Posted on 11/29/2006 10:12:26 AM PST by taildragger
That is one beautiful car you have there!
And racing legend Jim Clark drove a '63 Galaxie. That doesn't make it a sports car.
By the way "Frank Bullitt" owned a Mustang -- not Steve McQueen
Yes the rating of the Ford 427 was 425 horses, but the real output was substantially higher. It is also common knowledge that Carrol Shelby reworked all the 271HP 289's supplied by Ford to a 306HP configuration in the 65-66 years. Now let me correct your 'facts' regarding the horsepower of the 65 327 Corvette...it was actually 365 HP with fuel injection. And yes they ARE awesome. BTW I've owned Corvettes, my favorite being my 66 with a 350 horse 327 (normally aspirated) but it certainly wasn't a great 'sports car', it handled like poo-poo and the front end starts to lift off the ground at around 130...
Maybe before you get so condescending with other posters you should check your 'facts' first.
FOR LATER
Wow -- you are the man. Actually, some people list the 327 fuelie at 375. Doesn't matter. Box stock it is still way above the Cobra 289's 306 (by your numbers).
Anyway, for a lesson in condescension just read your first post.
You signed up today, just to be a total ass? Piss off...
"I like the new Mustangs. It's the most successful "retro" car look I've seen yet, except maybe Dodge's new Challenger concept. "
Ever driven one? Yechs-ville.
Thanks noob.
Anyway, the performance of the Cobra is the important component of the equation, not the rating of the horsepower. Undeniably the Cobra, in either 289 or 427 form outperformed its Chevrolet contemporaries.
Of course that's all just nostalgia, isn't it? Current Covettes have no rivals in the American car market, certainly not from the current Mustang.
(Of course you could buy 2 Mustangs and have money left over to supercharge them for what it costs to own a new Vette, but it's all about compensating with some guys.)
Only because the owner of the remaining '68 Fastback from the film (purchased from the movie studio) refused to sell it to McQueen. Steve wanted *that* Mustang.
The bottom end had at least $12K of parts in it with the cam, crank and pistons and high volume oil pump, balancing, magnafluxing, etc.
The block was only 30 over, but with the mods, he said he was at somewhere around 550 cu. in. Up top, aluminum heads - polished & ported with a 5 angle valve job, new intake with a slight rise to it, and a 750 Holley with tuned headers. The fellow said it dyno'd at 748 horses to the axle and I believed him. It was a show car, but it had straight duals to the rear w/ a crossover in front of the tranny and a street exhaustback at the shop that easily switched out. And yes, he fired it after the crowd got big, and then lit up some serious rubber --- a huge cloud. You couldn't talk to anyone within 5 ft of the car once he punched it.
Awesome....Awesome ....Awesome. Everyone turned that way when he cranked the old girl up. He said he wouldn't take less than $80K for her then and I thought that was fair even though the VIN showed didn't originally come with that 428.
Actually, I signed up simply to have some fun dialogue about cars (and thoroughly enjoyed the one with JOAT, who clearly knows his stuff). The opportunity to receive your bon mots is just icing on the cake.
BTW - JOAT - Agree that current Covettes have no rivals in the American car market (but I'm sure you guessed that). And please don't get me wrong, the Cobra was a great car and Shelby, of course, is a genius and an American icon. Any guy who can build great cars from some pretty humble parts (like the AC chassis), and compete at LeMans while popping nitro pills for his angina, is a pretty special human being.
I just don't generally think of the original Cobra as a Ford simply because of its power plant, any more than I would consider an ISO Grifo a Chevy, or a Jensen Interceptor or a Monteverde a Chrysler. A lot of work and inspiration by others make them what they are.
As far as buying and supercharging 2 Mustangs, instead of one Corvette, I'm not really sure which guy in that equation would be guilty of compensating. I do know that I can buy a whole box of White Owls for the price of a good Montecristo, but I will take the Montecristo any time.
Anyway, it has been a real pleasure debating this stuff with you (and a refreshing change from the political stuff that usually populates these pages). Hope to run into you (figuratively, of course) on the road some time. I'm sure the discussion would be interesting and enlightening. (No one ever changes any one else's mind about this stuff, do they?) I'll bring the Montecristos. (I will bring one for you too, Paradox. You may not want to hear what I have to say, but you gotta listen to this guy JOAT!)
Happy motoring!
Yikes! What a monster! Kowabunga, 748 HP at the rear axle! Holy cow, that would get you to the corner store in a jiffy!
I am the proud owner of a 2003 Mustang Cobra. The factory says the motor is rated at 390 HP, but I have been told that that is a low number by folks who've dynoed theirs.
It is a lovely car and gets up to 26 MPG on the highway.
I haven't done any after market work on it.
Thank you for your note! Vroom, vroom!
-Rex
We generally look down upon newbies who sign up and then immediately launch into snide comments. Trollish behavior usually gets one removed from the user rolls here.
As for my thoughts on the merits of Vettes vs Stangs, I see them as different cars. I don't know ANY Mustang owners who consider their cars "sports cars", and I was in the position to know quite a few.
I like the Corvette, its America's answer to the foo-foo uberCars from Europe, but it can spank most of them for a fraction of the price.
My wife doesn't care for the car, however, she says its a car that is usually owned by older, balding guys with erectile disfunction.
Are you sure about that MacArthur quote? I thought Roger Penske said that.
Carburetors, man!
That's what life is all about!
I was not myself last night
Lost a fight
My woody barely running
By a dude I should have beat
And on the street
A blow like that is stunning
I finally lost control
I tore my tuck-n-roll
Upholstery
Where my baby sits up close to me
That's supposed to be
What life is all about
Upholstery
Where my baby sits up close to me
That's supposed to be
What life is all about
Of all life's mysteries
The greatest one I've seen
My short runs better
When it's clean...
I was not myself last night
Ran a light
Without my registration
Where the cops were bound to see
And you know me
Already on probation
I wound up on parole
I tore my tuck-n-roll
Upholstery
Where my baby sits up close to me
That's supposed to be
What life is all about
Upholstery
Where my baby sits up close to me
That's supposed to be
What our life is all about
Hi! Here is the complete quote. I shortened it a mite. It is MacArtthur's alright!
What kind of vette do you own?
WOW. I thought American Conservatives (like me) believed in FREE speech and did not "look down" on anyone just because they were new to the discussion.
Seems you have a lot of rules on who can speak and what they can say. Now I'm not talking about offensive language or personal attacks, e.g., calling someone a "total a*s" or telling them to "P*ss off", which I certainly did not do (although I believe some else did, no?); I'm just talking about healthy red-blooded American debate about CARS! I also did not make any references to "spankings" or disparage the highly personal medical problems that some people unfortunately suffer.
With regard to your other comments, you obviously haven't met the same Mustang owners I have, but that's under the bridge.
And while I am clearly middle aged, I have a great head of hair and no other medical problems to speak of.
And my wife, God bless her (I can say that here can't I?), bought me my Corvette, and it was not to compensate for anything -- I just love great cars! (That whole guys buying cars to compensate for other things stuff is just a lot of nonsense cooked up by left wing, car-hating, mass transit loving, Nader worshipping, hybrid driving socialists!)
Anyway, if I broke any RULES about what I am PERMITTED to say here, I apologize. My offer of a Montecristo still stands.
The 26 mpg is great....my boss's also has numbers like that too!
FYI: there's a chip tune-up you can get to drop the cut-out at 110 mph.
Rules? Nah. Being abrasive on a CAR thread is expected man! Taking a ribbing for being a new guy is normal...just roll yer eyes and fire back.
Welcome to FR.
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