[Shotimes] Gloly Days of Performance Cars

[Jim Heaton]

Don, 

I think we are in 90% violent agreement: I agree with
your points (always up for a pun) about working on
cars old vs new. But even so, when they were made, the
old cars had far worse performance because of horrible
tires, weak brakes and sloppy suspensions (over
generalizing of course but generally true, especially
about the American muscle I love so much). What they
were best at (by today's standards) was putting big
beautiful grunt engines into cars, yielding decent
power to weight ratios even today.

The Glory Days of the modern automobile *enable*
upgrades for the 60's cars to bring them closer to the
modern performance car - Street tires and rims that
out perform 60's race tires, vastly better brake
fluids, compounds and retrofit brake and suspension
components that bring new technology to old cars. An
old car with modern parts is a thing of beauty, but it
is also a far better and I would argue a somewhat
different vehicle than it was when it left the
factory.

A good example - AC Cobras can run very close to Z06
performance on the track - but not with 60's-grade
parts on them.

-Jim

> Jim,
> 
> No doubt that today is the second coming of the
> really FUN 
> car.
> 
> There is one main reason, though that I would call
> the first 
> coming just a bit better:  ease of modification and
> ease of 
> working on a car at a low cost.
> 
> computerization has made some great things possible
> (better 
> running, better fuel mileage, etc) but it also
> brings 
> complexity that the vast majority of up and coming
> gearheads 
> just can't content with.
> 
> IN the 60's and early 70's if you had a screwdriver
> and a 
> business card, you could set your ignition! 
> (oversimplification but you should get the point!
> pun 
> intended!)  :)
> 
> Put todays tires and some of the upgraded suspension
> 
> technology on yesterdays muscle and you get a great 
> combination that is dependable, handles well and
> goes like 
> stink.  Also is easier to modify and cheaper to work
> on today.
> 
> This IS a great time to be alive for the most part,
> with 
> some really great car choices and still enough
> freedom and 
> open space in America to enjoy it all.  And to make
> it 
> better yet, it is possible to have your cake (old
> muscle 
> cars) and eat it too (new muscle cars).
> 
> Don Mallinson
> 
> Jim Heaton wrote:
> > I think today may be the best of all times. 390 hp
> > Cobra, 400 hp base vette, 500 hp viper.
> > 
> > Tires are SOOOO much better than they were then,
> not
> > to mention suspensions, active electronics & yaw
> > control. Best 911's ever. 400-500+hp performance
> > sedans as well as quite a few in the 300+hp range.
> > 
> > IMO THESE are the glory days for cars.
> > 
> > -Jim




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