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Quoted: For reference, how old are you? Because that's literally all there was back in the 80's. GM was NOTORIOUS for this. Put some lipstick on the pig, sell it as a performance version, but without the performance. Let me give you some examples: Chevrolet Celebrity...140hp V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.K5EFsRvUr1Vah6AmHm7VZgHaEQ%26pid%3DApi&f=1 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport VR...140hp V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.cb4MEk2nspfDx3L64oxbNQHaDQ%26pid%3DApi&f=1 Pontiac Bonneville...165 HP V6: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/1987_Pontiac_Bonneville_SE%2C_rear_left.jpg/1280px-1987_Pontiac_Bonneville_SE%2C_rear_left.jpg Pontiac Bonneville SSEi...165 HP V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcarphotos.cardomain.com%2Fride_images%2F1%2F1825%2F4721%2F4562360001_large.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 Heck, the first Fiero was a fast looking turdbucket that couldn't get out of it's own way. By that time, the "phone-it-in" attitude was very much in effect at GM. They put the Iron Duke in EVERYTHING, and proceeded to stick racing stripes all over the outside. A buddy of mine's dad had a Pontiac 6000, which was supposed to be Pontiac's competitor to the European sedans. It had the Iron Duke in it. Funniest part is, when you lifted the hood, there was an emblem on the engine that said, "Tech 4". Because fuel injection. Car and Driver called it "Low Tech 4". 88 horsepower in a car weighing 2800 lbs is hilarious, if you're not the one driving it. It was so bad that when my buddy's Chevette broke down, he was glad when it was finally fixed so he no longer had to drive the 6000....lol. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: For reference, how old are you? Because that's literally all there was back in the 80's. GM was NOTORIOUS for this. Put some lipstick on the pig, sell it as a performance version, but without the performance. Let me give you some examples: Chevrolet Celebrity...140hp V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.K5EFsRvUr1Vah6AmHm7VZgHaEQ%26pid%3DApi&f=1 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport VR...140hp V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.cb4MEk2nspfDx3L64oxbNQHaDQ%26pid%3DApi&f=1 Pontiac Bonneville...165 HP V6: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/1987_Pontiac_Bonneville_SE%2C_rear_left.jpg/1280px-1987_Pontiac_Bonneville_SE%2C_rear_left.jpg Pontiac Bonneville SSEi...165 HP V6: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcarphotos.cardomain.com%2Fride_images%2F1%2F1825%2F4721%2F4562360001_large.jpg&f=1&nofb=1 Heck, the first Fiero was a fast looking turdbucket that couldn't get out of it's own way. By that time, the "phone-it-in" attitude was very much in effect at GM. They put the Iron Duke in EVERYTHING, and proceeded to stick racing stripes all over the outside. A buddy of mine's dad had a Pontiac 6000, which was supposed to be Pontiac's competitor to the European sedans. It had the Iron Duke in it. Funniest part is, when you lifted the hood, there was an emblem on the engine that said, "Tech 4". Because fuel injection. Car and Driver called it "Low Tech 4". 88 horsepower in a car weighing 2800 lbs is hilarious, if you're not the one driving it. It was so bad that when my buddy's Chevette broke down, he was glad when it was finally fixed so he no longer had to drive the 6000....lol. turbo'ed four bangers that put out maybe 20 hp more than stock and V6s that make less HP than most four bangers today. My Grand Prix GTP was a fast ass car for its time but hardly what I would call a performance machine compared to today's "boring" mid-sized sedans. |
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Quoted: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/274692/56A07E4B-FBA5-4A0E-A2B5-9AD734D11751_jpe-1588509.JPG View Quote the 2V 4.6 cars were another matter |
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Naturally aspirated Dodge Stealth or 3000Gt. 0-60 in 7 seconds. End thread.
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Quoted: ZR1s and LT4s were stupid fast for their time and are still fairly respectable LS1 cars were built from 97-99 as well now 80s corvettes were a different story but still fast for their time compared to their contemporaries of the time View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: 90s corvettes LS1 cars were built from 97-99 as well now 80s corvettes were a different story but still fast for their time compared to their contemporaries of the time I would disagree. I Mopar Performance computer and exhaust would have an Omni GLH running them down. Granted, the GLH was very fast for what it was, but before the LT1, there was not a ton of performance coming out of the corvette IMO. |
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Here in Denver, anything naturally aspirated. The air here is a heartbreaker for a lot of American muscle cars.
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I had a Chevy Beretta that even with the v6 only had like 120 or 140hp. I loved that car and so did the wife, but it seemed like every meathead with a Mustang or Trans Am was looking for an easy victory and would rev the engine and look over expectantly at stoplights.
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I thought OP said “look fast”. Many pics on here to not live up to that statement.
BTW no Hyundai “looks fast” |
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Quoted: I would disagree. I Mopar Performance computer and exhaust would have an Omni GLH running them down. Granted, the GLH was very fast for what it was, but before the LT1, there was not a ton of performance coming out of the corvette IMO. View Quote so was your GLH ( which would NOT do 150 mph ) as was a Ferrari 308 as was a non Turbo 911 as was Maserati biturbo |
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View Quote My buddy bought one at an auction as a joke. License plate says “Bandit” and everything. Total pile of shit. |
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Acura NSX
Toyota MR2, especially 3rd gen Stock Supras Stock 3000GT's First gen Vipers |
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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 View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: IIRC, they had to pour Clorox on the Burt Reynold's Trans Am's tires in Smokey & The Bandit just to get them to spin on the pavement 220 hp??? I can remember being really surprised when I read the performance numbers on The Bandit's car. |
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View Quote I was waiting to see my car on here. Well my first car...max speed 120mph. Couldn't get anymore fuel out of the carb to go any faster. Mine was the silver with blues stripes. I ended up painting it black with the blues stripes....wish I had pictures of it...hell, wish I still had the car. They are stupid price now. |
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Quoted: The current BMW i8 or whatever it is, looks like a super car but has only like 380hp. Not the worst but for how it looks and how expensive it is, it has an anemic level of power. View Quote Yeah I remember seeing that for the first time then looking at the numbers and going "wtf". Somebody at BMW is smoking crack. |
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Really about every car in the late 70’s and 80’s was dirt slow. Anything considered fast at that time would be destroyed by most fairly mid optioned cars today. They were way slower than the real muscle cars that came before them.
My first “fast”car was a cougar XR7 with about 200hp and it could at least break the tires loose. I then moved up to LT1 and LS1 cars for a while and they were respectable. After that the 6.1 and 6.4 hemi of the SRT - they were pretty fun cars. (Even the neon srt4 was pretty fast and I drove one for 3 years). Miatas have alway been a joke of a car really with no power. The Subaru BRZ and the matching scion and Toyota variants are a joke. They look really good but are a turd. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Quoted: Nearly everyone is applying current standards to cars that were plenty quick in their day. This is dumb. View Quote Naw it’s a pretty mixed conversation. There are older cars that looked faster than hey were at their own time and would be a joke today yes. There are cars that are late model and also a joke. |
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The 4th gen. Monte Carlo SS,god what a dog. A friend at the time just got out of the Navy. He had a huge hard on for one and bought an '88 off the show room floor. Every thing he challenged smoked his ass.
But,then again they really didn't look fast either |
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Quoted: Really about every car in the late 70’s and 80’s was dirt slow. Anything considered fast at that time would be destroyed by most fairly mid optioned cars today. They were way slower than the real muscle cars that came before them. My first “fast”car was a cougar XR7 with about 200hp and it could at least break the tires loose. I then moved up to LT1 and LS1 cars for a while and they were respectable. After that the 6.1 and 6.4 hemi of the SRT - they were pretty fun cars. (Even the neon srt4 was pretty fast and I drove one for 3 years). Miatas have alway been a joke of a car really with no power. The Subaru BRZ and the matching scion and Toyota variants are a joke. They look really good but are a turd. View Quote Miatas and Subiyotas aren’t supposed to be powerful cars. That’s a big part of the fun. |
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Quoted: Miatas and Subiyotas aren't supposed to be powerful cars. That's a big part of the fun. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Really about every car in the late 70's and 80's was dirt slow. Anything considered fast at that time would be destroyed by most fairly mid optioned cars today. They were way slower than the real muscle cars that came before them. My first "fast"car was a cougar XR7 with about 200hp and it could at least break the tires loose. I then moved up to LT1 and LS1 cars for a while and they were respectable. After that the 6.1 and 6.4 hemi of the SRT - they were pretty fun cars. (Even the neon srt4 was pretty fast and I drove one for 3 years). Miatas have alway been a joke of a car really with no power. The Subaru BRZ and the matching scion and Toyota variants are a joke. They look really good but are a turd. Miatas and Subiyotas aren't supposed to be powerful cars. That's a big part of the fun. That's not fun. |
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Quoted: Naw it’s a pretty mixed conversation. There are older cars that looked faster than hey were at their own time and would be a joke today yes. There are cars that are late model and also a joke. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Nearly everyone is applying current standards to cars that were plenty quick in their day. This is dumb. Naw it’s a pretty mixed conversation. There are older cars that looked faster than hey were at their own time and would be a joke today yes. There are cars that are late model and also a joke. A lot of older cars are surrounded by mythical bullshit and are remembered as being better than they were. |
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Quoted: I'm not an iroc expert but I think 305 tpi + 5 speed manual was available View Quote 5.0 IROCs were auto and 5 spd, carb and TPI (before carbs went bye bye in '87) There were 2 different 4bb 305s, the HO L69 and standard plus the TPI 305. 5.7 was TPI/auto only. |
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View Quote Sorry, but that is a stupid comparison. A 1985 Ferrari vs a 2010 Camry. |
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Quoted: It was time travel that beat you. ‘94-‘95 Mustangs, very slow cars. Speaking from experience. Even worse, brakes that sucked unless you did a Cobra upgrade. View Quote But verp cheap and easy to make them fast. Toss some bolt-ons onto the 5.0HO and swap the gears in the rear end. That'll get you up to the point where a passenger can't grab a $20 bill stuck to the windshield while the driver's stomping on the gas. I think a theme you'll see in this thread is pretty much every car from past generations is considered slow by today's standards. Even more so when you are looking at the "economy" model instead of the high end models with the v8. 70s maverick and comets with a 250CID motor and spoilers did the quarter mile in like 30 seconds. 1970-73 mustang was also available with the boat anchor 250CID motor. I have a 1973 Mach 1 mustang with pretty much everything under the hood aftermarket and a shift kit in it. Looks cool. Would still get smoked by a v6 family sedan off the lot these days. same in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Sports cars were fast in their time. And the sleek looks fit them. Now, technology has gotten better, the cars' motors are outdated. They still look and drive as fast as they ever did. Its just that these days we have faster things available. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Really about every car in the late 70's and 80's was dirt slow. Anything considered fast at that time would be destroyed by most fairly mid optioned cars today. They were way slower than the real muscle cars that came before them. My first "fast"car was a cougar XR7 with about 200hp and it could at least break the tires loose. I then moved up to LT1 and LS1 cars for a while and they were respectable. After that the 6.1 and 6.4 hemi of the SRT - they were pretty fun cars. (Even the neon srt4 was pretty fast and I drove one for 3 years). Miatas have alway been a joke of a car really with no power. The Subaru BRZ and the matching scion and Toyota variants are a joke. They look really good but are a turd. Miatas and Subiyotas aren't supposed to be powerful cars. That's a big part of the fun. That's not fun. It’s extremely fun. You can use more/all of the car on public roads without ending up in handcuffs or a body bag. |
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Quoted: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/206146/67F1E248-90B2-44AE-B4DA-81E57B7F16E3_jpe-1588477.JPG View Quote 1965 427 S/C 0 - 100 mph - 012.3 s (If I remember right, it held that record for something like 20yrs) Super SnakeIn 1966, CSX 3015 S/C was selected and converted into a special model called the Supersnake the "Cobra to End All Cobras." Originally part of a European promotional tour before its conversion. This conversion called for making the original racing model street legal with mufflers, a windshield and bumpers amongst other modifications. But some things were not modified, including the racing rear end, brakes and headers. The most notable modification is the addition of Twin Paxton Superchargers, TPS. Shelby crafted a second model, CSX 3303, from a street version. CSX 3303 was given to comedian Bill Cosby, his close friend. When Cosby attempted to drive CSX3303, he found that it was very difficult to keep under control; he later recounted the experience on his 1968 stand-up comedy album 200 M.P.H.. Cosby gave the car back to Shelby, who then shipped it out to one of his company's dealers in San Francisco, S&C Ford on Van Ness Avenue. S&C Ford then sold it to customer Tony Maxey. Maxey, suffering the same issues as Cosby did with the car, had his throttle stick while leaving a traffic stop, lost control and drove it off a cliff, landing in the Pacific Ocean waters.[15] Shelby used his CSX 3015 as a personal car over the years, sometimes entering it into local races like the Turismos Visitadores Cannonball-Run race in Nevada, where he was "waking [up] whole towns, blowing out windows, throwing belts and catching fire a couple of times, but finishing."[16] CSX3015 was auctioned on 22 January 2007, at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $5 million plus commission (2.8 million), a record for a vehicle made in the U.S.[17] |
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