1993 Lumina pilot cars

[tar6569]

Fooling around with google and compnine today. Tried some different vin combos and got a hit on some of the pilot cars. Appears for 93 that there were 7 Euro 3.4 pilot cars and 6 Z34's. The reports for these say WD1 for pilot vehicle identification and VS7 vehicle statement, non saleable vehicle

 

 

2G1WP14X2P9100001 built 6/23/92 Maui Blue Z34 auto

2G1WP14X6P9100003 built 6/23/92 Torch Red Z34 5spd

2G1WP14X1P9100006 built 6/23/92 color 16U?? Z34 5spd

2G1WN54X0P9100009 built 6/23/92 Torch Red Euro 3.4

[tornado_735]

That's cool as shit! If we could find access to a free VatoCzech, we could get an idea what happened to them.

[tar6569]

that trick with using the ebay vehicle history check is pretty handy. can get up to 15 checks for like 10 or 15 bucks. gives a good amount of info. If anyone has access to look them up for free, I'll search for some more. Here's a 92 Z34 pilot car, vin# 3. 2G1WP14XXN9100003 built 6/21/91 Torch Red automatic. Looks like 12 polit Z34's were built for 92. They don't have any provision about not offering them for sale so maybe some of them still exist.

[RobertISaar]

why would there have been pilot cars in 93? AFAIK, nothing changed between 92 and 93 for luminas other than supposedly the 2.2 being offered as the cylinder in place of the 2.5?

[Drummer]

auto locking door locks black painted inserts for the 5 spokes instead of it being all aluminum and possibly 4t60e? Not that its any good reasons for pilot vehicles

Edited January 27, 2014 by Drummer

[Nas Escobar]

I think it has more to do with build quality than anything else... that or "pilot vehicle" really means the test crash cars the NHSTA and IIHS use. I think they test those every year... not entirely sure.

[RobertISaar]

auto locking door locks black painted inserts for the 5 spokes instead of it being all aluminum and possibly 4t60e? Not that its any good reasons for pilot vehicles

 

hmm..... i wouldn't think those would require pilot vehicles. 4T60E on the 3.1 cars makes the most sense, but these are all 3.4 cars which had them since introduction.

 

I think it has more to do with build quality than anything else... that or "pilot vehicle" really means the test crash cars the NHSTA and IIHS use. I think they test those every year... not entirely sure.

 

i THINK it is the crash cars as opposed to the fuel economy testing, but IIRC the crash cars are supposedly randomly purchased by NHTSA for crash testing. that may be different now, but i think that is what i read they did back then.

[Nas Escobar]

i THINK it is the crash cars as opposed to the fuel economy testing, but IIRC the crash cars are supposedly randomly purchased by NHTSA for crash testing. that may be different now, but i think that is what i read they did back then.

 

I always thought the cars were crashed before selling... to see if they met federal standards and stuff.

[RobertISaar]

that would make sense... i must have been thinking of the fuel economy testing by the EPA.

 

so i guess..... did 93 have any type of safety improvements.

[madbrad]

I always thought the cars were crashed before selling... to see if they met federal standards and stuff.

Not all of them. Many were crashed AFTER SALE, by their owners, on public roads.

[Euro]

Regardless of what their intented purpose was, it's still cool to see 000001, etc tagged cars