Detroit (and Kenosha) stopped promoting People new convertibles after the ultimate 1976 Cadillac Eldorado left the showroom. There was a lot wailing and gnashing of enamel concerning the finish of a wonderful period of American exceptionalism because of this (understand that the resignation of a president and the Fall of Saigon had simply occurred). European producers nonetheless provided new convertibles right here after 1976, in fact, after which Chrysler resumed promoting new ragtops for the 1982 mannequin yr . . . however that pause within the availability of latest American-made convertibles made such automobiles really feel particular, even a bit devilish, for a lot of the Eighties. GM’s Chevrolet Division resumed constructing Corvette and Camaro convertibles (for 1986 and 1987, respectively), greater than a decade after the final 1975 Corvette and Caprice convertibles had been bought, however the humble Chevy Cavalier convertible beat them each to the showrooms. Beginning in 1983 and persevering with throughout 2000, People and Canadians may purchase a brand-new open-skies Cavalier, and I say the raddest of all of them was the 1989 model. Here is a kind of automobiles, present in a automobile graveyard between Denver and Cheyenne.
The second technology of Cavalier debuted for the 1988 mannequin yr, and solely the hot-rod Z24 could possibly be had as a convertible.Â
So far as I can inform, all Chevrolet convertibles bought through the Eighties had all their top-related {hardware} supplied and put in by the Automotive Specialty Firm (also called American Sunroof Firm or American Specialty Vehicles) in Warren, Michigan. ASC additionally constructed Toyota Celica convertibles round this time.
I discovered what seemed like Chevrolet-badged aluminum chessboards contained in the automobile, stamped MADE IN BELGIUM. Did Chevrolet supply Belgian-made metallic chessboards as an adjunct?
It turned out that these “chessboards” (which have the right variety of squares for enjoying chess or checkers) had been the sq. middle caps for the terribly rad 14″ aluminum Z24 wheels, customary tools on the convertible. Sq. middle caps! Naturally, I purchased one in all them to be used in any chess tournaments I host in my storage.
Lesser Cavaliers had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder as base tools, however the Z24 obtained the fuel-injected 2.8-liter V6 engine. This one was rated at 125 horsepower when new.
GM made some good engine-displacement badges round this time, with the easiest being the “Candyland Version” 3.1 badges on the early-Nineteen Nineties Pontiac W25 Sunbird. No single throttle physique right here, of us!
A stunning variety of patrons of Eighties Z24s took the five-speed handbook transmission, regardless of the slushboxification of America being properly underway by that point, however this automobile has the optionally available three-speed automated. The value tag: 415 bucks, which involves round $1,015 after inflation.
It seems to have begun its profession at Lynch Chevrolet in Burlington, Wisconsin.
This automobile has choices galore, together with energy home windows and locks.
The unique purchaser virtually definitely purchased the “Most well-liked Gear Group 2” choice bundle, which value $1,426 ($3,488 in 2022 {dollars}) and included air-con plus this good Delco auto-reverse cassette deck with five-band EQ. With out this radio, how would it not have been attainable to benefit from the hits of the period?
How a lot did the entire automobile value? The MSRP earlier than choices on a 1989 Cavalier Z24 convertible was $16,615, or about $40,650 at present. You may purchase a brand new IROC-Z Camaro coupe for simply $14,145 that yr, although the IROC-Z convertible value $18,945. Take into account that the Cavalier was Chevrolet’s most cost-effective US-market new automobile in 1989 (the Suzuki-built Chevy Dash, Corolla-based Chevy Nova, and Isuzu-built Chevrolet Spectrum had grow to be the Geo Metro, Geo Prizm and Geo Spectrum that yr, whereas the Chevette obtained the axe two years earlier), with the Hoi Polloi Version Cavalier VL Coupe itemizing at simply $7,375 (simply over 18 grand now).
This automobile’s ultimate proprietor determined that doing front-wheel burnouts till a tire burst can be a becoming sendoff for such a advantageous efficiency machine.
Do not drink and drive, of us. Please. And even for those who aren’t driving, keep away from airline bottles of brandy simply on precept.
Simply 155,834 miles on the clock. The physique is fairly straight, there isn’t any significant rust, the highest seems to be fairly good, and the inside is not trashed. There are Z24 aficionados on the market, however none of them rescued this automobile earlier than it got here right here.
It was actually the Heartbeat of America. I used to be daily-driving a British Leyland product on the time, so maybe these commercials did not get by to me so properly.
Identical to gumbo, if it would not burn… it ain’t scorching. Wait, are you alleged to burn gumbo?
This advert is for the previous-generation Z24, however the air-guitar work (and unlucky bandanna-around-the-wrist late-Eighties vogue assertion) makes it a must-watch anyway.
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