Ain't it sad? GM needs to take its lead from Imports....
"OK so NOW its OK to bring back portholes..."
I agree, I like them and think they give Buicks some distinction, esp. the more typical looking cars in their lineup.
I do hope that they will be functional to some degree (heat release, etc.), not just stick on / drill on plastic trim bits.
I hope that your being sarcastic....
Is'nt it sadder that the "great European design houses" like Guigaro or Fettuchini or whoever designed the Quattroporte needed to look to a 1955 Buick Special for inspiration?
Buick decided to bring them back before they were stolen by Maserati, remember that the Park Avenue Ultra had them 1st in 2003, before the Maserati came out with them.
They will now designate the number of cylinders that a Buick has, 3 for 6 cylinder models and 4 for 8 cylinder models, before they used to designate the series of cars, low-end cars like the Super and Special had 3 and upline cars like the Roadmaster had 4.
The 2005 Park Avenue will have them standard in all models not just the Ultra, I saw one at a Buick dealership a few weeks ago, the grille has been slightly re-designed and the tailights were changed the top half of the tailamps are "smoked" with the reverse lamp and a new amber turn signal in the smoked area and a red bottom half of the tailamps, there also were re-designed wheels, I could not see any interior changes since it was already dark, but it was a 2005 Park Avenue for sure.
So please dont assume that GM is stealing design ideas from the Imports, they stole the idea from GM 1st, and since Buick had "ventiports" on their cars from 1949 through 1983, and then brought them back on the Roadmaster from 1992 through 1996, though they were mounted on the C pillar. Though of course, out of every article that I have read about the Quattroporte in every car "rag" , only one pointed out the blatant rip off of a Buick design hallmark. I guess that it's tough for some magazines to admit that.
But hey....doesnt GM own part of FIAT, which in turn owns Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia?
