consider building a flat nose version of the 997? Would be really interesting to see.

M

SDNR

-- I guess only us "old guys" will remember when these were the coolest things out. Does any car maker even do retractable headlights now?

Man -- it's things like this that make me feel old

Merc1

I can't think of any on the U.S. market at this point. Clearly it was a fleeting moment in car styling, came just as fast as it went.

Speaking of old guys, have you all noticed my avatar? It is a picture of me when I was younger.


M

SDNR

LOL -- that guy looks familiar to me ...I have been meaning to ask who it is.

It's funny how our avatars seem to take on the identity of its user -- a scary thought since my last two avatars have been odd-looking men (Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys)

martinbo

Har har!

You're so right Rob, remember when retractable headlights were a mark of prestige and exclusivity? If yo' cabbie didn't have dem pop up lights...

Then the Japs cottoned on to the idea and they could do it for cheaper. The next thing, you've got 300 ZX's, RX-7's and even Mitsu Starions with pop up lights. Alas, the allure and mystique was lost overnight.

martinbo

But hey wait - what's the matter with me - how could I forget!?!

What about the car that once and for all ended the coolness of pop-up headlights once and for all: The 1982 Pontiac Firebird. It was a damn alright looking car for the time but then, some dude with an Afro, dodgy dress sense and the most abysmally puerile vocabulary got into one...

The Hoff was born and pop-up headlights will never be the same...

For a good read on the ol' bird check out: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tarek

I hate that design those pop up headlights!