A "Step Down" car isn't cool, it's just weird!!

In the same vein as the last post every once in a while I get in an argument with some idiot that tells me how rare and valuable their "Step Down" model is. They may be rare-but that's because no one wanted them in the first place!! They definitely aren't valuable. Here's some I've had to de-bunk many times, and they still make my head want to explode when someone brings them up. # 1. 1967-68 Pontiac GTO / Olds 442 "Turnpike" edition. At the height of the musclecar era when gas was 29 cents a gallon some marketing genius at GM decided it was a great idea to replace the GTO and 442's 350 hp 400 4bbl standard engines with 2bbl versions rated at 265 hp and replace the standard 3.36:1 axle ratio with 2.93:1 gears, and lower the price a couple hundred bucks. Shocker!! They didn't sell. That's because the GTO and 442 models were substantially more expensive than the Tempest / LeMans and Cutlass / F85 models that they were based on. If you wanted a LeMans or Cutlass that wasn't a hot rod-you'd buy the base model with it's 326 or 330 inch 2bbl V8. ( In 1968 Olds and Pontiac bumped these up to 350 inches. ) No one wanted a GTO or 442 with no balls that couldn't outrun a 289 Falcon from a light and got 16 mpg instead of 12!!!  If you find one today, even if it's pristine-they aren't worth anything other than being a clean GTO or 442 body. If you can buy one cheap it would be very easy to install a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake and change the rear end gears to regain the lost performance. But I wouldn't pay any extra money for one-in fact in my opinion-just like when they were new-their worth less than a "Standard" 350 hp model!! I mean who in the hell want's a GTO or 442 that can't outrun a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry from a light??  Yet-I've seen idiots advertsing them and asking Judge or Hurst / Olds money for them!!  Because their super-rare!  Ugh.  # 2. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. In the late '60's and early '70's insurance companies were really jacking up the rates on musclecars, especially on anything with engines over 350 cubes. This is why Chrysler came out with the wildly successfull 340 Duster in 1970, and in '71 began offering the 340 in the Charger and Road Runner lines. Pontiac came out with the T-37 Tempest. The buff magazines called it the "Poor Man's GTO." Anyhow-Olds came up with the Rallye Package for the Cutlass. Only 3,527 were built. It had a super-loud Sebring Yellow paint job, body-colored bumpers and Rally Wheels and a "Judge" type rear spoiler. Power was a 350 V8 backed by a 3-speed manual, a 4-speed manual or a TH350 automatic. These were NOT "Almost the 1970 Hurst Olds" as idiots have said for decades. The car was built entirely in Lansing, and the only Hurst component on it was the shifter on manual trans models!!  Other idiots contend that "10 or 12" were built with the vaunted W31 350 V8. However-again-I have never seen a window sticker or build sheet for one and no magazine or Olds executive has ever verified a W31 Rallye. Here's the weird part. They have a "cult" following, and people ask exorbitant prices for them. However they are not a 442 in any way shape or form. Their a base-model Cutlass with an odd paint job and a bolt-on spoiler!!  I mean if you want a 1970-72 350 Cutlass there's a ton of them out there. But these people ask prices that would would buy you a W30 442 or a Hurst / Olds.  # 3. 1971-72 Small-Block SS Chevelle. From 1966-1970 the letters "SS" on a Chevelle threw fear into the hearts of the competition, because it meant that their were at lest 396 cubes under the hood, and in 1970-maybe 454. Maybe to fight the rising insurance rates-I don't know but starting in 1971-yes you could still get a 402 or 454 Rat motor in an SS Chevelle. But some genius decided to offer the SS package on any V8 Malibu coupe. This means you could have a badass looking SS Chevelle with the blacked-out grille, Domed hood,"SS" emblems, and 15" Rally wheels with fat F60-15 white letter tires that had a 2bbl 307 inch V8 that wheezed out 130 hp, or a 2bbl 350 that wheezed out 165!!  Now why would anyone want one?  I guess if the price was right, and you were going to swap in a stompin' GMPP 383 crate engine or a 454 anyway they might be an ok deal. But I've seen idiots trying to sell these for more than what people ask for numbers-matching SS396's!!  # 4. 1972 Olds 442. Same thing here. From 1965-71 the numbers 442 on the fender meant there was 400 or 455 cubes under the hood. In 1972, the 442 was no longer a separate model, but now an "Appearance and Handling" package on the Cutlass. Yes you could still get the vaunted W30 455 monster that even with 8.5:1 compression still made 300 net hp and 410 lbs of tire boiling torque with Ram Air and a Rock-Crusher 4-speed or a TH400. But that was an extra cost option. The base engine was a 2bbl 350 that wheezed out 160 hp!!  Oh, yeah I gotta have a badass looking 442 that can't outrun a Vista Cruiser station wagon!! Porsche did the same thing with the 912-the feared 911 body with a 4-banger VW engine in it!!  # 5. 1973-74. Plymouth Road Runner. For the first 5 model years of it's existence the name "Road Runner" meant at least 383 cubes. In 1971 the 340 became a no-cost option if you wanted it, but the mighty 383 was still standard, as it had been since 1968. In '72 the 400 was the standard engine-it was just a bored-out 383. And the big motherthumper 440 was still optional. For some perverse reason, in 1973 the standard engine was now a 318 with a 2bbl that wheezed out 150 hp. Yes you could still get a 340 ( 360 in '74 ) or a 400 or 440 as an option. But as with the ill-fated GM offerings previously mentioned-it was possible to have a fearsome looking machine with 150 hp that couldn't outrun mom's station wagon. # 6. 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am. Another GM marketing genius came up with the Idea that the Trans-Am-already the hottest-selling car in america because of "Smokey and the Bandit"-would sell even more if you replaced the standard 400 Pontiac and 403 Olds engines with a 301 inch Pontiac that wheezed out 135 hp, and lowered the price $150. On a car that stickered for over 10 grand??  I've seen idiots trying to sell these "Rare" birds for more than what people ask for 400, 4-speed, WS6 models. I've seen them asking more than people want for documented RAIII models!!  Puhleeze.  # 7. 1980 Chevrolet Corvette. This one should probably be # 1, but I just went by model years. For a short time in 1979-1980 Chevrolet did not have a 350 V8 EPA certified for California. And no V8's were California certified with a 4-speed. This meant for a while the only powertrain you could get in a 1980 Corvette was a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp and was mated to a TH350 automatic. Enthusiasts and the buff magazines howled to the high heavens. Chevrolet worked quickly and got the 190 hp L48 350 certified with both a 4-speed and a slushbox, and the 230 hp L82 with the automatic, and the great disturbance in the Force was quelled. However every once in a while I see a want ad for a "Ultra Rare" 305 1980 'Vette with an asking price more than L82 / 4-speed Pace Car models; I've seen them with asking prices more than a numbers-matching Tri-Power 427 Stingray!! Are you kidding me??  No, sadly their not. Anyhow-if you decide to buy one of these, don't unless it's dirt cheap!! Mastermind