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Quoted: You forgot 80s Corvettes. My 1980 https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/DED73A64-76E3-4945-B2A1-0C4DF8650166_png-1588439.JPG View Quote Wanna have a really slow race? ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Quoted: It’s extremely fun. You can use more/all of the car on public roads without ending up in handcuffs or a body bag. View Quote You can do that in a WRX too and have a fun, torque filled motor. The difference in driving those two as a daily driver is staggering. And no one is using "all" of a BRZ on the road either, because if you truly are maxing it out you are still driving way over the legal limits and would be stopped just as fast as the guy doing it in a car that's actually fun to drive. |
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Quoted: You forgot 80s Corvettes. My 1980 https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/DED73A64-76E3-4945-B2A1-0C4DF8650166_png-1588439.JPG View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: 90s corvettes You forgot 80s Corvettes. My 1980 https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/DED73A64-76E3-4945-B2A1-0C4DF8650166_png-1588439.JPG Basically all Corvettes prior to 1998. |
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Quoted: Nearly everyone is applying current standards to cars that were plenty quick in their day,by relative standards. This is dumb. Nothing was very fast at the bottom of the fuel economy and more strict emissions era. View Quote People blame it on emissions or fuel standards, but it's really about how far computers and EFI have come. Early EFI was trash. Modern EFI, Wideband O2 sensors, new injectors, and modern ignition are magical. |
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Knight Industries Two Thousand (aka KITT)
1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - V8 (145 horsepower / Zero-to-60 mph = 9.2 seconds) https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/1982-pontiac-trans-am-from-the-tv-show-knight-rider/ ![]() |
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Quoted: People blame it on emissions or fuel standards, but it's really about how far computers and EFI have come. Early EFI was trash. Modern EFI, Wideband O2 sensors, new injectors, and modern ignition are magical. View Quote The fan doesn't even kick on until 228F and the auxiliary fan doesn't wake up until 238F. I have seen mine hit 240F when it was emission testing on the rollers and they didn't put their big ass blower fan in front of it (even though I asked them too....). Chevy says it isn't over heating until 260F. A very common thing in C4 groups is new people freaking out that their car is getting into the 230s when they are idling or in traffic for a long time on a hot day. The standard response is to tell them to calm down, it's normal and they are supposed to do that. All to pass emissions standards. ![]() |
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Quoted: Hyundai Tiburon. This was my 07. I had tons of people always ask what it was and how fast it was.https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/322183/tibby1_zps7251b691_jpg-1588485.JPG View Quote Well, you do have a couple stickers in the window... that add's 25hp per sticker by default, right? ![]() |
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Quoted: 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. My wife had one just like the one pictured. Nicely appointed high option car, beautiful sleek body lines, road and drove great. Unless of course you wanted to go fast or quick. 2.3L was just not enough to make it a performance car. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/47839/1987-ford-thunderbird-turbo-coupe-no-res-1588472.JPG View Quote For what it's worth, the automatic version was limited to 145hp while the 5spd had 190hp. |
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Quoted: How this hasn't been mentioned yet, is beyond me. Anything short of a ripsnortin' V8 and a manual is heresy, so of course Plymouth chose a 240hp V6 and a craptastic "AutoStick" tranny. ![]() https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/1999_plymouth_prowler_155595956723891c3e7bebIMG_5313.jpeg?fit=940%2C632 And the Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice. These two were also yearning for V8s, or a turbo V6, maybe turbo 4 but noooo, they had to be castrated with NA 4-bangers. https://i.postimg.cc/Pf6F4rB6/374-main-l.jpg View Quote These are legitimately good candidates for this thread. |
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Quoted: Not technically a car, but falls into the same "looks fast/isn't fast" criteria https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1990_chevrolet_454_ss_truck_1546557256e915c25514IMG_1498.jpg?fit=940%2C627 View Quote When people reminisce about how "awesome" old trucks were I think of the 200hp 454 in that turd and laugh. |
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Quoted: "Smokey & The Bandit" is a childhood favorite of ours. My wife and I watch it at least once a year. I can remember being really surprised when I read the performance numbers on The Bandit's car. View Quote I found out first hand a friend of mine had a Bandit '77 Trans Am as hus first car in high school. 455 and all. My Honda Accord could keep up with it ![]() Still a cool car though. |
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Why do people keep citing cars that DON'T look fast and aren't?
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Quoted: Thing is that those were easy to make real power out of. Just junk the smog equipment and do a cam swap. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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Quoted: Not technically a car, but falls into the same “looks fast/isn’t fast” criteria https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1990_chevrolet_454_ss_truck_1546557256e915c25514IMG_1498.jpg?fit=940%2C627 View Quote It still blows my mind how so little power could be made from so much displacement |
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It wasn't just late 70's and early 80's GM products that were designed and built poorly. All of the domestics were known to be mostly junk. That's when Honda and Toyota really started getting popular. People wanted a car that didn't get 8 mpg and fall apart within two years.
I had a 1981 Grand Prix with the Buick 3.8L V6. Man, that thing was a dog performance-wise. Specs say it had only 110 hp. And it was heavy especially for a two door coupe. The V8 option had less than 150 hp. Such was the times following the post-embargo era. I had a 1986 Nissan Pulsar with the 5 speed. It had the Sentra-carbed engine that made 69 hp. Even with the 5 speed, it was slower than molasses. It did get good gas mileage, though. With another 40 hp, it might have been fun to drive. |
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Quoted: You can do that in a WRX too and have a fun, torque filled motor. The difference in driving those two as a daily driver is staggering. And no one is using "all" of a BRZ on the road either, because if you truly are maxing it out you are still driving way over the legal limits and would be stopped just as fast as the guy doing it in a car that's actually fun to drive. View Quote Not really considering the FRS/BRZ is slower than a minivan. |
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Quoted: Those heavy ass mopar hellcats View Quote Quoted: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/206146/67F1E248-90B2-44AE-B4DA-81E57B7F16E3_jpe-1588477.JPG View Quote ![]() |
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Quoted: You can do that in a WRX too and have a fun, torque filled motor. The difference in driving those two as a daily driver is staggering. And no one is using "all" of a BRZ on the road either, because if you truly are maxing it out you are still driving way over the legal limits and would be stopped just as fast as the guy doing it in a car that's actually fun to drive. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: It’s extremely fun. You can use more/all of the car on public roads without ending up in handcuffs or a body bag. You can do that in a WRX too and have a fun, torque filled motor. The difference in driving those two as a daily driver is staggering. And no one is using "all" of a BRZ on the road either, because if you truly are maxing it out you are still driving way over the legal limits and would be stopped just as fast as the guy doing it in a car that's actually fun to drive. With all of the differences between the Miata and the WRX, engine output is probably the least important distinction when it comes to daily driving. A WRX is a car that normal people can use as a four seasons daily driver. Using a Miata as a daily driver is about as close as it gets to using a motorcycle as a daily driver while still having a "roof" available. You can't go 10/10ths in a BRZ most of the time, but you can still use more of the car and push it a lot harder than most sports/performance cars without getting into trouble. |
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Quoted: With all of the differences between the Miata and the WRX, engine output is probably the least important distinction when it comes to daily driving. A WRX is a car that normal people can use as a four seasons daily driver. Using a Miata as a daily driver is about as close as it gets to using a motorcycle as a daily driver while still having a "roof" available. You can't go 10/10ths in a BRZ most of the time, but you can still use more of the car and push it a lot harder than most sports/performance cars without getting into trouble. View Quote My wife drives an 86 and I’ve driven it a handful of times. It looks fantastic, it handles like it’s on rails, but it is sorely lacking in hp and feels sluggish even compared to my truck. She could care less though and loves the car, that’s all that matters to those that drive them. ![]() |
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I really wanted a Saab 900 Turbo when I was in high school. Looking at the specs, they really weren't that quick at all, even for the turbo model. I don't remember if they were reliable.
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Quoted: My daily driver https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/65995/529F962B-3123-4261-88DA-60674299F28A_png-1588531.JPG View Quote I had a MB C32 that dynoed at 401 hp after a pulley kit and a tune, and that crossfire used the same motor, and IIRC was lighter, so it should be fairly quick... |
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Quoted: And the Saturn Sky/Pontiac Solstice. These two were also yearning for V8s, or a turbo V6, maybe turbo 4 but noooo, they had to be castrated with NA 4-bangers. https://i.postimg.cc/Pf6F4rB6/374-main-l.jpg View Quote Ironically that picture is a Sky Redline, which came with the 260hp 2.0L Turbo 4-banger. We had a Soltice GXP, which was Pontiac's version of the turbo upgrade model. Not the quickest thing I've owned, but it was still a fun little ride. |
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Quoted: I don't think anything made by Saab has ever been reliable. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes I don't think anything made by Saab has ever looked like it'd be fast Quoted: I had a MB C32 that dynoed at 401 hp after a pulley kit and a tune, and that crossfire used the same motor, and IIRC was lighter, so it should be fairly quick... The SRT-6 could do over 150 and was pretty light for the output at the time. Wouldn't really call it slow, unless you are talking just base models-in which case I don't think that's really what this thread is about. |
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Quoted: Thing is that those were easy to make real power out of. Just junk the smog equipment and do a cam swap. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. 185 HP out of a 403. ![]() Thing is that those were easy to make real power out of. Just junk the smog equipment and do a cam swap. What happened to performance cars in the late 70's was sad, but it was more the fault of the government than the cars. The later 2nd gen Trans Ams were just detuned versions of the early 70's models. If you weren't completely helpless, all you had to do was look at those for a blueprint of how to correct the problem. |
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Quoted: Everyone remembers the malaise era cars were dogs. That’s not controversial. But the muscle cars from the golden days were a lot slower than most people remember. Damn near everything except for the really rare stuff would lose to a V6 Camry in a straight line and it would be an absolute ass whipping if turns were involved. View Quote Everything you speak of can be corrected with some modern components. Better performing or not, there are no components to correct the fact that you are driving a Camry. ![]() |
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Quoted: ![]() View Quote Coming from a motorcycle guy, ALL cars are slow until you start talking supercharged big blocks and quarter million dollar supercars. The supercharged big blocks run close to a bike when set up for drags and the super cars can sort of hang up to about 180 and then a few will pull a few mph on you if you have miles of clear road.... which isn’t often. Cars to a fast motorcycle guy are like the fat kid that gets a slow go kart. And they lean the wrong way into corners. |
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Quoted: Coming from a motorcycle guy, ALL cars are slow until you start talking supercharged big blocks and quarter million dollar supercars. The supercharged big blocks run close to a bike when set up for drags and the super cars can sort of hang up to about 180 and then a few will pull a few mph on you if you have miles of clear road.... which isn’t often. Cars to a fast motorcycle guy are like the fat kid that gets a slow go kart. And they lean the wrong way into corners. View Quote But you don't get killed by grass clippings in a car |
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Quoted: Everyone remembers the malaise era cars were dogs. That's not controversial. But the muscle cars from the golden days were a lot slower than most people remember. Damn near everything except for the really rare stuff would lose to a V6 Camry in a straight line and it would be an absolute ass whipping if turns were involved. View Quote |
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Quoted: @07Commander Wanna have a really slow race? ![]() ![]() https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/351202/20190912_172021-1389146.jpg View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: You forgot 80s Corvettes. My 1980 https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/221388/DED73A64-76E3-4945-B2A1-0C4DF8650166_png-1588439.JPG Wanna have a really slow race? ![]() ![]() https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/351202/20190912_172021-1389146.jpg Aww shit! I just have a L-48 auto but I did convert to EFI so it won’t choke up off the line. ?? |
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