you don't say... he's still upset with japan about pearl harbor! i'm just like you weren't even born yet, what are you so upset about? he'll never change though lol... i hope he doesn't because he's like the funniest person in history, and he's a pretty decent traffic lawyer

i do really like those big V8 rwd american boats, they're even built in america so that's cool. i especially like going "hey miller, how come your 5.7 liter V8 makes so much less power than my 4.0 liter V8?" he'll reply with the classic "it's got torque" but for a 5.7 liter 330 ft lbs isn't very much either hahaha... it's only about 58 ft lbs per liter, compared to roughly 78 ft lbs per liter in the 1UZ. and the mpg is no better, worse if anything lol

 

The Aurora was transverse-engined and FWD. Olds didn't have any more V8/RWD products when the Aurora came out....those days were gone. In fact, the Aurora was considered their new sedan flagship.


It is true that torque, overall, is a more important figure than HP for acceleration. But you also have to look at not only only the max-torque figure, but how the torque-curve for that engine is measured. Americans typically like max torque at lower RPMs, where you get quick (sometimes instant) response when you give it throttle at low speeds.

That is one reason why the Camaro's stock 5.7L V8 consistently beat Mustang stock 4.6L and 5.0 V8s.....not only the extra displacement (which is obvious), but also the fact that the push-rod 5.7L produced considerably more torque in the lower ranges. You had to give the 4.6L, with its more sophisticated overhead cams, a lot of RPMs to get the most out of it.

 

They didn't call it an Old mobile for nothing

Ahhh, brings back memory when they did an X-Files commercial with it.

 

I remember the Aurora, I thought it was really cool when it came out along with the Buick Riviera, Caddy Allante, Lincoln Mark7, and Olds Toronado. They all had pretty interesting silhouettes with high tech concept car like interiors. I remember getting a ride in the last gen Riviera and being impressed that the temp controls and readouts were on the doors, never seen anything like that. I remember going to the last Indy Car race in Dover where it was only Infiniti and Oldsmobile engines being used and they had a Q45 in the walking area advertising about its block being used for racing and a Olds Aurora V8 where they were advertising its block was used for Indy Car, I kind of doubted it was the same exact block.

My uncle had the 2nd Gen Aurora, never really asked him how he liked it but the looks and interior was not as interesting as the first gen.

My grandmother had a 88 Bonneville, that thing was a rocket up to 70mph or so, I remember beating V8 Mustangs and Camero's with it all the time and they were shocked a sedan like that could beat their cars.

Like most have said, the Aurora is not a good choice for a beater car to try to save money on, it came from a bad period in GM engineering/quality and it is a complicated expensive car to keep up, it could be a interesting project car though if you don't mind putting some money in it and don't put a lot of miles on it, I always liked them and some of the similar more upscale concept type cars from GM in that era.

 

i know the aurora is FWD, that's what makes it even funnier to me lol. and you're talking about a mustang so duh... i mainly just like giving him a bit of a hard time but only because he just dismisses the LS as a "jap car" even though he'd actually like it if he could just let WWII go... he's only like 52 btw so it's not like he was affected in any way haha.

i'm not actually serious about getting the aurora i just thought it was a unique gem from that most hilarious period in american car design. i can barely afford 1 flagship car, 2 would be out of the question. i also need something with a stick so i'll probably just get some manual corolla to use as the around town car.

 

Go for it.It might turn out to be more exciting than wasting that much money in a gentleman's club

 

Its interesting that you posted this, I saw a nice Aurora from this generation on my way home from work tonight. Made me realize that you NEVER see these on the road. Theres a reason I'm sure lol.

My Dad looked at one of these in 1995. He was replacing his 1990 Lincoln Continental and was considering the then all new Lincoln Continental:





That weird cutout in the console lid was actually the car phone and swiveled up.

And a Cadillac STS:





The interior of the Aurora:



All FWD V8 cars by the way.

Of all of them the Lincoln had the nicest interior, the Auroras interior looked cooler but as was said elsewhere quality was very poor, the Cadillac was better. He ultimately chose the Cadillac despite liking the Lincoln more because the numbers were way better on the STS (the Lincoln was all new).

Lots of bells and whistles on those Auroras...

 

yea like i literally don't remember ever seeing one, which probably means i have and just assumed it was some chevy lumina or mercury sable or something and dismissed it lol. i swear i've become infatuated with this thing in the past few days... i'm sure the interior quality is total crap (unfortunately like pretty much every mid 90s american car interior) but i absolutely love this 1st gen aurora.

idk maybe because it came out in the same year as me but the exterior at least doesn't resemble anything "luxury" to me at all. the interior is very cool but nothing about the outside indicates luxury to me, just looks like any other car from the period honestly.







compared to what europe was doing at the time for their flagships...





but if i have the means some day i'd like to add an aurora to the fleet. i'd never ever ever get rid of my LS to get an aurora, or indeed anything short of maybe a mclaren f1 but i'm happy i know about this now.

 

Ugly, ugly cars.

 

They were pretty unique. Remember the Taurus came out the year later, 1996.

As for interiors, they weren't all so bad. We had a 95 Ford Explorer Limited that had a pretty nice interior, as did those Lincolns. Material quality in that Cadillac was actually quite good, build quality was the issue there.

 

The Taurus was super super fugly at the time.

 

It was, that generation Taurus is what lost Ford the segment too.

 

Just another ugly, unreliable, cheaply built and poorly-engineered creation from good old General Motors of the '90s.

 

Sorry to say....all those interiors look terrible. I grew up in a GM household so I'm very familiar with the look and feel of those old American cars. I can't believe what used to pass for "luxury."

 

You have to remember that BMW 750iL pictured there cost probably double what an Olds Aurora went for back then. After they got some miles/age on them, the BMW is just as bad of a money pit as the Olds, probably even more so. But I will say the styling and driving dynamics on the BMW are just amazing.