1971 muscle car war all over again ?

[UFO]

Sure the modern muscle cars are safer than they were, but 700hp is most definitely not safe for the street. At least for the folks in the way.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by Xist

Don't the forced-induction four-cylinders have engine sounds pumped through the speakers?

Lots of cars do, right up to and including the BMW M5.

[Fat Charlie]

Heh. The first time a Dart turbo came in, I started looking for exhaust parts because it sounded like hell. Turns out it was on purpose: as one kid in a Dart forum said, "I cant believe how powerful they made the 1.4 sound!"

Back on legacygt.com, a guy named hogmeat came up with the Hog-Zawst mod. You undid the exhaust flange bolts and added a few washers. Instant power sound.

[Frank Lee]

I don't know what anyone would even do with this really high HP on the street. If you take off too fast and get caught it's a ticket. In my State 100+ mph is a felony. Heck I can do felonious driving in a Tempo.

So it must be for pishing contest rights or track use.

I understand the allure of speed but anymore it's tough to experience it without the threat of costly prosecution in our police state.

Also I believe if I want to experience speed, why would I drag a ton or two of dead weight along with? Go fast on a bike and feel the breeze.

Additionally I've found that I much prefer driving a slow vehicle fast than a fast vehicle slow. Might as well sell the VMax...

[jray3]

Originally Posted by darcane

Since when are gas powered cars "dying off"? Electric cars are still a miniscule percentage of the market and have some huge (insurmountable?) hurdles to overcome before they can realistically replace someone's primary mode of transportation. Battery life, range, and time to recharge are all issues that your typical car buyer doesn't want to deal with..

Darcane, if you think that an EV cannot replace someone's primary transportation, you must not have thought about it very hard. I live in a rural area, commute 34 miles, and have driven a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV over 66000 miles so far, with the only consumables being a set of tires and cabin air filters. Meanwhile, the family minivan is down to about 6k miles per year of '2nd car' errands and long trips. Once you get to plug in every night, gas seems so... unrealistic.

Frank, you're sure right to "prefer driving a slow vehicle fast than a fast vehicle slow." But you might as well sell the VMax because it's simply a middle-aged suicide machine. A friendly fellow in my church who's refused to grow up got all but killed on his bike by an inattentive driver last weekend. If you have dependents, driving a motorcycle in traffic is much more foolish than driving a muscle car.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by jray3

Darcane, if you think that an EV cannot replace someone's primary transportation, you must not have thought about it very hard. I live in a rural area, commute 34 miles, and have driven a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV over 66000 miles so far, with the only consumables being a set of tires and cabin air filters. Meanwhile, the family minivan is down to about 6k miles per year of '2nd car' errands and long trips. Once you get to plug in every night, gas seems so... unrealistic.

Interesting, I live just north of you...

From my point of view, your i-MiEV *IS* the secondary vehicle. Yes, you commute in it daily and put more miles on it. But, if you had to limit your family to just one vehicle, which would it be? My guess is that the restrictions on use are too great for an electric to fill that role, and it would likely be the minivan.

A few rare people could live with an electric as their sole vehicle, but the vast majority of car buyers could not manage that. Until that hurdle is overcome, electrics will not kill off gas.

[freebeard]

When I was in high school we would cruise the streets of Salem on Friday nights, in my friend's father's red 1960 Valiant station wagon. They had an 1/8th mile dirt driveway so when we got to the end we'd jack it up, crank the front torsion bars down and then raise it back up when we got back home. I liked the radiused rear wheel wells and slanted taillights.

When I was looking up the model year (easier than figuring out my age at the time) I found this on Wikipedia:

Plymouth product planning director Jack Charipar gave impetus for a stock car racing version of the Valiant,[9] and while Chrysler engineers developed the Hyper-Pak for the track, the Hyper-Pak dealer tuning kit option was made available in limited quantities on December 1, 1959. Features included 153 lb·ft (207 N·m) of torque, a 10.5:1 compression ratio, dual exhaust pipes on a single muffler, a manual choke and a larger 15 US gal (57 l) fuel tank.[10] Dick Maxwell, a Chrysler engineer responsible for many of the Super Stock Mopars, recalls that "When NASCAR decided to run a compact road race in conjunction with the 1960 Daytona 500, all the factories got involved. We built a fleet of seven Hyper Pak Valiants with 148-hp 170-ci [Slant] sixes having a single four-barrel with ram manifold." The race Hyper-Paks also featured high-load valve springs and long-duration, high-lift camshafts.

[jray3]

Originally Posted by darcane

A few rare people could live with an electric as their sole vehicle, but the vast majority of car buyers could not manage that. Until that hurdle is overcome, electrics will not kill off gas.

We are in agreement, Darcane (except on the highest mileage vehicle not being the primary vehicle).
I'd love to replace the minivan with a plug-in hybrid or Tesla S/X. Since there is no 6+ seater plug in hybrid available, guess I'll have to settle for the Tesla Model X. Yep, right after I consult with the wife.....

Try an i-MiEV, you'll have a blast. Matter of fact, you're welcome to try mine! Send a PM and I'll come on by.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by jray3

If you have dependents, driving a motorcycle in traffic is much more foolish than driving a muscle car.

For whom? How much potential collateral damage would a motorcycle have, compared to a muscle car?

When I bought my first car, I started researching new cars, but only ones that I might theoretically own, like a 2000 Civic.

I met a great many girls who drove Cavaliers or occasionally Sunfires. It was interesting to hear them explain how the Sunfire was better than the Cavalier and their reasons for purchasing either.

More than anything, I heard that it was cute, but at least one person told me that it had the highest horsepower in its class.

Actually, I believe that the Corolla had more. What I did know was that the Cavalier had the slowest 0-60 in its class, which I mentioned when they brought up horsepower.

I had a coworker that started modifying his Cavalier. He had the full exhaust system replaced, going from one small pipe on the exhaust to four large pipes branching off of one pipe.

It sounded powerful, but I commented that the sound came from the exhaust, not the engine.

Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

[darcane]

Originally Posted by jray3

We are in agreement, Darcane (except on the highest mileage vehicle not being the primary vehicle).
I'd love to replace the minivan with a plug-in hybrid or Tesla S/X. Since there is no 6+ seater plug in hybrid available, guess I'll have to settle for the Tesla Model X. Yep, right after I consult with the wife.....

Try an i-MiEV, you'll have a blast. Matter of fact, you're welcome to try mine! Send a PM and I'll come on by.

Good luck convincing her on the Tesla...

I'm not anti-electric, I just think they have a ways to go and I'm not sure if those hurdles can be overcome. I'm always up for test-driving a car, and would be happy to take yours for a spin. That Ghia sounds intriguing too.