The 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car continue a tradition of automobile - show excitement at Pontiac . yr after year in the late 1980s , Pontiac ’s display models were a big hit with critics and show departer alike .
In 1987 , for example , the performance - oriented Pontiac Pursuit conception car was a red-hot four - seat coupe . Then come the 1988 Banshee , which hinted at the 1993 - 2000 generation of Firebirds .
What to do for an encore in 1989 ? Turn to something wholly different , of course ; something like the rapidly emerge sport - utility vehicle marketplace . And do it in a way that suggests the great outdoors , fun and frolic in the Dominicus . Send a message to young the great unwashed that Pontiac has their interests and life style in brain .
The result was the 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car , and you did n’t involve a 2nd look to realize that it ’s a youth - point sportster , guaranteed to capture the tending mainly of lively single . Pontiac ’s general handler , J. Michael Losh , described it as " bouncing , great - face transport for the under-35 gondola emptor or the young individual in all of us . "
Kinship to the old Volkswagen Beetle - ground sand dune buggy is unmistakable – but radically updated in concept to take advantage of innovative technology .
For model , an activesuspension systemwas designed to defy problematic all - terrain driving , delivering as ascertain a ride as possible under strict term . Anyone who ’d closely flown off the buttocks of a hemipteran buggy was probable to welcome any improvement in that area .
Pontiac ’s goal was to produce a machine that mixed elements of an automobile , a landrover , a hand truck , and a caravan , aimed not only at the young but at the athletics - minded who lead busy lives .
The 1989 Pontiac Stinger construct railroad car was supposed to lead a treble life : serious during the week , but ready for merriment as the weekend arrive . Designer Dave Ross said the design studio apartment called it " an attitude car . " They hop it would be a " new form of conveyance that is individualise and adaptable . "
The 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept railway car sound good in hypothesis – but how well did it fulfill its mission ? Go to the next page to find out .
For more on concept cars and the production models they forecast, check out:
1989 Pontiac Stinger Concept Car Design
The 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car design was aimed at off - roaders , tone arm and van fans , even motorcyclist . With the right complement of lineament and supplement , the designers trust , the 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car conception just might appeal surfers , campers , rock climbers – open - people of every thought .
In in full assembled signifier , the Pontiac Stinger concept car declare oneself a comparatively traditional design . Nothing disgraceful , at least not until the spyglass panels begin to come off in an automotive strip show - vamp every bit as titillating as the human translation . By the meter all five left the cable car , you were leave with a ( literally ) open - airwave sport vehicle : topless , windowless , to the full exposed to the elements .
Even the with child instrument panel in the center of each door was quick for a quick pa - out at any instant , to let novel air flow across everyone ’s legs . But hold back , the heedful folks at Pontiac declared , why let that space go to waste as nothing more than an flow of air entry ? Let ’s plug the spread with a potable tank , so there will always be plenty of refreshing cold swallow on hand when the revelers collide with the beach .
The tank was just the starting time . Indeed , not many vehicles of any variety have occur with an accessory tilt to match the Pontiac Stinger conception gondola ’s .
pucker in nooks and niches throughout the interior you discover a pull - outradio(with handy carrying case ) for amusement in the sand , a portable hand vacuum cleaner to cleanse off that Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin after it ’s traveled from swimsuit to keister , a camp stove , and a torch . Also incorporated into the Stinger ’s unique shape were a first aid outfit , a fire extinguisher , a toolbox , and even a hosepipe .
No penury to search for a duck soup table on herd weekend , either ; Stinger fetch its own , ready to close down out for under - the - sun dining . A built - in public-service corporation seat within the front passenger seat drop away out for use as a camp chairman .
Indeed , the 1989 Pontiac Stinger construct car appeared to some critics as little more than a collection of accessories . But there was more to the cable car , as you ’ll see on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
1989 Pontiac Stinger Concept Car Interior
The 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car interior seemed to have an endless supply of contraption . But just when you thought you ’d found them all , you looked a short further and unearthed more goodies .
There was an lengthiness corduroy , binoculars with carrying caseful , sewing kit , scope with magnifying glass , umbrella , tote cup of tea , brush and dustpanful – even a calculator to add up up gas mileage or the Clarence Day ’s expense . Inside a pull - out draftsman sit down a cellular phone .
In short , the fashionable sport - utility for the time to come contained all the gadgets an automaker might provide for a young soul ’s weekend of playfulness . The goodies were thoughtfully do , too : Nothing dangled dangerously . Everything was strapped securely into plaza .
Head designer Terry Henline call Stinger " a opus of sports equipment " in itself . Popular Sciencemagazine described it as something akin to a " Swiss army tongue on bicycle . "
Light weight was another plan motif , so Stinger turn to a atomic number 6 - fiber body . Headlamps and murk brightness were integrated into the surface of the front end . The smoothly flowing windshield continued upward to a removable roof panel , and back to the space - build drum roll bar , which also contained roof lights and an adjustable despoiler .
Non - scratch paint was the thoroughgoing pick for " shoot through the bushes . " sizeable rocker panels offered more than a hint of the running boards of yesteryear .
Marietta Kearney , senior designer of Stinger ’s interior , say she envisioned " hot California new masses starting their weekend after a week of work ; an atmosphere of freedom and vitality . " That thought process lead to a solid feel in the interior , rather than plush puff ; and to a hint of motorcycle in the Stinger ’s " feel " and controls .
Upholstery and trim followed the same greyish / immature color scheme as the outer body . Gray backside with bright green emphasis were made from soused - suit material that looks hosed - down even when it ’s nowhere near water .
Radio controls were oversized and the guidance roulette wheel was bigger than expected . Six - mode power seats had a memory , plus an inflatable vesica system for form - suit quilt up front .
Looking cool and perform well are two different things , as any car buff can order you . Keep read to see how the 1989 Pontiac Stinger construct cable car lived up to its cool design .
1989 Pontiac Stinger Concept Car Performance
The couturier did n’t put 1989 Pontiac Stinger conception car performance on the back burner , though it did seem they concentrated more on other matters .
For object lesson , maybe your back - seat rider craved a better view of the surrounding scenery for a moment . All you had to do was raise the two back can to the handy tiptop . They extended 15 inches above the normal position when Stinger was at a tie-up – and when the sheer rearward ceiling venire was off the car , of course . At nightfall , or for daytime naps , the bucket posterior could be folded savourless , create a bottom of sorts .
Part of the rear glass could even flick upward to do as a rear - mount windshield , almost like an sure-enough - fashioned rumble tail end . ( Curious how some of those ghost from our automotive past keep cropping up . )
When they did get around to addressing 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car performance , room decorator settled on a 3.0 - liter , 16 - valve four under the front hoodlum ; it had 170horsepower . Four - wheel drive was standard , of track , along with a three - speedautomatic transmissionandanti - lock braking .
The active pneumaticsuspensionoffered adjustable road altitude . Upon request , the whole railway car rose by four inches – a virtual necessity when one was wander along pitch terrain .
The Pontiac Stinger concept car ’s Goodyear tires measured 295/55R16 in front , with tantamount - property 18 - inchers at the bum . An attitude gyro on the instrument control panel showed the degree of vehicle tilt , so you could restrain yourself from break past its logical limit . An electric grasp proved handier yet when you wander a little too far off the route .
Pontiac ’s planners believe there was a definite market for a gratis - spirited , all - time of year Stinger - like vehicle , and that it could be profitable . They pointed to the success at the time of such vehicle as Suzuki ’s Samurai and Sidekick , Dodge ’s Raider , and similar products .
As was the fate of all concept cars , of course , whether output of anything like the 1989 Pontiac Stinger conception cable car would become a reality depended upon the whims of General Motors .
For 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept elevator car specification , go to the next Thomas Nelson Page .
1989 Pontiac Stinger Concept Car Specifications
Like many other models of the recent eighties , the 1989 Pontiac Stinger concept car was plan for a youthful demographic . As the 1989 Pontiac Stinger conception motorcar specifications listed below reveal , executives consider that a lightness and gaudy usefulness - vehicle would captivate the imagination of modern-day youth .
manufacturing business : Pontiac Division , General Motors Corp. , Pontiac , MI
soundbox design:2 + 2 - rider , 2 - door roadster ; carbon - fiber body on sword frame
Powertrain layout : front - engine , 4 - wheel drive
Wheelbase:98.0 inches
Overall length:164.8 inches
Overall width:73.7 column inch
Overall height:58.8 in
Track , front:61.6 inches
Track , rear:61.6 inches
Weight : approx . 3,000 pounds
approximative price : not available
Engine case : inline 4 - piston chamber ( 16 - valve )
Displacement ( liters / cubic inches):3.0/183
Horsepower @ rpm:170 @ 6500
Torque ( lbs./ft . ) @ rpm:200 @ 6000
Fuel rescue : fuel injection
Transmission:3 - speed automatic
respite , front : self-governing , pneumatic active
Suspension , rear : autonomous , pneumatic active
brake : front / rear discs , anti - lock
Top stop number : not uncommitted
0 - 60 mph : not available
Quarter - mile : not uncommitted
miles per hour @ twenty-five percent - mile : not available
