Guys, your posts are falling on deaf ears...this post originated back in 2004.  The guy who started it isn't on this forum any more.  Chill...

The only people on this board who could possibly be pro import are new users who haven't figured out this board's niche.  Some of us regulars tolerate imports...and think they can be cool if done right...but we'd all take American Muscle first.

Welcome to the board...  

CHICKENHAWK:
<P>For all you import haters:  This #### is about to get ugly, Long story short.  I road race not redneck qtr, stay straight and see who wins ####.  I had a 2001 WS6 6-Speed, I sold it and bought a 1991 240SX.</P>
<P>Handles much better, 10 fold, faster in the qtr mile, I am now winning a couple of raod races and not spinng off the track in turns due to better handling.  On the recent Drift event, you guys noted the GTO in the event, but said the event needed the V/8 roar, it does not!  Push rod engines are ancient dinosaurs, my 2.4 liter DOHC engine is putting down 365 rwhp and 310 foot pounds.  I can walk all over a *** c-5 any day.  At the qtr mile track (MEMPHIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY), I eat them for lunch.  With or without nitrous.  I am not a fart can, 19 year old ricer wannabe, my car is flat black with Volk gram lites, Nitto's all four corners and Garrett T3/04 Turbo.  Pushing 15 pounds.  I love some American sports cars, but let's face it, they are getting slower and are still boats.</P>
<P>The new C-6 is an abomination, the 03 and up Cobra's are pretty great but the best recent is by far the fourth gen F-Bodies.  The Viper is not even considered and American sports car since its designers are of Italian decent from the Ferarri corp.  Drifting is an emerginf sport that is going to be bigger than NASCAR, wait.  It is harder to perform, the cars a nicer looking, they are nearly as fast, and you can drive them home.  Nissan, Toyota and Mazda are able to build 1.6 to 3.0 liter engines to push mad horsepower and the Chevelle, Nova, Camaro and Corvette group are pissed that a car half thier weight with twice that horse power bust thier ass on the road.</P>

Why imports suck, well let me fill you in on some things that Iread in a Super Chevy magazine a few years ago.

US: Installing an 8 and 3/4 in. rearend after breaking into the low 10s.
THEM: Never realizing that their factory built 4 cylinder will continue to snap halfshafts forever.

US: 600 HP on 92 octane pump gas.
THEM: 300 HP on $6 a gallon 110 octane race fuel.

US: Sideways into 3rd gear.
THEM: Sideways to avoid highcentering a speed bump.

US: Dual 2 3/4 pipes with Flowmaster exhuast.
THEM: Stock peeshooter exhuast with a 5 in. tip.

US: Installing a Hursh performance shiftkit for shorter throws.
THEM: Installing the shift kit for the lighted knob.

US: Swapping stock 14 in. rims for 17s to hide trick brakes and suspension.
THEM: Swapping stock 14 in. rims for 20s despite STOCK brakes and suspension.

US: Chevy old-tech LS6 with 425 HP
THEM: State of the Art Honda DOHC VTEC with 160 HP

US: Boost guage on a blown engine, nitrous guage on a squeezed engine.
THEM: Both guages on a naturally aspirated engine.

US: Throttle steer.
THEM: Torque steer.

US: 500 ft-lbs of torque at 3500 rpm.
THEM: 50 ft-lbs of torque at 35,000 rpm.

US: Installing a 12 point roll cage to reinforce the chassis.
THEM: Installing a 12 point roll cage for more places to mount guages.

US: Polishing the taillamps for a bright red glare.
THEM: Installing clear taillamps to bait cops.


Lastly I would like to say that the cars performing in drift competitions do not look better. They look like a freakin phone book. Just paint all the cars Yellow and we can save some rainforests by not printing "The best Red Yellow Pages"
All those cars do is advertise, "I saw this on 'The Fast and Fake....err I mean Furious,'" So don't stand here and disrespect the guys who like musclecars until you do some homework, and when you disrespect someonewith an opinion like that you can expect it right back. And since you can smoke a C-5 let me ask you this, Have you ever heard of the "LINGENFELTER VETTE?" In 2002 LPE(Lingenfelter Performance Engineering) desinged a corvette with 802 HP and 866 lbs-ft of Torque that looks totally STOCK. Let's see if your little DUAL OVERHEAD COFFEE CAN engine can run a 9.24 qtr at 151 mph...... Yeah I didn't think so.  

You certainly know your cars.  

[ignore]  

I personally think the import vs domestic thing is funny....it gives us something to laugh about.

Funny thing about people getting older....most get wiser.  The 20 something guys (and gals) will soon be 30 somethings and guess what they will be buying?  Upscale V-8 RWD hot rods. How many import manufacturers make those?

My wife and I love our T-Birds with old fashioned Big Blocks. Alot of fun for far less than a hopped up import.  Check it out:

83 T-Bird 460
87 T-Bird Turbo Coupe 460



 

I would like to say that those are some SWEET T-Birds. My dad had a Turbo 2.3 T-Bird, and that thing would blow the doors off of well, just about anything with a front-engine front-wheel drive 4 cylinder. I think the only 4 cylinder that might have tounched it would have been his old Plymouth Laser that had the K-car 2.5 SOHC Turbo Engine. Only cuz the Laser was lighter weight though. That 190 HP 2.3 Turbo flew. All cast iron, and until he ruptured an oil line, it never really had any problems.  

Odd attitudes out there, with technology for older cars these days you can make them corner, drift, whatever you like.

I have an open mind about all types of car culture- rods, musclecars, imports, vws, whatever. I'm not brand loyal either, I couldn't give a fruit if a car is a mopar, chevy, ford, VW, nissan, classic euro tourer, whatever, if i like it i'll drive it/drool over it.  

I'm UK based so imports (or ford gm derivatives) are dominant here anyhow. Theres a big musclecar scene in the UK too though, along with classic ford scene with many owners converting euro ford cortinas, escorts, capris etc to accept big inch V8s (US ones and range rover 4.6 lumps). Over here the scenes aren't too polarised- we all have to share the same shows, drag strips etc.
While my main interests are musclecars and sticking V8's in small 70s coupes I still have big respect for people running ford sierra cosworths (which reliably produce 400bhp and 400 lb/ft from a 2000cc turbo 4 pot developed from the US pinto engine). And at the shows I'm killing all the kids in *** cars on the drift track and on country roads in my 1984 capri (below). It handles like a sports car on modified mac struts and leaf springs rear. I've been up against supras and all sorts on winding country roads and they can't get away from me. And the drift cars don't stand a chance.. I learned some suspension mods from the very folk choking on my exhaust.

There's room for everything in what we do and a lot to learn if you don't have blinkers on.

The only 'scene' i have no interest in is any modern cars. They should've stopped building cars in around '95.
There's more than enough of them to recycle now.

mr nice

Glasgow
Scotland