Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Lumina Z34

Like the Nova I posted yesterday, this generation Lumina--or either generation of Lumina, really--is hardly an exciting car. But as a child, I quite liked them. While Chevy's bread-and-butter midsize car, the Lumina did have its fair share of "special" versions. The Euro was the more sedate version, but the Z34 is where it was at if you wanted a sporty-looking Lumina. Sure, the Euro kept a rather minimalist appearance 1990s GM standards, but the Z34 spoke loudly. Not-quite subtle ground effects, a rear decklid spoiler, and hood louvers/vents, this model surely warned onlookers and other drivers of its intentions. Sporty-looking, yes. But sports-car? Not quite. I still like these, and always will. To me, this is what 1990s-GM is. Distinctive looks wrapping up a not-quite-distinctive powertrain.
















Unlike the last Z34 I posted, this example is in quite a bit better shape. The ground effects show no warp, and no fading, the paint shows absolutely no signs of heavy abuse--aside from the signature rear fender-rot, but that's almost a given; it likely occurred when these were quite new. Given the black paint with red striping, I almost want to say this might've been a Dale Earnhardt Edition, but I can't find proof if it was or wasn't. Whatever the case may be, this one sure lets its NASCAR connection be known. Today, most NASCAR cars are a faint shadow of the cars they're supposed to resemble. Back in the 1990s, it was obvious; the Luminas were Luminas, the Cutlass' were Cutlass', the T-Birds were T-Birds, and so on. Besides that little motorsports connection, I plain love these cars for what they were.
It's clear the owner takes great pride in his or her GM "shitbox"; being able to endure tough Minnesota winters for nearly 20 years is no easy task, especially for a car that's prone for immense rusting; I applaud the owner for caring enough to keep it in near-spotless condition. I worry that as the years go on, these will become nearly extinct, holding the same fate as the Novas and Lagunas that came before them. Based on that theory, maybe I should start photographing the 2000+ Impalas and Monte Carlos. Or not. All in all, this is wonderful example of a piece of GM history that's often forgotten by many-- but not me. Every time I see any '90 to '94 Lumina, my mind quickly gets filled with memories of my youth, and the various Sundays I spent glued to TNN watch a field of 20 Luminas duke it out with Ford Thunderbirds on TNN--and that's the way it should be.