The votes are in.  Here's the scorecard (part 1):

1.   Battle of the Fords:

Two of the three Fords “that MUST make it in” actually made it (none on the bubble did):

#25 573 cube/T56 '71 Mustang -- a real B-I-G gun for the RSE gun fight!

#19 720 hp Vortech 347-inch '90 GT -- Gardner makes SERIOUS POWER.

If these Fords can handle on the autocross course and stay together, GM’s got its hands full (sorry MoPar—maybe next year)

2. MoPar (and AMC) Picks:  

 Neither of the “real” DCXs whips made it (#8 and #17).  The Chevy Craft voters really stepped up to select a SBC-powered cAMXaro:   

#21  Mungo's '69 AMX-- While some readers would like for CC or (perhaps more appropriately) HRM to do a series of  tech features on this radical car-- showing how to set up your own ABS, etc.-- RSE VOTING POINTS  MUST BE SUBTRACTED FOR THE NON-DaimlerChrysler/AMC  ENGINE IN A RARE, OTHERWISE STELLAR MUSCLECAR.  I'd say Mungo's "jumped the shark" and probably shouldn't be in. BUT AT LEAST MUNGO WILL HAVE THE BEST ’69 “CAMXARO” IN THE SHOW.

3.  "Alternative" GM Picks:

One of three worthy "Alternative" GM cars made the show:

#6 '66 Corvair with 383 SBC-- In the battle of the Corvairs, #6 seems to fit CC's "real" vibe a little more than the LS/C5-transaxle-equipped #15.  If only one gets in, it should be the "real" #6.

(Part 2:  As if stiffing MoPar/AMC wasn't enough, the fickle voters really went nuts when it came to picking Chevrolets)

4. Chevy, Chevy, Chevy Craft

None of the Chevrolets that ought to wear the Red Bow-Tie in RSE in fact won:

LEFT OUT: #22 461 Procharged '81 Malibu--Three reasons why this one should be in: (a) alternative body style; (b) competitive big-block power; (c) awesome execution (I took many photos of this one on the HRM Power Tour--and I usually don't get stoked over belly-button Chevys-- but this one's that good!)  CHEVY VOTERS PROVE THEIR IGNORANCE ONCE AGAIN.

LEFT OUT: #14 Home-turbocharged 355 '80 Camaro-- If there was a "Spirit of Car Craft" award, this car would win it.  Probably the most competitive low-buck ride in the voting.  COME ON TURBO FANS, LET'S PUT THIS ONE IN THE SHOW!  I DON’T EVER WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD ABOUT CC BEING ABOUT BUDGET CAR CRAFTING  OR “AFFORDABLE STREET PERFORMANCE.”  THE VOTERS HAVE REJECTED THIS IDEA!

LEFT OUT: #5 Twin-Turbo 406 '84 Camaro-- Chevy's heavy threat to win it all. Sure, it's a Camaro, but the field needs one SERIOUS turbo player.  NO TURBOS IN THE SHOW?   THIS PROVES RSE IS AN ABSOLUTE JOKE! IT ALSO PROVES THAT CHEVY VOTERS CAN'T SPOT A POTENTIAL WINNER THAT CAN GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE HOT FORDS

Chevy on the bubble:  #1 didn’t make it in. The bubble burst. CC's editors cried (they gave it every break . . . .)

5. Also-rans that made the show: Chevys that shouldn't have made it . . . and why:

Proof positive that the RSE voting format is wholly flawed and that a number of the voters apparently “thought” (through a beer-induced haze, no doubt) they were picking lottery numbers:

#7 '80 Corvette-- A 350 Vortec on spray in an gold-chainer 'Vette. Fine with me if you want to waste your vote on that one.  But there are much more competitive Chevy picks out there.  CLEARLY THE MOST OUTCLASSED CAR OUT THERE! WHAT WERE THE VOTERS THINKING?

#2 Z06 '99 Camaro-- A late model race car with a boring, expensive powerplant. Sensible and undoubtedly really fast in the twisties. But #2 is exactly the kind of plastic snooze-mobile that got RSE cancelled before.  YOU CAN HEAR JEFF SMITH AND THE MINIONS AT GMPP CELEBRATING. YAWN. ZZZzzzzzz (wake me up when it’s over) .

#18 '68 Camaro Convertible with 383 & T56-- Probably makes more sense than #12 ('69 Flip-Flop Firebird) simply because it's got an overdrive. But it's not strong or interesting enough to overcome the "Camaro Craft" backlash.  CAMARO CRAFT LIVES!

HANDICAPPING THE FIELD:

Now that the disappointment has passed of no turbos, no MoPars, no real AMXs, no Buicks and no supercharged big blocks in the RSE finals, we have to get down to the business of setting the odds for who will win RSE:

100:1  #7 '80 Corvette--The specs on this plasitc nag are a joke and about as fresh as the ancient Prince and the Revolution song #7 suggests ("Little Red Corvette"). Even if they had run all 25 cars, this disco-era cruiser would have finished no better than 22nd.  If the Fords or the Corvair break, this car theoretically could place. Otherwise, fugetaboutit!  (one wonders whether voters thought they were selecting #8's 'Vette from that Bud commercial instead of a serious competitor)

25:1 #18 '68 Camaro Convertible  383/T-56--A nice PHR car. But with no serious power, and a flexible chassis, it's outclassed.  It whips #7 though.

10:1 #6 '66 Corvair 383--the wild card. Interesting to Kelmark buffs and engineering students, it should put on a weight distribution clinic, but will the transaxle last?   Probably a little too light on the power-to-weight ratio to be a serious threat.

5:1 #21 The infamous cAMXaro--Will all the homespun high tech stuff work? Is an expensive all-aluminum "600 hp" SBC enough?  Will MoPar/AMX fans shun this car in droves as a slap in the face to REAL DCX Car Crafting?  Mungo's probably got it scienced out enough to make it interesting, but I can't really see this car winning any particular category (except the subjective ones).

3:1 (TIE) The Fords--#25 (573-cube, T-56 '71 Mustang) carries all the hopes and dreams of big-block fans here. It also apparently is okay in the twisties.   #19 (770 hp '90 Mustang GT) answers the call with a car that's probably a little too drag oriented, but has the field covered on horsepower.  Prediction #19 sets low e.t. but finishes behind #25.

2:1 #2 '99 Z06 Camaro-- YAWN. Zzzzz. (must . . . type ... prediction). Unless it breaks, this balanced, fully sorted, late-model ringer will probably average enough points to win.  It has all the tech of Mungo's cAMXaro, the Jeff Smith powerplant of choice, and undoubtedly one of the best autocross set-ups in the show.  Although Camaro Craft may have to give some rounds to other cars, GMPP probably picked a winner. Zzzzzzz. It will be interesting to see if the high horsepower Fords can counteract #2's almost certain win on all other performance measures.

Upset potential: Specs can always change.  Mungo could invent a new form of turbocharging for his fake AMX (Powered by Chevrolet). #7 could drop his dated sled off at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. for a NEXTEL CUP ROAD COURSE MAKEOVER or beg Gale Banks turbos to take pity on a hapless Canadian . . .  THE FORDS COULD BREAK, GET LOST OR OTHERWISE NOT SHOW UP.  The plastic Z06 Camaro could melt in the sun . . . .  Thus, the odds are subject to change.

However, don't be surprised if #2, #25, #19 and #21 are the ones to watch.

thanx DR!!

fawk..i couldn't of said it any better myself!!!!!!

GOOD MAN.After reading your posts TWICE...dude,you just saved me a ton of time typing MY FRUSTRATIONS with this yrs RSE..

wow......

CC you were on right track there for a while....

DF...what were YOUR choices?????????????

I own car #19.  I agree the road course is going to be the hardest for me.  I have good brakes, good tires, and good suspension (for a road course) but the fact is I have no real experience.  I am hoping to make up for experience with a little power - LOL.  We will see.  If nothing else it will be fun.

BTW - My power numbers are now 820/885 now and with my latest changes I hope to be over 900.  My weight will be up a little (the car, not me) since I need my front swaybar and a few other things but I hope to run some respectable 1/4 mile times. 

Congratulations to all that were voted in. 

Quite the run down there. I have the #25 Mustang and at the moment I'm fabricating a rollbar/cage to make it legal for high nines under NHRA rules and still have useable seating for everyday driving. We're doing Hot Rod's Drag Week in September.

To even stay in the same state as John's 347 I've added a two stage whiff of the old laughing gas. As is true for most of us the remaining focus is on getting auto cross seat time and set up time to be even close the AMX, Camaro and Corvair. No one has talked about braking, but it could be the sleeper category for this year's objectively measured part RSE. Got Baer?

Finally and most important is ride and drive. Andrew's win in the GTO proved you can't have an all thrash, no flash RSE winner. That's why the Corvette, AMX, Camaro's etc. all look so strong. I think the Corvair could surprise us all in the measured catagories and we haven't seen its new paint etc.

So, its in with two stage carpet, carbon fiber cup holders, 5000 watt satellite/GPS/mobile theater/stereo and neon purge effects. Not really.

I think the field is pretty damned competitive, but I would have loved to have seen the Buicks, the Malibu and those radical Mustang's. No loser's in the bunch.

Good luck to all the finalists.

"I wanna see the also rans" seems to be a pretty common theme on the boards today.  Would it be possible for the magazine to run features on the 8-14th place cars? 

Maybe rather than static photo shoots CC could start running instrumented road tests on cars ala the mainstream magazine?  Or at least drive them around the fairgrounds?  I guess insurance might be problem so if it's fiscally impossible thats understandable, and some drivers would never allow a journalist to of Freiburgers caliber to "test" their baby, but wouldn't an article about how hard Davis caned some poor guys Ford be great?  I can see it now- "....unlike a properly built SBC the Ford 5.0 has a problem with high RPM oiling, but this '89 LX notch performed admirably during 7000 rpm clutchless speed shifts."

Hey- I can dream.

"To even stay in the same state as John's 347 I've added a two stage whiff of the old laughing gas"

LOL!

I may do the Hot Rod Drag Week also.  The two events were going to be next to each other but now that they are a month apart I am hoping to make it.

Can't wait to see your car (and all the other cars)!

Dude!  Don't blow it up on the dyno before the event! LOL

I'm hoping this year's RSE boils down to a battle between Mustangs. I suspect a number of SVT Club members would be willing to advise you on auto-x techniques.

I've got to admit being a bit surprised with the GM picks. The Z06 Camaro looks to be the most serious threat to a Ford win. But I wouldn't count out Mungo's AMX (I loved the "cAMXaro" line, even if it is a tad unfair).

I predict the final order will be:

1. #25 Big block Mustang (I admit this is sentiment over logic, but I'm an "old school" cube man at heart)


2. #19 Blown 347 Mustang


3. #21 Mungo's hybrid (wins all the subjective categories)


4. #2 Z06 Camaro (loses all the subjective categories, but does well in auto-x)


5. #6 Corvair (if it doesn't DNF)


6. #18 '68 Camaro


7. #7 '80 Corvette (my guess is that the Mustangers voted this one in just to keep out bigger GM threats. I expect this disco boat* to be sunk by over 900-cubes of Dearborn muscle)

*Note for the youngsters: 60+ years ago in WWII, a Corvette was a type of fast attack boat. 

Well said.

I'm not a gambler, but I sort of like the Corvair, the AMX and the '99 Camaro.   The Fords can't put down all that power and acceleration is only a small part of RSE.  I'm curious whether the Baers on the big block Mustang will be in the hunt with ABS on the '99 Camaro and the AMX.  The weaknesses of the Corvair appear to be brakes (C3 Corvette, if I recall correctly) and transaxle.  But a mid-engine and low weight should be a strong combination.

Too bad CC couldn't find us a competitive Pontiac* to vote for.

*with Genuine Pontiac Power (1955-1979)

I agree that objective test data is more helpful than a photo spread. But because a lot of car features are shot at times and in places where a full road test is impossible, I can understand why the magazines just shoot photos and then turn loose the meaningless adjectives.

It will be interesting to see what can what at Norwalk. But as food for thought, Garner's Mustang ran high nines at the PGD and I've hit high tens, both of us on DOT tires we'll have at the event.

Braking is a very good question. ABS is a huge advantage is a large contact patch relative to weight. In that category I am at a large disadvantage to everybody in the show. Same goes for the autocross portion.

I think we'll face an autocross as I didn't find a road course on the Norwalk Raceway site. I could be very wrong; does anyone know if there is a road course there? A car optimized for autocross is usually not the best for the quarter mile as everyone has pointed out. The question will be balance across the catagories.

I'm not smart enough to handicap the field based on such limited data, but the scoring system is designed to keep the  cars close. It will be real interesting to see how it shakes out. Every car in it is a threat to win.

True enough, but like I said, I can dream, right? 

They should have enough time to test the cars for RSE, and I would like to compare (approximate) dollars spent on an RSE car to the price of a new car with similar performance numbers as tested by one of the mainstream mags.

Good points!

Whoever figures out how to build some quick adjustablity into their car is likely going to show the way in RSE--assuming the car has sufficent horsepower, proper weight distribution, excellent brakes, etc.

In very general terms, a  drag car is going to need more starting line reaction to help transfer weight to the rear and to "hit"  the rear tires (although DOT radials probably limit how hard the "hit" can be).  It also needs a lot more rear roll stiffness to counteract engine torque reaction and a less reactive rear suspension to tame wheel hop. 

A high-horsepower autocross car, of course will need a less reactive front suspension, less rear roll stiffness, a more reactive rear suspension and more front roll stiffness.  Also the front caster and camber specs are going to be a bit different (an optimized autocrosser would be too squirrelly at the strip).  I also suspect an autocrosser can't use as much rear anti-squat as a drag car (most of which benefit from some rear "lift" geometry to improve 60-ft times).

To do both events well, you've got to be able to adjust most or all of these parameters. The challenge is to figure out how to do it quickly in the staging lanes. I've got a few ideas (some inspired by NASCAR practice and some not), but I've not gotten around to actually testing them on a car.

Another thing to consider is the differential.  While a drag car would do best with a locked rear (spool, Detroit Locker) an autocrosser needs a limited slip differential.  The car that can do both will have a modest advantage . . . .

I am not sure how hard those changes are going to be to make - seriously.  In my car for example changing the front struts from 90/10 to 50/50 is just turning a dial.  The rears are the same way.  The rear swaybar is super easy to adjust (minutes and no need for a jack) and the front swaybar can be disabled (for the drag race) by just taking one end link out.  I always run a limited slip, when you put as much torque as I am to the ground any limited slip will lock up. 

My problem - I have no clue how to set it up for a road course.  I guess I will be trying a lot of different settings!