Jaguar F-Type Concept, 2000

 

 

 

 

• Jaguar F-Type Concept, 2000

Jaguar reaps awards at the 2000 North American International Auto Show winning several important honors. Jaguar's F-Type Concept was awarded the Auto Week Editors' Award for Best In Show and the Jaguar S-TYPE was awarded several honors by both African Americans On Wheels and American Woman Motor scene. Mike Dale, president of Jaguar North America, was honored by African Americans On Wheels at their Fourth Annual Urban Wheel Awards for his work on diversity programs within Jaguar.

Auto Week's editors walked the show floor and conferred on which cars best embody and exemplify four categories - most fun, best concept, most significant, and best in show. The Auto Week staff unanimously agreed upon the F-Type Concept for the Best In Show category.

"The F-Type Concept is a stunning and spectacular car," said Dutch Mandel, editor and associate publisher of Auto Week. "It is everything that is right with Jaguar, and everything that is right with sports cars."

The Jaguar F-Type Concept, the most compact Jaguar sports car in more than forty years, presents the company's ideas for a roadster that would take Jaguar into a new segment of the global market. "The F-Type Concept is the sexiest machine on this show floor," commented Kevin Wilson, executive editor of Auto Week. The F-Type Concept, unveiled at the Detroit show, was created to invoke the public's reaction to the concept of a Jaguar roadster.

Oldsmobile Silhouette, 2000

 

 

 Oldsmobile Silhouette, 2000

The Oldsmobile Silhouette, along with its siblings the Pontiac Trans Sport (and later, the Pontiac Montana) and Chevrolet Lumina APV (and later, the Chevrolet Venture), were a trio of minivans that débuted in late 1989 as 1990 models. Upon the demise of the Oldsmobile division in 2004, it was replaced by the newly designed Buick Terraza the following year, in 2005.

The first generation Silhouette was prominently featured in the 1995 film Get Shorty where it was repeatedly referred to as "The Cadillac of minivans". GM's attempt of releasing their first FWD minivans in 1990 pursued the company to create one of the very-first luxury minivans, and at the same time, Chrysler released the Town & Country minivan.
 

Background
The General Motors first attempt at producing a minivan to compete with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, the rear wheel drive, truck-based Chevrolet Astro and its twin, the GMC Safari failed to make a noticeable dent in Chrysler's near monopoly of the minivan market in the 1980s, so this second attempt was made. The Oldsmobile Silhouette and its sibling models, while more successful than the Astro/Safari duo in terms of market share, had significant perceived flaws, primarily centered around its unconventional styling that ultimately limited its appeal and sales.

Second generation (1997-2004)
The redesigned 1997 Silhouette was built in Doraville, Georgia. The first 1997 Silhouette rolled off the assembly line on August 6, 1996.

Having failed twice to capture a significant portion of the domestic minivan market from Chrysler, General Motors brought out an entirely new U platform series of minivans, theoretically based on the lessons learned from its previous mis-steps. Still stinging from the criticism of the "dustbuster" minivans, the new Silhouette would be completely conventional an all respects. The vehicle would be of steel unibody construction, and styling would be as conservative as possible. The previous generation was a little too large for comfortably navigating European streets, so this new range of models would be narrower and slightly smaller than was the norm for the United States in order to produce a single range of minivans that GM hoped would fill the needs of both the North American and European markets.

During the development of this generation of the U-body minivan, General Motors extensively benchmarked the then current Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and in the case of the Silhouette in particular, the Chrysler Town and Country. The resultant vehicles bore an uncanny resemblance to the immensely successful trio of Chrysler minivans, which during this era accounted for over 50% of domestic minivan sales. Unfortunately for GM, the Chrysler vehicles they were using as their yardstick were replaced in 1996 by a completely new generation of minivans from Chrysler, which (somewhat ironically for GM) featured a significantly sleeker and more stylish design than their predecessors. The Chrysler minivans also included a host of innovative features and clever packaging ideas that were not available on any other minivan on the market. General Motors ended up with a nice enough vehicle in the end, but one that was positioned to compete against a vehicle that had already been antiquated by its successor models.

2 different wheelbase lengths were offered as well as dual sliding doors. Silhouettes, in keeping with their luxury positioning, offered many features as standard that were optional on competing makes and on its platform mates. In 1998, it became one of the first vehicles on the market to offer a VCR with overhead retractable LCD screen for back seat viewing, which has since become a "must-have" option for families with children.

The Engine

• 3.4 L LA1 3400 (207 in³) V6

Mixed sales success
The Silhouette and its platform mates achieved slightly better sales than their avant-garde predecessors, but also failed to capture a significant share of the market. The Silhouette was a close competitor in many of the categories deemed of importance, but was a winner in no categories, the minivan market had become significantly more crowded with competing products that proved to be more desirable and throughout its production it was widely considered a second-tier competitor, certainly competent but not a stand-out in any category.

The Silhouette remained in production until the 2004 model year with minimal changes. The Oldsmobile division of General Motors was shut down and no Oldsmobiles were produced after the 2004 model year. The final Oldsmobile Silhouette rolled off the assembly line on March 31, 2004.

The spiritual successor to the Oldsmobile Silhouette within the General Motors lineup is the Buick Terraza, which is built on an updated version of the U platform and occupies the luxury minivan slot previously occupied by the Silhouette. Had the Oldsmobile division not been discontinued it would be likely that the Silhouette would have been kept for the third generation of the GM minivans.

Oldsmobile Intrigue, 2000

 

 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 2000

The Oldsmobile Intrigue was a mid-size sedan manufactured from 1998 through 2002 by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The Intrigue's design cues were first seen in 1995 with the Oldsmobile Antares concept car. The Intrigue was the first casualty in the phase-out process of Oldsmobile.

The Intrigue was designed to compete more with Japanese automobiles, and replaced the Cutlass Supreme. It went into production on May 5, 1997. It was similar to a range of mid-sized sedans from other GM divisions, including the Buick Century, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the Pontiac Grand Prix. The Intrigue diverged from its siblings in its chassis tuning, equipment, and some dimensions. Wheelbase, for instance, was 1.5 inches shorter for the Intrigue than the Grand Prix.

All Intrigues were built at the GM Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Grand Prix was also built (the Buick Century and Regal, and the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo were all built in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada). For the 1999 model year, a new, sophisticated DOHC 3.5L "Shortstar" engine, a six-cylinder based on the GM Northstar V8, was introduced. On June 14, 2002, the final Intrigue rolled off the assembly line, as part of the Final 500 Collectors Edition.

Engines

• 1998-1999 OHV 3.8 L L36 (231 in³) V6
• 1999-2002 DOHC 3.5 L LX5 (214 in³) V6

Year-to-year changes

• 1999: For the beginning of this model year, the DOHC 3.5 L "Shortstar" engine was standard in the top-line GLS and optional on mid-level GL and base GX models. Later, it became standard on all models. Decklids now wore Oldsmobile badge (in the previous model year, there was a complaint that some people couldn't tell that Intrigues were Oldsmobiles). All models now got a thicker, leather-wrapped steering wheel. New to the option list was GM's OnStar emergency/communications system.
•     * 2000: New to the option list for 2000 was an antiskid system called the Precision Control System. Precision Control System was designed to help keep the car on its intended path by selective braking of one or more individual wheels. Though optional on all models, GX buyers had to order optional traction control to get the new antiskid system. Heated power front seats were now standard on GLS models. Retained accessory power was standard this year. "Oldsmobile" emblem on deck lid is larger than on 1999 models. A new gold-trim package was also available.
• 2001: On GX models, traction control became optional instead of standard. New standard automatic headlights were now standard on all models. Premium Leather and Precision Sport option packages were also available for this year.
• 2002: GLS models now featured a two-tone interior with sterling accents, as well as standard Homelink, sunroof, and driver lumbar. All models featured new family of radios with RDS and standard CD player (borrowed from the newly-redesigned Aurora). Tropic Teal and Indigo Blue were two new exterior colors. All models had new LATCH (Lower Anchor and Top tether for Children) in three rear seat positions. Sun & Sound package was available on GL models (includes Bose sound system and sunroof). New winchester headliner was inside. Production of the Intrigue ended in June 2002 as part of the phaseout of the Oldsmobile brand.

Volvo S60 T5, 2000

Volvo S60 T5, 2000

The Volvo S60 is a entry-level luxury car / compact executive car built by Volvo that was first introduced in 2000. It uses the Volvo P2 platform, which is shared with the Volvo V70, Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90. It was one of the first "curvy Volvos" designed by Peter Horbury and appropriately used the tagline "Revolvolution" in its advertising campaign. The model was refreshed in 2004.

The Engines

• 2.0, 140hp/103kW, 220Nm, petrol
• 2.4i, 170hp/125kW, 225Nm, petrol
• 2.4T, 197hp/146kW, 285Nm, petrol, turbo (replaced by 2.5T)
• 2.5T 210hp/154kW, 320Nm, petrol, turbo
• T5, 260hp/191kW, 350Nm, petrol, turbo
• R, 300hp/220kW, 400Nm, petrol, turbo
• D, 126hp/93kW, 300Nm, diesel, turbo
• 2.4D, 163hp/120kW, 340Nm, diesel, turbo
• D5, 185hp/136kW, 400Nm, diesel, turbo
• Bi-Fuel, 140hp/103kW, 192Nm, CNG/petrol

Oldsmobile Bravada, 2000

 

Oldsmobile Bravada, 2000

The Bravada was a luxury SUV from the Oldsmobile marque of General Motors. There have been two different vehicles to bear this model name, the first and second-generation GMT330, and the 2002 to 2004 GMT360.

1991
The 1991 Bravada was an upscale version of the then-new 4-door S-Blazer/Jimmy. It was the first truck-based vehicle offered by Oldsmobile since the 1920s, and by that time was a United States-only vehicle. Unlike its siblings, the Bravada was only offered with "Smart Trak" all-wheel drive, leather upholstery, and the 4.3 L Z-code engine. Anti-lock brakes and remote keyless entry were also standard. This version was produced through 1994.

Engines

• 1991 - 4.3 L Vortec 4300 V6, TBI, 160 hp (119 kW)/230 ft·lbf (312 N·m) (VIN Z)
• 1992-1994 - 4.3 L Vortec 4300 V6, CPFI, 200 hp (149 kW) (VIN W)

Fuel Economy
The first generation Bravada with the 160 hp engine averaged EPA city/highway 17/22 mpg. The first generation with the 200 hp engine averaged 16/21 mpg.

1996
The Bravada was refreshed later than the others, with no 1995 models produced. The 1996 and 1997 models were less boxy than their predecessor. Daytime running lamps were standard fare including a driver's airbag. The interior styling was more appealing to the eye with less ridges and squares, much like the exterior. Another refreshening occurred in 1998, with a revised interior including dual airbags and a new front fascia which included the new Aurora inspired Oldsmobile logo. OnStar was available in 1999 as a cell phone unit, later becoming integrated into the rearview mirror in 2001 with available features like hands-free calling and virtual advisor. A Bose sound system was added for 1999 and the engine was redesigned in 2000, though output remained the same. A new two-tone exterior dubbed the Platinum Edition was made available in 2000. This generation was phased out in 2001 to make way for the new GMT360 Bravada.

Engines
    * 1996-2001 - 4.3 L Vortec 4300 V6, CSFI, 190 hp (142 kW)

Fuel Economy
The second generation Bravada EPA city/highway averaged 16/21 mpg.

2002
The 2002 Bravada was the first GMT360 truck. This generation Bravada holds the distinction of the last new Oldsmobile model. Like the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy, it used the new 270 hp (201 kW) Atlas I6 engine. Rear-wheel drive was available for the first time as well, making this the first rear wheel drive Oldsmobile since the 1992 Custom Cruiser. The Bravada entered the Canadian market that time. Production of the Bravada ended with the demise of the Oldsmobile marque in 2004; the last Bravada rolled off the assembly line in January of that year.

The Bravada bodyshell is still in production as the Buick Rainier.

Engines
    * 2002-2004 LL8 4.2 L (256 in³) I6, 270 hp (201 kW)

Fuel Economy
The third generation Bravada EPA city/highway averaged 15/21 mpg.

Oldsmobile Alero OSV, 2000

 

 

Oldsmobile Alero OSV, 2000

The Oldsmobile Alero was introduced in spring 1998 as a 1999 model to replace the Achieva and Cutlass. The Alero went into production on April 6, 1998. All Aleros were built in Lansing, Michigan. The Alero was Oldsmobile's last compact car as well as the last vehicle sold under the brand. Production ended on April 29, 2004.

History
The design of the Alero was originally previewed in 1997 with the Alero Alpha concept car, a futuristic V6-powered sport coupe that featured many design elements seen in the production Alero as well as some that were never meant for production.

The Alero was sold either as a 4-door sedan or as a 2-door coupé. It shared its chassis and many parts, including engines, with the Pontiac Grand Am. It was part of the GM N platform.

In 2003, the Alero's daytime running lights were changed from high-beam to low-beam.

The Alero was also sold in select European countries as the Chevrolet Alero, although only available as a sedan. The car still featured its Oldsmobile badges even though sold under the Chevrolet brand, since most European consumers would not recognize what the badge stood for. Chevrolet badges were added to the grille and rear fascia during the 2000 model year. The Toronado was sold similarly.

Alero production ended with a special Final 500 Edition. These last 500 Aleros featured custom graphics inspired by vintage Oldsmobile logos, dark cherry metallic paint, and a plate featuring the car's number out of 500.

The final Alero Final 500 Edition (#500 of 500) also happened to be the final Oldsmobile ever built, and was signed under its hood by the employees of the General Motors Lansing plant and then given to the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum.

A preview of the planned replacement for the Alero was seen in 2001 with the unveiling of the "O4" concept, designed by Bertone. The car was an open top 4-seater with European styling but some Oldsmobile traits, and powered by the latest Ecotec I4 engine. The name had multiple meanings, including "Oldsmobile 4-Seater" as well as implying the year 2004 as a planned date for production.

Unfortunately, the O4 concept was unveiled a few weeks after General Motors announced that they would be phasing out the Oldsmobile brand, meaning that production possibilities of the O4 would never see reality. Because of this, a second generation Alero was never built and the car was phased out in 2004.

Engines

•     * 1999–2004 LA1 3.4 L (207 in³) V6 – 170 hp (Optional on GL, Standard on GLS)
•     * 1999–2001 LD9 2.4 L (146 in³) I4 – 155 hp (Standard on GX & GL)
•     * 2002–2004 Ecotec 2.2 L (134 in³) I4 – 140 hp (Standard on GX & GL)

Variant prototypes
General Motors commissioned the construction of Alero prototypes either for testing or to gather public opinion on possible future plans for the Alero. The variants:

• Alero OSV - "Oldsmobile Speciality Vehicle", an experiment in an aftermarket parts brand for Oldsmobile. Featured a body kit, supercharged I4, custom interior, and special cherry red paint.
• Alero OSV II - Another experimental vehicle, this time featuring an LX5 DOHC 3.5L V6 (used in the Oldsmobile Intrigue and Aurora and featured custom dark green paint.
• Alero 442 - A set of show cars based on the Alero coupe fitted with a body kit similar in design to the Oldsmobile 442. Each Alero 442 show car had a unique color, including white with gold stripes and white with pink stripes.
• Alero California - A custom built version of the Alero coupe featuring racing parts including a large rear wing, racing seats, sport tires, and custom graphics painted in brown and yellow.
• Alero Convertible - An experiment in the possibility of creating an Alero with a convertible soft top to help broaden the appeal of the car to young buyers. The Oldsmobile O4 concept also hinted that the next generation Alero could have had a convertible model.
• Alero Pace Car - Built by General Motors as part of their fleet of Oldsmobile safety cars for the Indy Racing League, featuring custom yellow and white checkered flag graphics.

Volvo S60, 2000

 

 

 

 Volvo S60, 2000

The Volvo S60 is a entry-level luxury car / compact executive car built by Volvo that was first introduced in 2000. It uses the Volvo P2 platform, which is shared with the Volvo V70, Volvo S80 and Volvo XC90. It was one of the first "curvy Volvos" designed by Peter Horbury and appropriately used the tagline "Revolvolution" in its advertising campaign. The model was refreshed in 2004.

Engines

    * 2.0, 140hp/103kW, 220Nm, petrol
    * 2.4i, 170hp/125kW, 225Nm, petrol
    * 2.4T, 197hp/146kW, 285Nm, petrol, turbo (replaced by 2.5T)
    * 2.5T 210hp/154kW, 320Nm, petrol, turbo
    * T5, 260hp/191kW, 350Nm, petrol, turbo
    * R, 300hp/220kW, 400Nm, petrol, turbo
    * D, 126hp/93kW, 300Nm, diesel, turbo
    * 2.4D, 163hp/120kW, 340Nm, diesel, turbo
    * D5, 185hp/136kW, 400Nm, diesel, turbo
    * Bi-Fuel, 140hp/103kW, 192Nm, CNG/petrol

Bentley Arnage Red Label, 2000

Bentley Arnage Red Label, 2000

Launched in late 1999 was the Arnage Red Label. Volkswagen, who had purchased the Bentley name and Crewe factory was loathe to continue purchasing BMW's engines, and it turned out that Bentley engineers and customers felt the same way. The BMW-powered Arnage, while objectively more modern than the Turbo RT it replaced, was more than a second slower to 60 mph than that car, and lacked the massive torque that Bentley customers had grown accustomed to.

Vickers had outsourced to Cosworth the production of the old 6.75 L Rolls-Royce engine for use in the continued Continental and Azure models, so reverting to the old standby engine was a natural choice for the company. In fact, Volkswagen purchased Cosworth as well, so all the pieces fell into place to eliminate the BMW engine.

The Red Label model reverted to the old V8, which boasted torque of 835 N·m with a single Garret T4 turbocharger. This was the greatest amount of torque for a four-door car at the time. Also returning was the General Motors-sourced 4-speed 4L80-E automatic.

Lexus-Sport Coupe Concept

Lexus-Sport Coupe Concept 2000

Lexus-Sport Coupe Concept