GM H platform (FWD)

Infobox Automobile platform
name = GM H Platform (FWD)


aka =
manufacturer = General Motors
predecessor = GM G platform (RWD)
successor =
production = 1986–present
class = Full-size
similar = Ford D3 platform
body_style = 4-door sedan
2-door coupe
engine =
transmission =
front_suspension =
rear_suspension =
wheelbase =
related =
vehicles = Buick LeSabre
Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight
Buick Lucerne
Pontiac Bonneville

:seealso|GM H platform (RWD)The H platform, or H-body, name has been used twice by General Motors. It was part of the successor to the mid-size G-body, which was used by the pre-1986 Pontiac Bonneville. The 1970s H-body was an inexpensive rear-wheel drive subcompact automobile platform from the 1970s. The 1980s H-body was a front-wheel drive full-size car platform.

The 1980s H-bodies were full-size front-wheel drive cars with a 110.8 inch wheelbase. Most H-bodies used GM's large 3800 V6, and supercharged versions were introduced in 1991. They came in both 2-door and 4-door versions, but the four door sedans were dramatically more popular.

According to one source [1 - Taub, Eric (Nov 1991). Taurus: The Making of the Car That Saved Ford. E. P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-93372-7.] , the H-Body sedans were the next "big thing" for GM, and development cost more than $3 billion, which is on par with roughly how much Ford invested in the Ford Taurus. Both the H-body sedans and the Taurus (based on the D186 platform) were launched fully in 1986.

In the 2000s the H-body chassis is currently used by the Buick Lucerne and also was used for the Pontiac Bonneville. The chassis identification can be found on the 4th letter of the VIN.

Vehicles

References