Do you love or hate musclecars?

[Alpha_One]

if i had to cast my vote, i'd say it would be: "i love it". i'm not so old but i grew up admiring these cars. mind you, such cars were already classics even before i'm born.

what drew my interest to them (muscle cars), is that the nostalgia and the history behind it. it's like owning a piece of history. imagine, every time you rev it up, you blew away a pieze of ozone layer!

seriously, mas pinagtitinginan ka nang tao kapag naka muscle car ka. besides, it is much way simpler to tinker with. all mechanicals. if i may, i would like to compare it with human muscles:

Modern Cars (Rice, et al) = Steroid induced power. More focused on having the most horses underneath the hood.

Muscle Car = All Muscles or in other words, all natural. More focused on having the most muscles underneath the hood.

as far as i'm concerned, i'm hell bent on torquey motor. sure i'd appreciate the horses, but the torque really got me.

while it is true that muscle cars are heavy bunch, it is always amaze me of the power (actually, torque it generates).

one of these days, dadaan talaga ako kila sir turbo. lapit lang sa amin yung talyer nya e.

All subjective claims. "All motor" is one of the most amusing jargon I've come across in the car world.

As for me it's not the power (mainly, at least), it's the looks. They're not going to make cars that look like that anymore, with all the safety-this-aerodynamic-that-fuel-efficient-those thinking. Any muscle car stands out on the road. Damn, I wish I was rich so I can buy that 4-door Chevelle from my granduncle.

To further illustrate the subjectiveness of taste in cars: The fastback-style Mustang is the most expensive, but guess what? I don't even like it. I prefer the coupe version much better.

[Jun aka Pekto]

OT
The AE86 is a legend in its own right not because of output but because it's a relatively lightweight and durable engine. I'm not sure of the proper term. "Perfectly-balanced" seems to be the closest term that comes to mind. A perfectly balanced engine coupled with an equally balanced chassis makes for great drift/mountain road-carving cars.

[m_ron]

It's alright,I havent seen a young asian driver here in the states driving a restored muscle car.

[oldblue]

yup. because it must evolve so it has modern tech. now retro is based on design. the new chrysler is inspired by the orig 300 series of chrysler in the 50s. even the first incarnation of the BMW z3 was inspired by the 507s (or was it 509s) of the 50s. Miatas of roadsters of the past. even now the new charger, etc. from a design standpoint do you dislike these cars? if so that isnt a prob since you are entitled to an opinion. but for many they epitomize cars with soul as opposed to a, no offense, Korean car that may have the latest tech.

hate to say this but even concept cars may have some "nostalgic" (shudder) inspiration. "Classic" means enduring in terms of design and timeless. now adding all the tech parts and modernities are for it to keep up with the times. but then again we are entitled to our opinions as you have yours of course. it is just hard to look at things in a vacuum.

the retro thingy is good to look at but not bec. it has that "classic" touch. i prefer that it has more of a fashion sense.

[Jun aka Pekto]

It's alright,I havent seen a young asian driver here in the states driving a restored muscle car.

Where you at? I've seen Asians driving V8's in the midwest. I've seen a Pinoy with a beautifully restored red, 1970 Firebird complete with flaming hood chicken in Reno NV. Most Asians I've seen prefer modern V8's though. Mustangs seem to be the overwhelming favorite with the Pontiac GTO second.

[m_ron]

Where you at? I've seen Asians driving V8's in the midwest. I've seen a Pinoy with a beautifully restored red, 1970 Firebird complete with flaming hood chicken in Reno NV. Most Asians I've seen prefer modern V8's though. Mustangs seem to be the overwhelming favorite with the Pontiac GTO second.

northeast.I dunno man,I don't have a thing for muscle cars,i think i'm a typical asian guy.

[Jun aka Pekto]

northeast.I dunno man,I don't have a thing for muscle cars,i think i'm a typical asian guy.

So am I. Heck, I was born in Japan. But da*n fellow Pinoys. I want to slap some of them silly. For some reason, they think I'm Mexican and look at me warily, at least until I say, "Uy, pare! Kumusta na!"

Of course, many Mexicans have a love for big V8 cars. But, the way they butcher them makes me want to cry sometimes.

[m_ron]

Of course, many Mexicans have a love for big V8 cars. But, the way they butcher them makes me want to cry sometimes.

lmao.

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I think most filipinos leaving in the philippines wants a muscle car for *rare* factor.

[Jun aka Pekto]

lmao.

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I think most filipinos leaving in the philippines wants a muscle car for *rare* factor.

Better than my Dad. When he retired and we decided to move to the Philippines, he sold his (really, really) rare V8 Dodge Dart and chose instead to import our (gasp!) Ford Pinto. He was so proud of that Pinto because it was an automatic.....little gas bomb on wheels.....

Add: Well, a Ford Pinto satisfies the "rare" factor. All throughout the years we stayed in the Philippines, we never saw another one besides ours. But, you wouldn't want one, trust me.

[midinite]

OT: speaking of music, wouldn't it be nice to hear old school classics inside a muscle car like pink floyds or sting and the police, etc.

lately ito ang mga inclinations ko. mga classic rocks at musics- to say the least, era. ganun ba talaga ang tumatanda or simply because i wanted to deviate from the norm of pop culture?

What about "Highway to Hell"? or "Highway Star"? The latter was a really great tume to race down the road as we did before at the old NLEX with Deep Purple at full blast.

[Jun aka Pekto]

What about "Highway to Hell"? or "Highway Star"? The latter was a really great tume to race down the road as we did before at the old NLEX with Deep Purple at full blast.

They're perfectly good cruising songs. But when I think of classic V8's or fast cars, Radar Love (Golden Earring) Turbo Lover (Judas Priest), and Space Station #5 (Montrose - when Sammy Hagar was still there) come to mind.....

[midinite]

lmao.

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I think most filipinos leaving in the philippines wants a muscle car for *rare* factor.

leaving as in vamoosing or as in residing?

hard to generalize. what makes it even more interesting is that there were servicemen here hence lots of old cars hidden. also, when i was in bacolod last the haciendas were filled with cars from a past glory. i just bought a chevelle ss there for a song cause no one in teh family was interested. not due to rarity i would say but more brought on by hype generated from cinema etc.

in fact there are old vette 427s and more lying around. it seems like the ones who are gobbling them up are not pinoys per se but aussies and europeans. now if you want to talk rare, they are extremely scarce in Sweden and that explains a lot of Swedes here looking to export them. If they were that rare, why do they ship em by the boatload?

[midinite]

the retro thingy is good to look at but not bec. it has that "classic" touch. i prefer that it has more of a fashion sense.

how could that be since it doesnt have that "modern" or futuristic look?

[Jun aka Pekto]

how could that be since it doesnt have that "modern" or futuristic look?

A modern V8 with slight touches of retro here and there gives a continuation of identity.

I'm not a big fan of retro myself. Take the 2006 Pontiac GTO. I absolutely love the styling. Yet, there are many people who say the styling is bland. Personally, I think they have sh*t for brains. But then, that's their taste and I respect it.......

I think FXT's quote in another thread, "people don't know what the heck they want" applies equally to car styling.

I wouldn't want to be designer for a car company. It's hard to figure out how people want cars to look.

I like, I like:


and for the none-V8 performance car 1998 Ford Contour SVT:


You get an idea of my current tastes in cars (which changes periodically).....

[deedee]

sorry but the new GTO's doesnt have any continuity looks from the old GTO.doesnt even have any retro looks at all.
the main reason why alot of people didnt like the new GTO(including me) is because its bland(copied that from your sentence and i totally agree),plus it shares a face that looks almost like the grand prix(no innovation on chevy).it totally killed the legendary GTO muscle car look thats why if you ever noticed alot of the old muscle cars coming back today(mustang,challenger,charger,camaro)they all share alot of its facial features from their original counterpart muscle cars.

[Jun aka Pekto]

sorry but the new GTO's doesnt have any continuity looks from the old GTO.doesnt even have any retro looks at all.
the main reason why alot of people didnt like the new GTO(including me) is because its bland(copied that from your sentence and i totally agree),plus it shares a face that looks almost like the grand prix(no innovation on chevy).it totally killed the legendary GTO muscle car look thats why if you ever noticed alot of the old muscle cars coming back today(mustang,challenger,charger,camaro)they all share alot of its facial features from their original counterpart muscle cars.

Well, there you go. See? I respect your views and all. But, I think you have..... Nah. I better keep it to myself. j/k

[ian_rex]

*midnite: yep. anything that could relate to the era. however, you can't blast it all the way in NLEX. mahigpit dun masyado.

*alpha: acknowledged. that is just me. i'm still amazed with the machinery. while i admire the high-tech innovation with modern engines, i think it is still fun to thinker with those old engines that requires only simple tools.

i think it's the thing 'retro' bug that caught the auto makers to 'revive' the classic designs.

as for me, i think i would prefer a 55 Thunderbird, a fastback Shelby GT500, a Mercury Cougar (forgot the model though) or a Dodge Challenger.

[Camaro 400 HP]

Dang, i like your comment Chip. Couldn't have said it better myself. A well maintained muscle car is something to admire.

[Camaro 400 HP]

ey Jun. are you a part of the egroups muscle cars? just wondering if you are and if you have connections.

[Jun aka Pekto]

ey Jun. are you a part of the egroups muscle cars? just wondering if you are and if you have connections.

Mmm. Nope. I'm just a regular Joe. Yahoo eGroups, right? I might search them out when I get that Mustang I always wanted (even the previous generation). 2nd hand (Holden-based) GTO's are still expensive here.