I've always been curious as to what the J Body prototypes looked like. I guess they're "informed" by the H bodies (Vega?, Monza, Astre?, Starfire) and the X bodies (Citation, Phoenix, Skylark), but what of the actual J Body prototypes,
SO, I did a search and found what appears to be images from, according to the guy who found them, 1975.
It looks like both the future Olds J body and Buick J body were going to have hidden headlamps, which I think would have been awesome and were no doubt cut for expense purposes. And it looks like even in 1975 they were planning on a turbo option for the Skyhawk, which may have simply been called the "Turbo Buick" or "Buick Turbo."
Oh - and notice how the font on the Olds is the font they would eventually adopt in the 1980s. And both cars seem to have hidden door handles.
FACTOID: I always guessed that G.M. sold maybe 50,000 Skyhawks tops from 82 to 89. What would you guess?
Turns out I was wrong by a factor of 10. They sold 500,000 Skyhawks! And worldwide, G.M. sold a total of 10 million J bodies! Sheesh!
AND: One final image of what might have been/SHOULD be. I do wish G.M. would reuse some of its old names. I guess Chevy is good at that. Are they worried people will think whatever issues they had with a Skyhawk from 1985 will haunt a totally new design? I think it would appeal to us oldsters.
What a looker!
- Attachments
- BuickSkyhawk.jpg (133k)
Build that off the solstice/sky platform and call it a LaSalle
Very Cool - Thanks for sharing...
Wow - thanks, Spike. They never built a two-door Cimmaron, did they?
Why does GM come up with such amazing concept ideas then never quite follow through? I guess the lawyers and accountants get the design and eliminate all the clever and attractive details for cost-saving purposes. That's why I have to admire Porsche - I don't think they've ever done that (except with the 924 and 914 which were really an Audi and a VW), but then that's why their cars are tens of thousands of dollars more than other cars, I guess.
Too bad the Cimarron name has been so badly tarnished. I'd love to see a modern one. Whenever I show people my car they can't believe this is the car they've heard so many bad things about.
1988 Cadillac Cimarron
Oh, well I think the Cimmaron turned out pretty well, but look at the drawings of all three cars - amazing - and the handsome but not as amazing realities. Still, GM is the best at a car's body design, I think. I've always found Fords to be a little... stodgy or something.
I tend to think all '80s American cars look pretty stodgy next to their European counter parts. (J bodies and U.S. Escort Vs. UK Escort MkIII in particular)
That new Skyhawk looks like a Maserati.
I think the main problem with the Cimmaron was that it looked just like a Cavalier and cost a whole lot more. Then when they facelifted the Cavalier in 1984 it lost that weird "aero" front end and looked even more like a Cimmaron.
