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American Muscle

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4K views 47 replies 25 participants last post by  hbmcc 
#1 · (Edited)
#35 · (Edited)
Not quite American Muscle. Watermaster fits in the frunk. Dog fits in the back. If I can refrain from putting 250,000 miles on this in the next 10 years, it'll be worth more than the 2013 sticker shows (last edition, 991, of the normally aspirated 3.8 liter flat 6). New base and S models are all smaller displacement turbo's.

A 707 hp Challenger may be good at burning thru rear tires, this thing is good at everything. :)

Dog Gesture Comfort Window Tree
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Wheel Tire Sky Car Vehicle
 
#40 ·
I didn't mean to overlook the Korean cars as they have become very significant. I was around when the first of them came to the states and I wondered: "Why bother?" They were bloody awful but those guys are fast learners. In some areas they have leapfrogged the Japanese or at least been instrumental in making Japanese cars better. They have the green light to produce a nifty new midsized truck and we are anxious to see if it is as stunning as the prototype. Their SUV's are darned good and their sedans have been blessed with gorgeous styling-something no Japanese car can lay claim to.

But their luxury sedans get my attention most of all. Where as the Germans equate luxury with massive horsepower and speed the Koreans take a more realistic view of of how these cars are actually driven. They are still quite fast and powerful but don't have that tame race car aura that Mercedes and BMW project. They coddle the passenger inside and that is really the whole idea behind luxury.

If I was shopping for a luxo rig right now I would probably start with the Hyundai Genesis G80 AWD with the 3.8 6 cyl.
The seats alone would probably close the deal for me.
 
#42 ·
SG, I should have been more specific. Back in '55 only 3 factory built hot rods were available as I recall-the T-Bird, the Corvette and the Chrysler 300. I got to ride in all 3 of them-what I called the original muscle cars. Of the 3 the 300 was the most impressive yet with 300 hp it's 0-60 time was only 9.8 seconds back then. That is considered glacial for 4 cyl economy cars today. So the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times of the 2017 F-150 Ecoboost would be much faster. Top speed is a moot point as I believe all the new trucks have limiters around 105 mph. Not sure of this but it seems they are all about the same regardless of engine.

If I remember the original hemi was 331 cu in, once the displacement started ramping up acceleration times dropped dramatically and top speed-depending on gearing-went way up. By any measure though the acceleration of that new F-150 is truly remarkable for a brick shaped 3 ton vehicle with a relatively tiny engine.
 
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#43 ·
The Corvette in the '50's was not a muscle car...it was a six cylinder most of the time. The 300 was a huge car. The t-bird has never been anything worth writing home about, much less pre-1965.

The F-150 has never...never...never weighed three tons.

The muscle cars started with the 1964 GTO, which is when Pontiac, under John DeLorean (yeah, the same) shoe-horned the largest engines Pontiac made into their lightest car (the Tempest)...and it's 0-60 was much quicker than 9.8sec...on biased-ply tires...not modern radials.

These were also cars that were tweaked by guys in sheds to be much faster...still on crappy tires.

My 1974 Elky does 0-60 in about six-five. Sure, it's not overly fast, but I could build the engine much more powerful if I wanted. Keep in mind, this is a car that has a roofline shorter than an accord, but is as long as a short-bed, extended-cab 1/2 ton truck.

All that new cars have done is given us more gadgets, ass-warmers, ball-coolers, radio controls on the steering wheel and a whole lot of extra weight.

For the pure driver, older is best.

Also, as far as my bad gas mileage goes in my three vehicles (elky which I've talked about, 1949 Chev Truck rod, 1981 Chev K10), these vehicles have produced fewer emissions over their lifetimes than the production of the cars that replaced them. This is because of all the resources required to make a new vehicle, which far outweighs sustaining an older, properly running vehicle.
 
#47 ·
Iveoflone, appreciate your additional comments / clarification.

"First muscle car" status has somehow been attributed to the 1964 GTO. I also have always felt this inaccurate. With stuff like Ford 427 T-Bolts, Mopars Max Wedge 'Cross Ram' and Hemi, Chevrolet 425 hp dual quad 409 'W' power plant already out there rolling. When the first V-8's hit town in the 50's the home garage hop-up guys had something to work with. RAW POWER was there and accessible ..just needed a little coaxing

The last true (my opinion) muscle cars were done for by mid 1970's. Technology is amazing on many fronts. The Ford Truck you cite being very impressive example. I'd love to gift my GF one (little bit of a Ford vs Chevy thing in this house)
 
#48 ·
They've evolved over the years. Everywhere, but durability. Chevy can always put the race into laymen's hands. Ford just turns them into Grand Marquis and barges....

An early racing Cobra bought by a doctor found a power pole outside town. The heads from that car found my Merc Meteor.

The same friend with the Cobra heads--he kept them, BTW--could go nearly as fast in first as he could drive. I think his Camaro was 327, red with white soft top. He later nearly killed a girl when his Corvette exploded body parts.

Watched a Camaro 396 SS try to split itself around a PP, but 150' from a dead stop didn't provide enough momentum.

My 67 442 was a piece of shit, but got me to 140 one day. 6 mpg and new tires after one month cured the power trip syndrome.

I retired to floating valves in my Renault 10 in the middle of Montana. I think a Sissy Harley had more horses than the R10, but 100 mph was plenty. And, 35 to 45 mpg was its own cool factor in 1970-71. That sucker was a goat! I used it hunting elk and deer.

Of all the cars I have seen, the Cobra won my heart. A f@#E g beast! You could hear it idle at least a quarter mile away. No wonder it was copied--and fu**ed up with bigger engines--for 50 years.
 
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