Where have all the big personal-luxury coupes gone?
12-22-17, 09:37 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Where have all the big personal-luxury coupes gone?
One thing we don't talk about much, in Car Chat, is what happened to all the big, mostly American-branded (but also some others) personal-luxury coupes? At one time, they were all the rage, and introduced things like small opera windows in back (though they weren't the best for visibility), L-O-N-G hoods that reminded one of an aircraft carrier's flight deck, and big honking V8s wth muscle-car power, but not muscle-car noise....far more luxury and refinement. Most, most of the time, were classic two-doors, but occasionally, as in the case of some late-60s Thunderbirds, had four. The '67 T-Bird even had forward-opening rear doors like the Lincoln Continental.
Yes, I grew up with some of these cars, such as the 60s/70s Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, Olds Toronado, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Cadillac Eldorado, etc.... though most of the entries from Chrysler were smaller, cheaper models until the mid-late 1970s, culminating in the classic 1981 Imperial coupe. Some of my favorites were the 1970/71 Thunderbird, 1963-65 Buick Riviera, the classic boat-tailed Riviera of 1971-73, the '81-83 Chrysler Imperial, 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, and the 1970 Olds Toronado, though I never liked the Toronado's drum-type speedometer. By the 1980s, most of these cars had been WAY downsized, cheapened, and, IMO, given ugly or awkward-looking styling. By the 1990s, they started disappearing altogether, though a few, like Lincoln's Mark series, hung on a couple more years.
I can understand one of the main reasons for it.....the public's mass-conversion to SUVs, part of the same exodus that put many conventional large station wagons and convertibles out of business as well. Still, it seems that, without them, we're missing an entire chunk of the automotive market that used to give (for many people) a nice, very enjoyable driving experience. No, these weren't the most practical cars in the world. Their interior room (in relation to exterior size), back-seat ingress/egress, visibility, and (usually) agility all left a lot to be desired.....but they were certainly nice machines to drive for highway-cruising, where they rode like pillows and isolated you like a cocoon.
Like I said, two of my favorites were the '70/71 Ford Thunderbird and the '71-73 boat-tail Buick Riviera. Here they are:
What do you all think? Would here be any market left for cars of this type today? Or are people so hopelessly addicted to SUVs, minivans, and pickups that it would be a waste of time and resources for the automakers?
Yes, I grew up with some of these cars, such as the 60s/70s Ford Thunderbird, Buick Riviera, Olds Toronado, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Cadillac Eldorado, etc.... though most of the entries from Chrysler were smaller, cheaper models until the mid-late 1970s, culminating in the classic 1981 Imperial coupe. Some of my favorites were the 1970/71 Thunderbird, 1963-65 Buick Riviera, the classic boat-tailed Riviera of 1971-73, the '81-83 Chrysler Imperial, 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix, and the 1970 Olds Toronado, though I never liked the Toronado's drum-type speedometer. By the 1980s, most of these cars had been WAY downsized, cheapened, and, IMO, given ugly or awkward-looking styling. By the 1990s, they started disappearing altogether, though a few, like Lincoln's Mark series, hung on a couple more years.
I can understand one of the main reasons for it.....the public's mass-conversion to SUVs, part of the same exodus that put many conventional large station wagons and convertibles out of business as well. Still, it seems that, without them, we're missing an entire chunk of the automotive market that used to give (for many people) a nice, very enjoyable driving experience. No, these weren't the most practical cars in the world. Their interior room (in relation to exterior size), back-seat ingress/egress, visibility, and (usually) agility all left a lot to be desired.....but they were certainly nice machines to drive for highway-cruising, where they rode like pillows and isolated you like a cocoon.
Like I said, two of my favorites were the '70/71 Ford Thunderbird and the '71-73 boat-tail Buick Riviera. Here they are:
What do you all think? Would here be any market left for cars of this type today? Or are people so hopelessly addicted to SUVs, minivans, and pickups that it would be a waste of time and resources for the automakers?
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-22-17 at 09:40 PM.
12-22-17, 09:54 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Is the issue really the lack of long hooded coupes or just lack of coupes in general? I don't think anyone misses these giant behemoths.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 12-23-17 at 07:48 AM.
12-22-17, 10:18 PM
#3
IMO nobody buys a car on style or driving dynamics anymore, thus why we don't have coupes, both sporty and luxurious. Cars that are aimed at the youthful market like the Subaru BRZ. Chevy Camaro, Nissan Skyline GTR(anybody under the age of 25 freaks out about this car for some reason, I think its Playstation conditioning), the demographic they are aimed at can't afford them.
12-23-17, 02:04 AM
#4
Moderator: LFA, Clubhouse
Has the luxury GT coupe really died? What is the LC500?
And MB obviously has enough buyers at $123k+ for the S-Class coupe and BMW thinks the market is big enough to revive the 8-series.
And MB obviously has enough buyers at $123k+ for the S-Class coupe and BMW thinks the market is big enough to revive the 8-series.
12-23-17, 05:55 AM
#5
Lexus Fanatic
IMO nobody buys a car on style or driving dynamics anymore, thus why we don't have coupes, both sporty and luxurious. Cars that are aimed at the youthful market like the Subaru BRZ. Chevy Camaro, Nissan Skyline GTR(anybody under the age of 25 freaks out about this car for some reason, I think its Playstation conditioning), the demographic they are aimed at can't afford them.
12-23-17, 06:59 AM
#6
Lexus Champion
What killed the big coupes? Three words: Arab Oil Embargo. Because of the design cycle, the big domestic coupes hung on until about 1977 and then after that it was the big downsizing drive with much smaller engines. GM, IIRC started this trend with the 1978 Monte Carlo, Gran Prix, Olds Cutlass cars. Even the full size Impala, Caprice etc got the treatment in 1977.
Personal luxury coupes are now relegated to the big spenders who go for the expensive name brands as has been pointed out.
Personal luxury coupes are now relegated to the big spenders who go for the expensive name brands as has been pointed out.
12-23-17, 07:31 AM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
the american huge coupes from 40 years ago were impractical and junk and as mentioned had foul fuel economy, and handling, and everything else.
the american brands have wisely not bothered to keep trying.
but there's lots of massively better touring or gran coupes today, and new 4 door coupes of course of which i think the a5 sportback is one of the best looking imo, but audi also has the reg 2 door coupe too.
the american brands have wisely not bothered to keep trying.
but there's lots of massively better touring or gran coupes today, and new 4 door coupes of course of which i think the a5 sportback is one of the best looking imo, but audi also has the reg 2 door coupe too.
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12-23-17, 07:47 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
First, of course, after the 1970s, for the most part, they were downsized and ceased to be true behemoths. But.....it is true that they lacked the space-efficiency that their sedans and wagon equivalents did, and were built to do little more than simply relax and feed one's ego while floating down the road on ultra-soft underpinnings, in isolation, like a cocoon. The sense of isolation was even more pronounced in the back seat, where you had big massive C-pillars blocking your vision out, with small circular or oval-shaped opera windows at best. In fact, at the time, Volvo used to make hay of that in their TV and magazine ads.
12-23-17, 07:52 AM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
I do to some extent....otherwise I probably wouldn't have started the thread. First, of course, after the 1970s, for the most part, they were downsized and ceased to be true behemoths. But.....it is true that they lacked the space-efficiency that their sedans and wagon equivalents did, and were built to do little more than simply relax and feed one's ego while floating down the road on ultra-soft underpinnings, in isolation, like a cocoon. The sense of isolation was even more pronounced in the back seat, where you had big massive C-pillars blocking your vision out, with small circular or oval-shaped opera windows at best. In fact, at the time, Volvo used to make hay of that in their TV and magazine ads.
First, of course, after the 1970s, for the most part, they were downsized and ceased to be true behemoths. But.....it is true that they lacked the space-efficiency that their sedans and wagon equivalents did, and were built to do little more than simply relax and feed one's ego while floating down the road on ultra-soft underpinnings, in isolation, like a cocoon. The sense of isolation was even more pronounced in the back seat, where you had big massive C-pillars blocking your vision out, with small circular or oval-shaped opera windows at best. In fact, at the time, Volvo used to make hay of that in their TV and magazine ads.IBut.....it is true that they lacked the space-efficiency that their sedans and wagon equivalents did, and were built to do little more than simply relax and feed one's ego while floating down the road on ultra-soft underpinnings, in isolation, like a cocoon. The sense of isolation was even more pronounced in the back seat, where you had big massive C-pillars blocking your vision out, with small circular or oval-shaped opera windows at best. In fact, at the time, Volvo used to make hay of that in their TV and magazine ads.
12-23-17, 07:55 AM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Ahhh.....but what a ride.
I still remember the 1976 Thunderbird my aged neighbor, across street, had......I would sometimes drive her around in it as she got older and less-capable, when her daughter wasn't there. Unbelievable suspension and tires...you could probably drive over railroad tracks and not feel it. The flip-side, of course, was tracking and handling like a battleship. There were a couple of exceptions to that general rule, though, of battleship-handling....the late-60s Pontiac Grand Prix SJ and 70s-vintage Chevy Monte Carlo SS had slightly stiffer suspension and tires, which gave at least a little less fuss when cornering.
12-23-17, 07:59 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
People have moved on from all of this. I do agree they were pretty cool back in the 70's but I can't say I ever think about them nor miss them very much
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-23-17 at 08:11 AM.
12-23-17, 08:23 AM
#13
Lexus Champion
This sums up my thoughts on the old 2 door coupes too. I enjoy seeing them at cruise ins, museums etc. but don't miss them at all (and I'm old enough to have owned, driven and admired them back in the day). My tastes and interests have changed and they are just a somewhat pleasant memory now.
12-23-17, 08:29 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
This sums up my thoughts on the old 2 door coupes too. I enjoy seeing them at cruise ins, museums etc. but don't miss them at all (and I'm old enough to have owned, driven and admired them back in the day). My tastes and interests have changed and they are just a somewhat pleasant memory now.
What's interesting is that, for the most part (there may be one or two rare exceptions like the S-class) we don't really see any luxury-oriented two-door coupes. The ones produced today are mostly either pony cars (Mustang/Camaro/Challenger), or purpose-built sports cars like the Miata and BRZ. Today, the Mercedes S-class coupe probably comes closest to what those large American luxury-coupes were like....and it starts at $122,000
