(first posted 12/16/2016) There’s a classic Subaru for which I’ve been searching a long time. This isn’t it. The first-gen Legacy Sport Sedan remains a rarity which hasn’t been featured on these pages since CC’s inception, and I’ve been searching for one of those turbocharged unicorns since I began posting here. By contrast, this is one of a handful of XTs that have been featured on CC over the past few years. Does its abundance relative to the Legacy SS speak to a bizarre love on the part of XT owners?
The XT-series is the sort of car which, by the end of its model run, was just as invisible as the likes of the Saturn Astra in 2009. Sold in small numbers and cloaked in styling cliches, few in late ’80s America would’ve looked over their shoulders as an XT coupe drove by.
Its dramatic wedge stands out today, though, and I didn’t need to look twice when I drove past this white example. Seeing one in such good shape near the IU campus was certainly unusual: CC-fodder in this area is usually of the American or European variety, think E30 cabriolet, CJ-7, W123 wagon or El Camino.
Though based on the rather rustic Leone series (DL/GL/GL10/RX to us Americans), hotter versions of those cars, along with the XT (called Alcyone in Japan), did gain proper full-time AWD systems by 1988. Even in their most evolved incarnations, Leone-based cars would remain clumsy handlers, but the integration of full-time AWD represents still marks an important turning point in Subaru history.
While the hottest AWD-equipped GL-1o never reached the levels of agility as the up-coming Legacies and Imprezas (cars substantial enough to underpin the very solid SVX and on-par with the likes the Audi 80 and 90 Quattro when the road turned twisty) the shift from part-time 4WD to AWD helped bring the company’s cars out of the dark ages.
If only marketing were given the right points to emphasize. A “referee for your subconscious?” Seriously?? Not very appealing, is it? I hope heads rolled for this brochure. “Repress your most basic impulses with the new Impreza!” would be more to the point. Car advertisers make billions selling the idea that the model they’re hawking will set buyers free. Subaru should sue its early ’90s ad agency for millions in lost revenue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uc4aRX2FVc
Initial attempts to underscore the cars’ newfound refinement coincided with years of slow sales. Subarus still are associated the all-weather capability imparted by their early part-time 4WD systems and current sales success is based on reinforcing the image of an earnest, rustic machine. When it comes to engineering ingenuity, “don’t show, barely tell,” is the watchword, at least at Subaru. Note the relative absence of BRZ promotional material today.
When it comes to the XT6’s overall extroversion, taking such a subtle approach to advertising is a difficult task. The styling spoke louder than the coupe’s newly refined mechanicals.
Our specific XT is a front-drive model, with the intriguing flat-six, dubbed XT6. Front-drive XT6s came in automatic form only, and with precisely zero AWD decals and only a gear-range selector between the front seats, I am certain only the front wheels receive power. That only makes it more likable; without the loud, throbby EA engine, this flat-six model puts the lineup’s best foot forward. And even without driven rear wheels, classic Audis and Subarus display a strong character.
With 2.7 liters of flat-six making all of 145 horses and 156 ft-lbs or torque, driven rear wheels would dilute whatever force the engine could route through a torque converter anyway. Front-drive versions forfeited that other piece of Subaru’s techno-wizardry of the era, the air-suspension system, netting no loss in functional appeal. Improved ride and handling wasn’t prime on the list of that system’s assets; it was largely touted as a way to raise the car to traverse rough surfaces when introduced in the XT turbo. By the time that model morphed into the XT6, its manual ride-height adjustment facility wasn’t available to US buyers, anyway.
The later cars complemented the XT’s famous asymmetrical steering wheel with an electro-hydraulic power assist marketed as Cybrid Power Steering. It’s hard to find any explanation of its benefits other than improved efficiency through its electrically driven hydraulic pump, but I suspect it could have been a way to help cram the “EA-plus-two-cylinder” ER-series flat-six under the hood (CC-readers, tell me if I’m wrong about the Cybrid system). Contemporary reviews paraphrase Subaru’s assertion that it offered more natural bleeding off of assist as speeds climb, but no Legacy or SVX adopted it later on, so let’s hope it at least was cheap for Fuji Heavy Industries to develop.
So where did the XT standout? It didn’t, really. It certainly is a contender for the dubious distinction of being the most gimmicky of its rivals, as many have highlighted. It outdoes the very cheesy 200SX Turbo and Cordia Turbo. Even as soggy as those cars were, both out-drove the XT. The Subaru also failed to out-sprint the perpetually wanting-for-power Prelude; a car which, thanks to straightforward ergonomics, fine handling and sweet engines, was deservedly more popular. Based on the agricultural Leone, the XT managed parity in refinement to the Chevette-based Isuzu Impulse, but its Giugiaro-penned shape was Haute Couture compared to the Subaru’s fashion victim, and the RWD Impulse’s performance was much more convincing.
I’m not trying to be hard on this poor coupe; given the popularity of specialty coupes thirty years ago, it makes sense that Subaru wanted a piece of the action. With little outlay, they could offer an entrant based on existing mechanicals with the added distinction of all weather traction. Surely, few test-drivers would ever recognize the XT’s dynamic limitations. It just goes to show how big of a cliche this segment had become by the turn of the decade. Countless cars like this, the Pulsar NX, the Scoupe, etc did very little to stem the rise of the SUV.
I can say this much for the XT in the form of our featured car. With the flat-six, if offered a degree of mechanical refinement absent in competitors and despite the styling cliches, was a thoroughly modern looking personal coupe. I like to think of it as a cut-rate Legend coupe for a buyer confident enough to buy from an off-label brand. In some ways, it makes more sense than the many contemporary Accord coupes, Preludes, Integras, 240SXs and Celicas sold with an automatic transmission, and I can see an initial owner very satisfied with his or her purchase.
The XT’s looks lived on in the house of Fuji, at least for a short period. Take this coupe’s frameless glass, blacked out A-pillar and wrap-around C-pillar, throw them on a 1985 Legend, complete with box fender flares and you have the first-gen Legacy. Pillory me all you like, I find it to be quite a handsome sedan.
Subaru didn’t abandon the coupe either; when the XT gave way to the SVX (still called the Alcyone back home), fortification necessary to match distinguished styling came in the form of a unique power plant. A beefy 3.3 liter flat-six disguised any connection with its four and five-door platform-mates while also keeping it from direct competition with the segment’s heavy hitters.
Quite unlike the XT turbo and XT6, the SVX was well-regarded for its balanced handling and ride quality, which says a lot for the Legacy’s chassis refinement. Unfortunately, the SVX grand-touring experience was so authentic it even offered an excursion through escalating exchange rates, pricing itself out of the speciality coupe class.
In hindsight, a more basic SVX using a federalized, off-the-shelf, four-cam, boosted, flat-four would’ve been cheaper to develop and easier to sell (and would’ve offered a way to take the Legacy wagon and Outback upmarket much sooner). The brilliant DSM trio took a similar route, using Galant VR4 mechanicals, and bolstered Mitsubishi’s otherwise non-existant image for over ten years.
DSM also taught a valuable lesson to the Japanese big three: don’t charge a ton for a sporty coupe with a weak engine. One wonders what a well-priced 2WD Celica turbo, or SR20DET powered 240SX could’ve done for the segment, or if the Prelude held the line on pricing while offering the 2.2 VTEC in a single-trim 1992 model. You can’t blame the disappearance of coupes all on SUVs when the fun and affordable Eclipse and Talon did solid business for years before the lame-o 2000 Eclipse was introduced.
But I digress… The passing of the XT6 would see Subaru head into even more dark times, and my beloved first-gen Legacy and Impreza would characterize the marque during its years of slow sales and no image. That obscure company is one we would hardly recognize today.
Subaru entered the 21st century with an enviable two-pronged reputation, with Outbacks and their raised ride height promising go-anywhere versatility in conjunction with WRXs promising uncommonly manic performance. They took their best technology, let the cars do the talking, and have never looked back. To drive the point home, the “Love” brand is now the product of the Subaru corporation–say goodbye to Fuji Heavy Industries.
Those leading this initiative would prefer to bury the cynically-conceived XT the way most of us hide an school portrait with a laser background. Luckily, the science-fair mentality that lead to cars from the XT to turbocharged ersatz hardtop wagons with air suspension hasn’t been buried with the name change. Early impressions suggest the upcoming 2017 Impreza and WRX really will be cut-rate Audis, with none of the associated pretense. From today’s perspective, the brand’s future looks stronger than ever.
What an absolute pleasure to have Perry back and what a perfect subject for his musings. This is a really interesting entrant in the neoorigamiwedgefromjapan school, the best examples coming from Honda and Toyota putting up a nice effort with the AE86 if not so strong with the Celicas. For me the idea of this subie is right; but the car is too tall, with the side body volume suffering the most for it. The best pic above is the one with the jet; the angle of the body, the black sill and the framing of the wheels make this car look almost as slick as Bertone at the time.
He was here this past Monday too: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-1992-saab-9000-postcard-from-the-height-of-the-snaab/
Yep. But that car doesn’t really stir my loins.
Well, sir, I miss seeing your pieces about rare Japanese steel down under and their design history. Find us a Bluebird SSS or Mark II and share!
Skyline parts 1 to 4 in the works. 1984 Nissan President next…
Pristine teacher-owned (I think) Mark II to order.
Nice MK2, mine was the same model but metallic green the paint was just starting to fade to primer in places when I sold it.
That brings me back to 8th grade!
There was a feud between a Fiero lover and an XT lover then. I was on the sidelines admiring the re-re-invented Mustang 5.0 and it’s donut making ability.
I didn’t know these ran all the way to 1991.
Blip on the radar.
A classmate that I graduated with had one of these; I think it was a Turbo XT. All I remember about it is looking under the hood and being glad I didn’t have to worry about fixing it. These days, I’m sure the clutter makes more sense, but in the infancy of my wrenching…not so much.
Having been bought up on the malaise era mantra of Cubic Inches Uber Alles and already owning a pair of SuBaru between me and the not-quite-yet ex-Mrs. MarcKyle64, these were very much on my radar scope. Surely that extra 9/10th of a liter of grunt would increase the fun quotient while retaining the durability I’d come to respect. Finances prevented the timely acquisition of one before they became scarce,
I didn’t know that the XT6 only came with an auto. That would have made me look elsewhere or look harder at the turbo four, as I’d already experienced the joys of a Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd automatic. Slow to up or downshift and geared way too high for comfort on the highway, I preferred the 5 speed in our other Baru and that was usually the default road-trip mobile.
I did have a chance to enjoy an XT turbo four later in the late 90s, but that story is for another article. Good post, Perry and welcome back!
The XT6 could be had with a manual but only with AWD (an AWD automatic was also available). FWD XT6es were automatic only.
The price issue became quite a tough one. Should Honda have built Preludes in Ohio rather than the Accord coupe? Hmm. A NUMMI Celica with a Geo-badged clone in place of the Storm? Double hmm. Given the way the coupe market collapsed in the ’90s, I don’t know how much difference it would have made. Higher prices obviously didn’t help, but the DSM cars lost ground too.
I think that if, say, the ’92 Prelude came in two trim levels, each with the H22 VTEC, it wouldn’t have cost Honda much more to produce the car, and it would’ve made a much more compelling value.
Or if, say, the Celica came with the 3S-GE and its attendant ongoing improvements, the Celica would have the engines its excellent chassis deserved.
If the costs on making the car in Japan were already going to be a factor, the overall increase in cost using the better engines would be relatively minor.
And speaking of made in the USA products, the JDM version of Mazda’s 2.5 liter made to run on US premium gas could’ve netted a solid power increase to make the Probe and MX6 more compelling without much additional cost.
As for the Nissan, it’s a harder argument to make since making the SR20 appropriate would require turbocharging and significant additional cost, so it falls out of the scope of my argument, but otherwise, I think you get what I’m trying to say.
That sounds good in principal, but it ignores that the majority of these cars sold were not the higher performance models (if there was a choice). Not one single car from that class had the performance variant outsell a frugal alternative, as far as I’m aware. Honda tried the exact route you suggested in 1997 for the Prelude, and it simply did not work. Back in Japan the final generation Prelude had no less than four levels of models, all with different performance outputs that utilized two different engines in various tune. I personally think the US strategy would have been better fulfilled if Honda followed that model, and chose to keep the SH we received as-is, and have the base model mirror the JDM Si with the non-vtec DOHC-F22B.
I would agree with all of this. While I’m pretty sure that the Honda H22 engine was expensive on a unit basis in ways that couldn’t simply be amortized, I think the bigger issue was that even the base models were really expensive. In 1992, a basic Prelude S started at $17K, which is about $29K adjusted, and an Si without 4WS was an even $20K ($34.4K adjusted). The new MX-6 was even more than that: $17.2K for the four-cylinder and $21.2K for the V-6 LS.
With any of these models — or even the Celica GT — adding the usual performance and luxury features (and ABS) made them $25,000 cars, which is $40,000+ today. It was agonizing at the time because I really liked a lot of these cars (I still think the final MX-6 is gorgeous), but they were just unaffordable. Where there were cheaper base model, like the Celica ST or the four-cylinder MX-6, you really lost most of the performance and they still weren’t especially cheap even without air conditioning.
This is why the market, such as was, shifted to stuff like the Civic coupe: It was cheaper and more in the realm of what a 20something could afford.
They were expensive indeed; my 1995 Celica GT coupe was just north of $22,000. Only options were A/C and cruise control. I did manage to have the dealer throw in alloy wheels for free (if I recall correctly, they swapped the stock steel wheels off a GT liftback that had the alloy option that had just came in off the truck). Apparently the coupe had sat in their lot far longer than they had hoped, because the salesman exclaimed “nobody asks about these” when I came in.
Sadly the Storm was the victim of its success. The Storm sold much better then GM figured it would. However the success of the Storm and low profile of Isuzu’s version (the Impulse) meant that nobody bought Impulses and Isuzu killed off the line. As Isuzu was also making the Storm, the killing off of one caused the other to be killed off.
There is a well kept Storm that lives across from my bank and though it is 23 years or so old, it is still a very attractive looking car.
I’ve cannot actually recall ever laying eyes on one of these in the metal. “Big” with Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins remains my primary exposure to these outside of CC. The styling was certainly “very 80s” and I can appreciate it for its extroversion today. That being said, there really hasn’t ever been a Subaru that’s appealed to me enough to ever give a second look.
Coincidentally, I did come across this vintage ad yesterday on a Car and Driver slideshow.
That’s the most memorable XT ad for me too, and it was a television ad as well.
However, I doubt that farm boys comprised much of the XT’s customer base. A friend of mine who sold Subarus in the 1980s called the XT the Ultimate Secretary’s Car. Yes, I know that’s not PC by today’s standards, but his point is relevant. The XT had a largely young female base who were impressed by the car’s styling. My guess is that to most of the remainder of the sport coupe market, the car was deemed too gimmicky to be taken seriously.
As a CC, the XT fascinates me due to its oddness, but at the time, I didn’t care for them much. The SVT on the other hand — well, I loved that car.
Very enjoyable post. These XT6’s reign from Subaru’s delightful full-on “weird” period. I say that as a prior Subaru owner.
I wholeheartedly agree that Subaru’s current products and their ones soon to be introduced, are and will be great products – from a company that knows exactly who it is and what it’s customers want.
Thank goodness they survived their GM alliance – Toyota is showing itself to be a much more astute partner.
I blame the end of cars like this on Subaru’s USA plant. With a factory to fill, mainstream models are the order of the day. And profits flow back to Subaru and Japan.
Crazy cars like the XT6 are to me the only reason to allow importation of cars into the USA. A smattering of strange vehicles that allow for choices without threatening the large manufacturing base of the country.
it is interesting how choice actually drops when more than that is allowed
A delightful read, Perry. It is odd, but I don’t recall Subaru even making the cut for a test drive when I shopped new cars in the mid 80s. They were just a little strange, but not in ways that provided much benefit unless you needed more drive wheels.
Looking now, I like these. Six cylinder power was a relative rarity in the segment, which makes me like it more.
I test drove a Subaru Hatchback, front wheel drive only, and a 5-speed Justy in the later 80’s but bought neither. So obviously they made little impression on me. Being Texan my first new vehicle ended up being a 87 F150 bought in December 86.
Fortunately John, you can now have the best of both – Subarus are being manufactured in the United States by American workers!
But are boring and the profits leave the country. But hey, at least a non union assembly plant was able to burnish Evan Bayh’s lobbyist career. I wonder if the hedge fund people make him dress like Col. Sanders when they have him in to tell them how deplorable Indiana is.
On a brighter note, that flat six is pretty cool. Wonder if the Toyota F86 will get one. I have thought they teamed with Subaru to get a better sounding flat four
John C., it depends what are looking for from your cars before you can declare them boring. I love my Outback – very competent in the rain and on light trails. It’s no Honda Accord regarding interior appointments, but it is durable and comfortable.
I’d be curious to find the difference between what the Subaru factory workers are paid and UAW workers. My Subaru was my first-American made vehicle in 35 years. I’m glad I employed Americans who built, sold and maintain my car.
Great write up and perspective about a car a knew relatively little about. There was a good looking silver example cruising around the area last summer but I was never able to get a photo of it. It was the first example I had seen on the road for a very long time.
A friend acquired this super clean, 40,000 original mile SVX just last year…
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Read this on my morning commute from start-to-finish and loved it – great post, Perry! My cousin, the Subie-phile (owned a first-gen Impreza 2.5 RS coupe, and now has a Legacy and Outback in the garage) would also love this piece.
The styling of the XT… It was definitely not my favorite back in the day, but now, in 2016, I strangely really like it – inside and out. Much like there was a period not too long ago when the 80’s seemed to return with full-force in modern dance music, this XT is like an analog synthesizer on wheels. I think I like it better, aesthetically, than perhaps all of its contemporaries you mentioned, save for the 4th-gen Celica (which is a push).
The steering wheel of these cars is always a retro-futuristic touch I always forget about and immediately love.
To me, the early Subarus, starting with the 360 and going all the way through the XT and even SVX and 1st gen non-GT Legacy, coupes, wagons and sedans, always had some combination of ungainly styling and dull spec that just didn’t appeal to me. Then along came the Impreza with its Rally-winning performance. I lusted for a WRX before they were imported, and even seriously considered a 2.5RS. By the time the WRX was sold in the US, it was really too small for our family, and I bought a Turbo Forester (also XT). I’ve moved on from the Fuji flat fours, for various reasons, but would certainly buy another; but (getting back to this post) over the years, most of the older models have really grown on me, especially the SVX. Not the XT or RX coupes though – just TOO wedgy.
The non turbo then turbo Leonie was Subarus first successful rally car developed and driven by Kiwi Possum Bourne, the first gen Legacy RS was also a competent rally car in the winners circle, this is what led to NZ having the highest Subaru to population ownership in the world, I had a first gen NZ assembled Legacy wagon and though gutless it had decent road manners for a Japanese car(not something Japanese brand excel at) it was fun on gravel roads too.
So good to see your byline again, Perry!
Did you not catch his post this past Monday? He was here this past Monday too: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-1992-saab-9000-postcard-from-the-height-of-the-snaab/
I’m busy busy busy but writing the occasional article for CC is a definite treat.
I currently own a 92 Legacy SS, I see them ocassionally on craigslist but I don’t think I’ve ever spotted one either. I think rust has knocked most of them off the streets here in CT. I parted out a rusted 93 SS a few years ago and put the EJ22T in my wagon. There is always debate on legacycentral about production numbers and rarity, but they are surely a rare sight! Was writing a COAL but never finished it…
You have Perry’s Holy Grail! He’s been asking me for years to try to find one, but there’s none to be found anymore here. You really should write it up for us.
Oh my! Do you know if it has the rear LSD or was that ’91 only? Have you tuned it at all?
It doesn’t have an LSD, but I think my 93 did? The car is completely stock with an automatic, but it is sporting a regular Legacy bumper with no fogs, so I’m not sure what happened there. My EJ22T wagon has lots of work, VF39, yellow injectors, “robtuned” ecu, spec clutch, full bolt-ons. It ran alongside a 2008 STI no problem. A very stout engine IMO.
While shopping in ’89 to replace a Conquest (Chryslerbishi) I popped into a Subaru dealership to test drive a 4WD Justy. I was shopping for an entry level economy car at the time, and had no intention of replacing the Conquest with something similar due to its ill effect on my driving record and its not-so-great foul weather handling. The salesman saw what I drove in and thought I was a candidate for one of these, so he tried really really hard to get me to sit in it, crawl all over it and drive it, but it just didn’t flip any switches for me. Now I find it a lot more appealing than I did then.
At that time from my viewpoint the only reason to buy a Subaru would have been 4WD. They were still selling FWD versions of all their models at the time, but the price points for the FWD cars were pretty much on target with the competition (ie Loyale vs Sentra), but the products weren’t appealing enough in FWD guise to warrant choosing them over more tried-and-true contenders. Once Subaru went 100% AWD across all model lines they really defined their niche, resulting in the phenomenal success they’re having today.
I really, really liked these as a kid in the 80’s. Time has done little to diminish that like–while not the most beautiful of the 80’s sport coupes, the wedge-tastic XT is still one of the coolest. And a good looker, even given its flaws. Actual driving time might diminish the impression, but I’d still stop and stare if I saw one.
Sadly, the last XT I saw in person was on the back of a wrecker, headed toward a metal recycling facility. By the looks of the XT, that wrecker ride was the first time it had moved in a very, very long while. Probably beyond saving anyway but still sad.
One of the most unique (unappealing?) aspects of these cars was their dash layout, especially with the digital gauges. It does not get much more 1980’s arcade than this:
Here is the instrument cluster:
The Japanese manufacturers loved digital dashboards — I mean really loved them, not just in the “I guess it seems futuristic and retirees love the big numbers” ways domestic automakers did — but even for ’80s JDM, this is some next-level arcade game gimmickry. Even the C3 Corvette wasn’t quite this Spy Hunter!
Love It!
There is a considerably unfavourable (and sidestitch-funny) overview of the XT6…er…I thought it was in this highly-recommendable book, but it’s actually in this one, and there’s another less-than-complimentary look at it here on CC.
I always sorta wondered about the 6-cylinder engine in the XT6. Any kin to the 3.0 in the more recent high-endy “H6” Outbacks?
I like this car. And I am not much into Japanese cars. Clean body style, no gaudiness about it. Plus, I like the flat 6, kind of reminds me of a Lycoming.
I always liked the XT6, at least from a styling standpoint. It doesn’t age as well as its contemporaries, but no car is more indicative of the 80s then this thing. It’s a design you look at and you instantly know where it came from, and I can’t help but appreciate that.
+1
Wifey-poo decided she would like an XT, after seeing one in a showroom, and we subsequently wound up with an ’86 XT Turbo. She wanted a 5-speed, and as I recall the only 5-speed available in an acceptable color was a turbo. We lived in a warm climate at the time, and AWD did not seem to be a priority, so hers was FWD. I remember thinking that the whole package was pretty bizarre, but the driving experience was not unpleasant, so home it came.
Her car had the sunroof option. The roof tilted manually, hinged at the front. The whole sunroof could be removed, stored in a special bag, and strapped onto the floor of the trunk.
The weirdness of the car was exemplified by the auxiliary switches being in two pods, which stuck out like wings on either side of the steering column. You can see them in the interior shots of the subject car. Very strange-looking, but ergonomically they worked pretty well. The digital dash was indeed ugly, and I can see why nobody liked them. It takes a moment to look at a number and recognize its significance, whereas an analog pointer gives an instant sense of relative position.
After a couple of years it became difficult to shift into 2nd without beating the synchros. The upshift would grind a bit if you weren’t paying attention, and a downshift into 2nd was even worse. I tried a variety of remedies: transmission oil change=no help; change to synthetic 75W-90=no help. In desperation I tried a change to 90W-120, which made it much worse. After pondering this for a while, I tried a change to Type A ATF. It shifted perfectly forever after, and as far as I know there were no negative long-term consequences from using ATF in the manual transmission.
From new, the 1.8L flat-four sounded a little “rattley” to me. Dealer said “they all sound like that.” Years later, with about 60K on the clock, the timing belt for the left bank broke. In the midst of a torrential thunderstorm. This was the first and only time a car left us stranded in >50 years of marriage. Fortunately, this is a non-interference engine, and after the dealer replaced the timing belts all was well. Better than new in fact, since the engine was now perfectly quiet, rattle gone. To this day I believe the original belts were improperly installed, which resulted in premature failure. BTW, the recommended belt change interval for this car was 75K.
We had that car for 7 years and about 90K miles. No regrets.
I never noticed the “connected star” logo on these. When did Subaru get rid of the lines between the stars?
I’m late to the party but I have a 1991 XT6 that I swapped a trunk lid from a 1989 model (sans that fugly luggage rack). The 1989 had the connected star logo but the 1991 did not. (there were no 1990 model year XTs as far as I know)
There used to be one of those sitting abandoned in a driveway near my Grandma’s former house. It finally disappeared around 2014 or 2015 and I haven’t seen one since.
How to confuse me; do I show this one…?
Or this one? 🙂
Had forgotten this model. Always liked the “later to arrive, SVX”! There were soo few to see though.