American Muscle Cars - Hurst SC/Rambler

The Rambler American was a tried and true AMC compact car.
The Rambler badge has been created by Nash in 1954 and it's name continued on with this car.
It was designed to be a low priced family car and was actually commissioned by AMC President George W. Romney, the father of Mitt Romney.

But in 1969, AMC went a little crazy with this little compact car.
They took the compact car and turned it into a muscle car, the Hurst SC/Rambler, designed by AMC and Hurst Performance.

They took a normal little Rambler and shoehorned a 315 horsepower 390 AMC V8 engine into it, the same engine that came in the AMX.
Then they gave it a T-10 four-speed manual transmission, a Hurst shifter, dual exhaust with Thrush mufflers and a heavy sway bar, plus some more goodies.
This was a factory full on race machine.
No options, just pure speed.
The cost...$2,998.00.
Yep...that’s it.
Even in today's economy, that would be under $20,000 dollars for a dragstrip ready car.

In factory trim, the Hurst SC/Rambler could go 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds and blast through the quarter mile in 14.4 seconds at 100.44 mph.
When people modified them...they got faster.

By the way...the SC stood for "Super Car".

Buick Gran Sport - American Muscle Cars

When most people think about muscle cars, they don’t think about Buick.
It's usually Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Pontiac....rarely a Buick.
But Buick made some very good muscle cars.
Like the Buick Gran Sport.

Like most muscle cars, it was based on a car that Buick already had, in this case, the Buick Skylark.
The Skylark was a good, solid family car.

So in 1965, Buick took it and dropped in a 400 inch Buick V8 (that was bored out to 401 inches).
They gave this "family car" 325 horses and 445 foot pounds of torque.
The Buick Gran Sport was born.

The model continued for several years.
But the "Holy Grail" of the Buick Gran Sport was the 1970 Buick GS 455 Stage 1.
This "Skylark" had a 455 cubic inch V8 shoehorned under the hood that put out a rumored 360 to 400+ horsepower.
This baby could turn the quarter mile in a little over 13 seconds at 104 mph.
And it was rumored it could hit 0 to 60 in 6.1 seconds.
That may not sound like a lot these days, but we are talking about a regular street car with a carburetor.
It wasn’t fuel-injected and it wasn’t all fiberglass, it was metal.

Today, if you are lucky, you can get a 1970 Buick GS with the 455 for $37,176 at an auction.

Austin show to feature custom cars, hot rods

Austin show to feature custom cars, hot rods: "The 33rd annual Austin Custom Car and Hot Rod Show continues through Sunday at Austin at Palmer Events Center.
The show will feature the General Lee from 'The Dukes of Hazzard' movie and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle assault vehicle. In addition, the latest custom cars and hot rods, including mini-trucks, pro street machines, antiques, restored cars and classics, will be on display. "

FayObserver.com - AP Article Page

FayObserver.com - AP Article Page: "Bruce Suggs preaches the gospel while he burns rubber.
Suggs is the pastor of Crystal Springs Chapel and the owner of Suggs Auto Sales, a body shop that restores classic cars and modifies them into hot rods.
'We can fix anything but a broken heart, and we can take you to the church that can take care of that,' Suggs said.
Most people will know Suggs' company as Christ First Customs, the name he uses when he competes in shows. Suggs' show truck is a 1940 Ford F100 painted red with yellow flames.
On the back of the truck are three crosses with the words 'Covered by the blood of Jesus.' Near the exhaust, 'Make a joyful noise for the Lord' is written on the truck. People shoot more pictures of the words than the truck, Suggs said.
'It really opens up an avenue like never before.'
After spectators approach the truck, Suggs hands them placards with photos of the truck. On the back is a testimony that uses auto restoration as a metaphor for Jesus.
'Some people think you can't be a Christian and enjoy things like this. But you can,' Suggs said. 'Everything we do belongs to the Lord.'
Making hot rods complements his responsibilities as a pastor, Suggs said. When a church member needs help, Suggs can drop what he's doing. Suggs owns the company and he doesn't need permission from the boss to leave work.
But otherwise, Suggs is working side by side with his employees. His sons-in-law Jonathan Barefoot and Mike Francis work at the shop. Another employee, Cliff Boahn, is a church member who works part time."

Roadster show is a celebration of 1932 Ford hot rods

Roadster show is a celebration of 1932 Ford hot rods: "Don’t think that Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, didn’t have big things in mind when they combined the mechanical ingenuity of the first mass-produced, affordable V-8 with a stylish and aerodynamic body to produce a family of Fords in 1932. They could never have imagined how big it would become.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford, the iconic symbol of American hot rods. Ford Motor Company is launching the anniversary festivities in a huge way, with a display of the 75 most significant ’32 Ford hot rods of all time. The display will be part of the 58th annual Grand National Roadster Show, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious hot rod and custom car show, held in Pomona, Calif., January 26-28.
The 75 most significant ’32 Ford hot rods were selected by a committee of automotive and hot rod experts who selected the 75 from a list of 474 nominees.
The Deuce 75th Anniversary exhibit will be staged in its own 42,000-square-foot building on the grounds of the Los Angeles Fairplex. At least 60 of the 75 ’32 Fords will be on display in person. Eight from the list have not survived. The exhibit has been specially designed to allow show goers an unobstructed view of each of the display vehicles and all 75 cars will be honored with large-format placards featuring essays written by well-known authors and historians Pat Ganahl and Greg Sharp along with many rare photographs.
A special multi-media program featuring rare historic images and film will play on a large-format screen in the center of the building."

WhoWon.com ... The Internet Source for Motorsports News and Information

WhoWon.com ... The Internet Source for Motorsports News and Information: "CLARENCE, N.Y. -- The Pro Modified Racing Association is pleased to announce its return to Western New York’s Lancaster Raceway Park Sunday, July 29, as part of the 2007 PMRA tour.

Lancaster Raceway Park, situated in Clarence, New York, is a one-eighth mile drag strip operating under International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) sanctioning. Many of the New York-based PMRA competitors consider Lancaster their home track, and have raced at this Niagara Frontier facility many times.

'This will be a great event for our fans,' said Lancaster Raceway Park's Jim Reid. 'We are always trying to bring in the best of shows, and believe the PMRA will offer top-notch racing. The PMRA Pro Modifieds give our fans a chance to see local home track stars. We expect to see fans at Lancaster that we haven't seen there for years.'

This PMRA tour stop will be the third annual visit at Lancaster.

Lancaster has a long tradition in motorsports. With both a drag strip and a paved oval track, Lancaster has presented the best in racing to fans of Western New York and Southern Ontario.

Joining the PMRA Pro Modifieds at Lancaster Raceway Park will be the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series. This popular grass roots drag series, which features competitors from Ontario and New York, was formed in 1996, and continues to grow each season. The participants, known for their awesome wheelies, are fan favorites wherever they appear."

The Dodge Viper, Part 4

Viper GTS-R
Using such production engine components as the block, cylinder heads, and crankshaft, Team Viper engineers were able to extract up to 750 hp from the normally 450 hp second generation 8.0 L V10 engine. The chassis was re-engineered from the ground up by British sports manufacturer Reynard Motorsport's Special Projects Division under chief engineer Paul Brown, losing much of the Roadcar's heavy tubular steel and fibreglass structure in favour of lightweight carbon fibre components.

The car made its competition debut in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Canaska Racing in 1996, then the 24 Hours of Le Mans, when a GTS-R finished tenth overall in its very first run for glory. The next year, Team Viper (who now switched services to Oreca) switched to the GT2 class and proceeded to dominate, winning five titles in the FIA GT Championship between 1997 and 2002. Oreca switched to the prototype class in 2000, but customer Vipers continued to be the most competitive in the series.

In 1998, Team Viper returned to Le Mans to set new track records in practice. When the checkered flag dropped on the 24th hour of the longest day in racing, Viper GTS–R racers finished first and second in their class to become the first American car to win at Le Mans in three decades, and the first–ever production–based American car to grace the winner's circle.

In addition to the race cars, Chrysler built 100 street-legal 1998 GT2 Championship Edition Vipers, which were rated at 460 hp (343 kW) and 500 ft·lbf (67 N·m) of torque. Named after the GT2 categories it competed in, it was aesthetically similar to the GTS-R with its paint job, aerodynamics package, and visual options in order to publicize the Viper's achievement in the FIA and Le Mans. Also in 2005 LeMans Series season two Viper GTS-R cars were entered by the privateer team Paul Belmondo Racing.

The Dodge Viper, Part 2

Second generation models increased engine power, improved suspension, and reduced braking distances; the 1996 to 2002 Viper GTS had a 450 bhp (336 kW) engine, which could complete the quarter mile 0.7 seconds faster and increased top speed by 35 km/h (22 mph) or so. A number of third party firms have modified the car to boost performance.

A coupe model, called the GTS, was also introduced in 1996. An interesting feature of the coupe was the "double bubble" roof contours; two small humps to accommodate drivers wearing helmets. Indeed, the Viper's performance has made the vehicle popular for both amateur and professional racers. Vipers can be seen participating often in drag racing, road racing and drifting. The GTS, like its predecessor, was chosen as the pace car for the 1996 Indianapolis 500.

Dodge contracted French racing team Oreca to build a racing version of the Viper known as the GTS-R in the FIA GT Championship's GT2 category, where they won the series in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002 (the last two with Larbre Competition). The car also won its class in the Le Mans 24 Hours from 1998 to 2000 and took overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Dodge would celebrate by releasing a special edition model with the winning car's livery.

In the first six years of production almost 10,000 Vipers were sold. The second generation Vipers were exported to Europe, where they were sold as Chryslers.

The 1999 model was the last Viper that had forged pistons. Subsequent years had lighter-weight, hypereutectic pistons similar to other sports cars, as well as improved exhaust systems. 1999 saw the introduction of the Cognac Connolly package, which saw cars with distinctive Cognac colored interior, special leather and interior trim. Also in 1999, the American Club Racing (ACR) model was introduced. This model featured suspension and engine enhancements focused on maximizing performance in road racing and autocross environments. Horsepower was bumped to 460 bhp in these models. Continuing chassis refinements, ABS braking was introduced in 2001. In 2002, the end of second generation production was celebrated with the release of 360 commemorative "Final Edition" models. These models were painted red with white stripes, paying tribute to the famous race-winning Oreca cars.

Performance (GTS):

0-60: 4.0 sec.

0-100: 8.6 sec.

quarter mile: 12.2 sec @ 118 mph / 2000 RT/10 ran 11.98 in magazine test)

top speed: 190+ mph

slalom: 71.3 mph

skidpad average g: .98

The Dodge Viper, Part 1

The Dodge Viper is the most powerful production car made by Dodge. Production of the two seat sports car, the Dodge Viper, began at New Mack Assembly in 1992 and moved to its current home at Conner Avenue Assembly in October 1995.

The Viper was conceived as a modern take on the classic American muscle car. While there are some who insist that the iconic AC Cobra was a source of inspiration, the final version of the Viper was far too large and heavy to seriously claim any direct lineage with the compact and lightweight vehicle. Most saw claims to kinship with the Cobra as a marketing exercise, although Carroll Shelby was involved in the initial design of the Viper.

The Viper was initially conceived in late 1987 at Chrysler's Advanced Design Studios. The following February, Chrysler president Bob Lutz suggested to Tom Gale at Chrysler Design that the company should consider producing a modern Cobra, and a clay model was presented to Lutz a few months later. The car appeared as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in 1989, and public reaction was so enthusiastic, that chief engineer Roy Sjeoberg was directed to develop it as a production car.

Sjoberg selected 85 engineers to be "Team Viper", with development beginning in March 1989. The team asked then-Chrysler subsidiary Lamborghini to cast some prototype aluminum blocks based on their V10 truck engine for sports car use in May. The production body was completed in the fall, with a chassis prototype running in December. Though a V8 was first used in the test mule, the V10 which the production car was meant to use was ready in February 1990.

Official approval from Chrysler chairman, Lee Iacocca, came in May 1990. One year later, Carroll Shelby piloted a preproduction car as the Indianapolis 500 pace car. In November 1991, the car was released to reviewers with first shipments beginning in January 1992.

The first prototype was tested in December 1989. It first debuted in 1991 with three pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Stealth, and went on sale in January 1992 as the soft roofed RT/10 Roadster.

The centerpiece of the car was its engine, with the car claimed as being built around it instead of the driver, boasting very few comforts, which did not even include door handles. Originally designed as a truck engine and based on the Chrysler LA engine, then a division of the Chrysler Corporation, revamped Dodge's cast-iron block V10 for the Viper by recasting the block and head in aluminum alloy, and giving the engine a significant power boost. Some within Lamborghini felt the pushrod two-valve design, while adequate for the truck application for which the engine was originally created, was unsuitable for a performance car and suggested a more comprehensive redesign which would have included four valves per cylinder. However, Chrysler was uncertain about the Viper's production costs and sales potential and so declined to provide the budget for the modification.

The engine produced 400 hp (298 kW) at 4600 rpm and 450 ft·lbf (610 N·m) of torque at 3600 rpm, and thanks to the long-gearing allowed by the torquey engine, provided surprising fuel economy at a claimed 21 mpg US (11.2 L/100 km) if driven sedately. The body was a tubular steel frame with resin transfer molding (RTM) fiberglass panels. Typical of American performance car design, it had a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels; it was also heavy with a curb weight of 3,280 lb (1,488 kg) and lacked many modern driver aids such as traction control or anti-lock brakes. Car and Driver magazine referred to this generation as "the world's biggest Fat Boy Harley", and likened driving it to "playing ping pong with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat." Despite this, in straight line performance, it completed a quarter mile in 12.9 seconds and had a maximum speed of 164 mph (264 km/h).

Suspension on the first-gen Viper was equally frugal, with many front-end pieces coming directly from the Dakota pickup truck.

Performance:

0-60: 4.6 sec.

0-100: 9.2 sec.

quarter mile: 12.5 sec. @ 112 mph

top speed: 180+ (confirmed by Road and Track magazine / 1992)

700 ft slalom: over 65 mph

skidpad average g: .96

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Viper

Sleeper Cars

A sleeper (US English) or Q-car (British English) is a car that has high performance and an innocent looking exterior. Sleeper cars are termed such because their exterior looks little or no different from a regular version of the car, but internally they are modified to perform at higher levels, thus they can catch the unaware "sleeping".

Some cars come like this from the factory ready for those who want performance without drama, whether understatedness suits their chosen image or lifestyle, or because they do not wish to attract undue attention of the police. For instance, many high-performance sedans look hardly different from the lower-powered models in the range; for example, the Audi RS4, Acura TL Type-S, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Cadillac CTS-V, Volvo S60R, Chrysler 300C SRT8, Mercury Marauder, Volkswagen Passat W8, 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and the Dodge Charger SRT8, among others. Cars with external badging, or other visual elements that give the impression of high performance, are not true sleeper cars.

Other vehicle owners create sleepers by swapping more powerful engines, or other performance modifications like turbochargers, and leave the external appearance exactly the way it came from the factory. Sometimes hints of the car's true nature show if one looks and listens carefully: wider tires, a lower stance, or a different engine tone or exhaust note. Gauges and instrumentation are often kept to a minimum. Some owners go as far as to use weight reduction techniques employed by other performance enthusiasts, such as removing items not fundamental to street racing, such as rear seats, interior trim, spare tire, or even the heater.

In some countries, customized sleeper vehicles (as with other heavily modified street cars) may be considered illegal for road use, because the car's level of performance is higher than intended by the vehicle manufacturer; if the owner has focused only on straight-line performance, the existing braking, steering, tires, and suspension systems may have been rendered inadequate. The emissions control system (such as intake and exhaust restrictions, or the EGR system) is often bypassed or removed entirely in customized sleeper vehicles.

Owners sometimes reduce the evidence that their high-performance car is such by removing characteristic badging and trimmings. Sleeper cars often contain stock body work and wheels found on their less-capable brethren to better blend with other traffic and appear unassuming. Some owners simply like having performance without show, but a more predatory use of the sleeper is in street racing, where it is used to fool an opponent into underestimating a car's performance for the purposes of "hustling". Some have even gone so far as to leave their cars' exteriors banged up and rusting, and sometimes even causing additional rusting with the use of battery acid.

Sometimes sleepers will be cheaper to insure when compared to an equally fast sports car, but some insurance companies may refuse insurance to owners of heavily modified vehicles.