overlooked muscle cars

  • Thread starter Thread starter MattC
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MattC

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Taking well known cars like Boss 429s, Super Bees etc out of the equation, there are probably some quick rides that get overlooked :( . Removal of pollution controls/simple mods could turn some smog era cars into something nice :). Also there might be some cars from the 50s that have been forgotten. Any other inclusions? :cool:

Gran Torino Sport Cobra Jet 351

SD 455 Trans Am

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That's a Superbird, the winged version of the Roadrunner. I wouldn't exactly call it an overlooked muscle car at all though. One muscle car I never see too much of is the Plymouth Belvedere. I've seen some pretty fast ones and no one seems to notice the power in those cars.
 
/\ Sure it's muscle. It was muscle for the 1980's, because the "darthvadermobile" was the hottest car on the street. I believe it had 230 horsepower coming from a turbocharged V6. in 1982 The only fast cars in 1982 either had a bull or prancing horse emblem or were built in stuttgart. (I heard somewhere that in 1982 the grand national was faster than the vette:eek:Pwned by a buick!)

Being as how General motors created the camaro/firebird to compete with the mustang, I would call them muscle, but they're really pony cars. I think firebirds aren't overlooked at all. Trans Ams/ firebirds are more sought after than the camaro.

Ford maverick,

Any 1950's Oldsmobile powered by the "Rocket"

Hudson hornets were hot in their day,

Plymouth Duster/Dodge Demon

Ford Galaxie

Plymouth Satellite

Olds 442

Buick GS

Chevy II Nova

And Jack Griffith cashed in on Carroll Shelby's Idea of Big Motor + small car = Much speed, when he put a ford 289 into a tvr Grantura, and so the griffith came to be.
 
The 1968 Plymouth Barracuda gets overlooked IMO

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sure, but not the '70s and '71s. :)

And nobody give the AMC rebel "the machine" any credit. :grumpy:
 
///M-Spec
Not the be all end all... but not a steaming pile like most people make it out to be.


M
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For one, I'm tired of Chevy falling back on the same old engine. Yes, it's a great engine, no taking away from it at all, but if you simply keep putting the same hamster into different color cages, it loses a lot of it's appeal (to me).

Also, the only saving grace of the GTO was the bump in power and added styling this last year. Why did they do that? Because the car was hated so much and made fun of that they had to try and salvage it somehow. The thing I like best about the car, is it's slick interior. And a nice interior should NOT generally be the top of the list when rating a musclecar. :D
 
And a nice interior should NOT generally be the top of the list when rating a musclecar.
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/\ Of course not. looks get a man so far, but what's under the hood matters most. Especially with the ladies. :sly:
 
Am I the only one that likes the way the new GTO looks? I mean I really did like the way the Monaro looked, the GTO, has a subtle exterior, that doesn't attract much attention. Which is the way I like. Yet it has the power, to surprise most people who don't notice it at the stoplight.
 
ND4SPD
Am I the only one that likes the way the new GTO looks? I mean I really did like the way the Monaro looked, the GTO, has a subtle exterior, that doesn't attract much attention. Which is the way I like. Yet it has the power, to surprise most people who don't notice it at the stoplight.
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Do you get the Pontiac Grand Am and Gran Prix where you are? If not, it looks far too similar to those vehicles, which is a strike against it, I believe.
 
Lethalchem
For one, I'm tired of Chevy falling back on the same old engine. Yes, it's a great engine, no taking away from it at all, but if you simply keep putting the same hamster into different color cages, it loses a lot of it's appeal (to me).

Also, the only saving grace of the GTO was the bump in power and added styling this last year. Why did they do that? Because the car was hated so much and made fun of that they had to try and salvage it somehow. The thing I like best about the car, is it's slick interior. And a nice interior should NOT generally be the top of the list when rating a musclecar. :D
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That's why I specified the LS2 version of the GTO. For the money, it is one of the best deals going in the segment. And if its a great engine, what's wrong with using it? 400 hp is 400 hp. The wheels don't know the difference. Should they change for the sake of change?

The car is a suspension and tire package away from being a real winner, IMO. And the only other problems I can recall is weight and steering feel (which is a rampant problem in the entire class, so I can't really hold it against it) I drove the LS1 version of the car and thought it was a pretty good GT. Like I said; a very underrated car.


M
 
///M-Spec
That's why I specified the LS2 version of the GTO. For the money, it is one of the best deals going in the segment. And if its a great engine, what's wrong with using it? 400 hp is 400 hp. The wheels don't know the difference. Should they change for the sake of change?

M
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My problem with it (and apparently quite a few other people's) is it's styling. Sure, they're trying to "fancy" it up now to make it look meaner, but that was after listening to all the complaints from the public, I'd wager. The car's weight is a huge disadvantage (I should know, my Cobra is a pig too and it's a PITA). With such a poor start, it's going to take awhile for the "mood" to change about the car regardless of what they do to it. First impressions mean a lot to the masses IMO. The sales figures speak for themselves. Of course, if the public not wanting the car means "underappreciated" then I guess I should be agreeing with you. :lol:
 
:lol:

I think this is funny.

People hate the GTO based on how it looks, yet love dozens of other old school muscle cars. :D

Personally, I like the new GTO.

I also like old school muscle, so yeah, maybe that means I'm not partial to any specific kind of styling, but I will tell you this much...

I do not like the new chryslers.
The power wagon by dodge and the 300c(?)... Don't like either. :yuck:

But hey, no right, no wrong... Just opinions here. ;)
 
Kent
:lol:

I think this is funny.

People hate the GTO based on how it looks, yet love dozens of other old school muscle cars. :D
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Hehe, you can't be the new kid on the block and become an instant "classic". The old muscle earned their places. When (if) the GTO does something to stand the test of time, then perhaps it too can join the ranks. :D
 
Lethalchem
Do you get the Pontiac Grand Am and Gran Prix where you are? If not, it looks far too similar to those vehicles, which is a strike against it, I believe.
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Of course we do...my mom's friend has a gran prix, a lincoln navigator and a malibu :lol::lol::lol:. I have no clue what's with the variety of car types tho.


ND4SPD
Am I the only one that likes the way the new GTO looks?
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Yes. :lol:
 
Whats with everyone bashing the new GTO? So its a slightly remodeled Holden Monaro... So It looks vaguely like every other car in the Pontiac line... It is still fun to drive and has loads of potential. The engine can make over 500 hp with basic upgrades, up to 600 hp reliably with more work, and some say over 1000 if you really want to push limits. The stock suspension is kinda heavy and it lacks good handeling but it can be made to handel quite well with some basic upgrades. And If you look back to the 1964 GTO many of the same things could be said about it. The 1964 GTO it was basically just a Tempest with a more powerful engine and different badges. It too looked like most of the other cars in the Pontiac line, but it was fun to drive. Its suspention was not always able to handel the power and speeds the car was capable of but could be easily moddified to do so. And the old GTO's engines could make some serious horse power if one was willing to put some time into it.

I think the new GTO has the potential to become a great car, although I doubt it will be as ledgendary as the old ones, it just needs some time for GM to pull its head out of its arse and give the car what it needs, just like back in the 60's. So I say we give the new GTO a few years before we pass judgement on it and if in 3 or 4 years it has not become the car it has the potential to be THEN by all means, bash away....
 
Exactly, I know people that like the Holden Monaro, but hate the new GTO, weird isn't it. Also what about the earlier styeld chevy novas, chevy marketed them as economy cars, and no one took notice of them, until they started showing up at the drage strips.
 
ND4SPD
Am I the only one that likes the way the new GTO looks? I mean I really did like the way the Monaro looked, the GTO, has a subtle exterior, that doesn't attract much attention. Which is the way I like. Yet it has the power, to surprise most people who don't notice it at the stoplight.
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Absolutely not. The coming-up appearance package overdoes it for me, the '05 GTO is perfect. It has just enough give-aways to tell you it's something, but if you're not careful, it's subtle looks can sneak up on ya and blow your doors off.

Score one for the Am.... err, Austrailians 👍

And I can't wait to see the 2007 Camaro :)
 
I think the current GTO is very nice. 35k for a 400hp car that looks relatively aggressive but not in your face. It has a nice interior...and the whole package is just very well put together IMO. The LS1 GTO didnt quite do it for me...but the update was right on the ball.
 
Damn the smog regulations!!!!! :crazy:


The AMC AMX is overlooked, as is the Javelin.
 

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