Why no Chevy 396's

[neanderthal]

C'mon, they couldn't handle well because they are from the 60s and Evos are new. Back then, they didn't know much about suspension and handling.

well id wanna say that a little 2 liter 1971 BMW 2002tii could take out those muscle cars on a track. and thats a car from the same era. so that hogwash doesnt fly.

the problem with most people who are whining about muscle cars is that they want to see every single permuation of every single muscle car out there. there was over 60 ways you could get a mustang from the sixties. i, quite frankly, dont want to see 60 kinds of any musle car, as the only real diffence between them was trim options and basically engine sizes.

dont need a 6 cyl, 302, 305, 327, 350, 396, 427, 454 etc etc etc of the chevy malibu. they all didnt handle well and only got progressively faster in a straight line. whoop de do. might work for a drag racing game, but GT aint a drag racing game.

 

[JohnBM01]

I knew a discussion on this would come down to this. As I have said, I like all cars around the world. I'm not really like "spank a Euro car with a GT350." Keep in mind, American brutes in the Trans-Am days were the epitome of American production-based car racing. Yes, you read correct. NASCAR may have been in its heyday, but it's all about Trans-Am. And the big three (and others) been in Trans-Am. Folks, we can't boil down cars to nationality, and it's not always about horsepower. I'm glad you're proud of American muscle, but my respect in American cars isn't much as "America's the best car maker in the world." If a Moderator thinks this topic is being beaten into the ground, this thread will die like a wooden stake driven through Dracula's heart.

But if it doesn't die, allow me to continue. I'm very linear towards cars, and I can understand why you would want more muscle cars. There were good points about modifying them to being the best. So if a car is horrible, you can help it (except maybe the TVR Speed 12). I haven't played it recently, but I have a Shelby GT350 in GT2. I haven't modded it up, but it is like a TVR, only 300 lbs. heavier. When I say "like a TVR," I mean light weight and heavy horsepower. The GT350 weighs around 2700 lbs if I can recall correctly.

"Well here in America we don't emphasize the twisties on road courses as much as you guys in Europe. We emphasize a lot of power in a straight line; I guess that's why some of our old muscle cars didn't have great handling." -98Cobra, post #23

But I'm going to tell you something. Sears Point is a tough road course. If an American heavyweight, whether a muscle car or a "stock" car can take on Sonoma's race track, it can bode pretty well, although I don't expect an American heavyweight to rule Donnington Park or Spa-Francorchamps. I'd also go on record saying that it may do well at Fuji and maybe Suzuka.

And as a way to end this post... MY WORST MOMENT WITH AN AMERICAN HOTROD: Losing against DTM race cars (car of choice: Ford Cobra R)

 

[TheCracker]

But I'm going to tell you something. Sears Point is a tough road course. If an American heavyweight, whether a muscle car or a "stock" car can take on Sonoma's race track, it can bode pretty well, although I don't expect an American heavyweight to rule Donnington Park or Spa-Francorchamps. I'd also go on record saying that it may do well at Fuji and maybe Suzuka.

Of course, when Nascar visits Sears Point they only race against themselves, if you have a field of badly handling cars, whos going to see the difference?

In the race series that i compete in, we have plenty of american muscle - 427 Galaxies & 289 Mustangs & Falcons and the guys who run them tend to have plenty of money to spend on development. But they are only just competitive against the Jag MKII's, BMW 1800's, Lotus Cortinas Alfa GT's and even Mini Coopers. This isn't dependant on running twisty circuits, even on faster circuits like Snetterton or Spa its rare that the Muscle rules.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not anti-muscle cars, if i had an unlimited budget i'd race a Mustang in our series, if for no other reason than the sound-track!!!

 

[kinigitt]

Of course, when Nascar visits Sears Point they only race against themselves, if you have a field of badly handling cars, whos going to see the difference?

In the race series that i compete in, we have plenty of american muscle - 427 Galaxies & 289 Mustangs & Falcons and the guys who run them tend to have plenty of money to spend on development. But they are only just competitive against the Jag MKII's, BMW 1800's, Lotus Cortinas Alfa GT's and even Mini Coopers. This isn't dependant on running twisty circuits, even on faster circuits like Snetterton or Spa its rare that the Muscle rules.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not anti-muscle cars, if i had an unlimited budget i'd race a Mustang in our series, if for no other reason than the sound-track!!!

I hear ya!

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

not only that, but a lot more guys are turning their cars into g-machines instead of dragsters taking them road courses on open track days.

EXACTLY! Old muscle cars handled like pure crap from the factory. I know this for a fact and I have been building my car into a G-Machine/ Pro-Touring car because of how terrible this car used to handle. Old muscle car suspension just was no comparison to todays technology. Many people are swapping in new suspension and drivetrain. Popular Hot Rodding magazine is the perfect example of that. 👍

 

[Dave A]

btw live4speed, u obviously dont know that much about muscle cars, i mean how could u choose a little 4 cylinder sh*it box, or even a V6 over a big block V8, not much of a car guy are ya.

Did you actually read what I said, thicko. I said "I have nothng against muscle cars but to incite that they are better than Japanese cars is stupid, as it would be to incite the Japanese cars are better than muscle cars.", where do I say I'd choose a 4 cylinder over a muscle car. I wasn' putting either above the other and neither should anyone else. As a matter of fact though I would choose a 4 cylinder over a big block V8 for many reasons living in the UK, and a 4 cylinder car is not a **** box, how many cylinders did the Escort Cossie have? How many does the Lotus Elise and Exige have ect, and as for putting down the V6, some of the best performance cars in the world have V6's, as I said originally though, it's stupid to say one type of car is better than another, it's like saying muscle cars are better than people carriers or vice versa, what planet do you come from.