August 15, 2005, MrFoMoCo made predictions for Real Street Eliminator XV:

"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"

http://forums.carcraft.primediaautomotive.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=carcraft&msg=1623.1&ctx=1024

NOW WE KNOW THE RESULTS (See pg 72 of the Feb 2006 CC). 

Although the "cAMXaro" of Pete Mungo ANTI-LOCKED his way to the RSE crown, (while the ABS-less #19 Mustang skidded past its chance for complete victory, and sadly, Hurricane Katrina & Drag Week (tm) conspired to keep the #25 Big-Block Mustang from competing), John Garner's Vortech'd 347 SBF MUSTANG WON THE ONLY CATEGORY THAT REALLY MATTERS TO MOST CAR CRAFTERS--(9.46 @ 148.30 mph!). 

Here's how MrFoMoCo's predictions faired:   

1. #25 Big block Mustang [DID NOT START. Oh what might have been . . . ]
   
2. #19 Blown 347 Mustang [Totally whacked Mungo's mega-buck Aluminum SBC and the world-beater Z06 at the strip (how can this be?) , but "real world" brakes dropped it to THIRD]
   
3. #21 Mungo's hybrid [Second at the drags; Second in ride-n-drive, but homebrewed ABS stopped shorter than 99% of all new 2006 cars. . . Exotic cAMXaro finished FIRST (All real CCers can retrofit ABS and traction control to a 35-year-old muscle car, right?)]
   
4. #2 Z06 Camaro [Jeff Smith/GMPP dream car actually won the subjective ride-n-drive, but spanking at the strip kept this B-O-R-I-N-G late model ringer in SECOND place]
   
5. #6 Corvair [Finished SIXTH--CC's editors apparently hated the engineering, craftsmanship, ride and drive. No ABS either]
   
6. #18 '68 Camaro [Won no categories; Finished FOURTH (yawn)]
   
7. #7 '80 Corvette [Disco boat sunk itself by blowing engine before the event then breaking again at the strip,  but a 10.6 point advantage in ride-n-drive kept it out of the cellar. Finished FIFTH]

THE LESSON: YOU CAN'T WIN RSE ANYMORE WITHOUT ABS. 

But the quickest and fastest "REAL CAR" wore the Blue Oval (Outside and UNDER THE HOOD!)

And what's the deal with the cover? "15 Track-Tested Street 'n' Strip Machines."   Counting all the RSE cars (6), the "Dare to be Different" Nova (1), and the six cars with published times in the NMCA story, there's only 13 (at best).  Are they counting Krass & Bernie in the 15? (and how did that FORD sneak into to Krass & Bernie?)

BTW, I did okay on my modest predictions, as well:

http://forums.carcraft.primediaautomotive.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=carcraft&msg=1623.1&ctx=1024

"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"). [And by race time they were even milder!] 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)

[The PLASTIC NAG didn't disappoint with its next-to-last finish.]

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.

[Indeed, the Pro Touring Camaro did smoke #7, but did little else. Perfect cover car for the NEW Camaro Craft]

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.

[Was Ralph Nader on the judging panel?  Is there a CORVAIR CURSE? Apparently milling your own spindles or "making a personal statement" isn't the ticket to RSE glory. Better to buy a five-year-old F-bod . . . . And be sure your SEATS RECLINE for the RIDE AND DRIVE!]  

5:1 #21 The infamous cAMXaro--Will all the homespun high tech stuff work? [YEP.] Is an expensive all-aluminum "600 hp" SBC enough? [Almost] Will MoPar/AMX fans shun this car in droves as a slap in the face to REAL DCX Car Crafting?  [Nah. They're all too busy griping about last month's AM-360 build-up] 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).  [Who knew homemade ABS would work better than the factory stuff?  When is CC going to run the how-to story?]

3:1 (TIE) The Fords--#25 (573-cube, T-56 '71 Mustang) carries all the hopes and dreams of big-block fans here. [LESSON: VOTE FOR MORE THAN ONE BIG BLOCK NEXT YEAR!] 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.

[#19 did set low ET (by 1.2 seconds!) and but for #2 Camaro's highly suspect 11.5 point advantage in ride and drive, it would have finished second to Mungo cAMXaro. And #19 still stops better than 99% of the stock old school "muscle cars" from the '60s . . . . ]

2:1 #2 '99 Z06 Camaro-- YAWN. Zzzzz. (must . . . type ... prediction). Unless it breaks [it didn't], this balanced, fully sorted, late-model ringer will probably average enough points to win. [Almost . . . Mungo's old-timey aluminum SBC was too much for the new LesS V-8 . . . and the F-stands-for-FAT Body just had too much "road-hugging weight"]   It has all the tech of Mungo's cAMXaro, the Jeff Smith powerplant of choice [which turned out to power the slowest running car on the strip], and undoubtedly one of the best autocross set-ups in the show. [Drat those pesky rainouts . . . ] Although Camaro Craft [See the Feb '06 cover] may have to give some rounds to other cars [it did], GMPP probably picked a winner. Zzzzzzz.

[Zzzzzzzzzzz (somebody wake me up before next year . . . .)]

Dangit, I just wish I had the magazine to read.  It was a fun event and I was very happy with the 9.46.  My subscription isn't here yet and I can't find it at any stores yet.

About needing ABS to win - yes, I agree.  I am working on an ABS upgrade over the winter after seeing just how much better an ABS car can do - I have to tell you the difference surprised me.  I have ABS in my daily driver but never realized how much of a difference it could make in a track car.  I guess I focus on the 1/4 mile more than I should... Oh well, makes me happy! 

Next year....

Re: the 'vette...

might have been mild..and i for one did not think he would fare any better...but having a sedate piece in RSE made it interesting...

plus HE DROVE IT TO NORWALK!!thats NINE HUNDRED miles...KUDOS

to stephane..i am sure like any other car crafter..its a work in progress...

..THE BIGBALLS award.....kewl... 

alan

NOSNERD

ontario canada

You forgot NO REAL (or even fake) PONTIACS!  RSE XV--who cares?

If CC does RSE again, they should make it an open competition like Drag Week, or at least let the various factions pick the best reps for their respective brands.

Genuine Pontiac V8s (1955-1979): Accept no substitutes!

it won one catagory, whoopie do, it didn't win it all. It was RSE for all the qualities, not just 1/4 mile times.  

and what the heck is a Z06 camaro? there's a Z06 Corvette, but no Z06 camaro, neither of which got attention in the mag.  

It damn near did had the Mustang been equipped with anti lock it would have won that is the point . It was beaten buy a car that arguably cost a whole lot more both actually  probably did. Actually I am surprised at you Brady . You of the Big Block car . You should be the first one to say that 1/4 mile is the most impressive stat. The ride and drive category is purely subjective anyway and the fact that the Mustang pulled  a 9.46 which was a FULL SECOND faster than any other car in the field should make you a bit more reticient in your trumpeting about a car that really should never have been in the field anyway. add to the fact that the Ford had the smallest engine? Talk about a sand bagger, that Am-Chevy is about as far from what the cars in this competition should be as that full tube frame kit car was several years ago. Stock sheetmetal aside. Hell if that is the case I am sure the Ford guys can find several Cobras that can spank that  Amx-bastardazations rear end.   

yes it had the smallest engine, but it was also SUPERCHARGED. the fact you bring that up is absolutely retarded. Even if it had the best breaking, it would of tied with the camaro. I have the big block for many reason, sound is one. Big blocks always sounded the best to me. Top end power is the other, there is nothing like driving 60, letting a mustang start to pass you, then drop the hammer and watch the poor sucker fade away in the dust. There was nothing wrong with the AMC, it was a daily driver, and there was never a budget limit. Also, why the hell do you always use my name? matter of fact, how did you get my name? are you some kinda sick fukcing stocker? am I gonna have to get a restraining order or something?  

You dope you had your picture with your nova printed in the magazine doing a burnout , Duh ! In fact you were not even driving it, your MOM was. Also I did respect you ,I disagreed with ya, but I used to respect you. Not anymore. You are hypocritical in your statements.  Good luck with your nova you are going to need it. Oh and yes how much spent on the car does matter. this is supposed to be Affordable Performance in Car Craft so yes it does matter how much it cost. If I wanted high buck cruisers I would read Hot Rod.   Yeah the Mustang was Supercharged but it was still much faster than anything else in the test. Oh and I doubt that your nova would leave many V-8 Mustangs in the dust. But naybe you are the only one who is racing , they probably wonder what the hell got into the goofy kid with the noisy pos. That rattle trap nova sure as hell could not touch either of my Fords.    

how am I hypocritical? I do leave alot of v-8 mustangs in the dust, its not that hard to do. have you ever driven a big block car? their top end pushes the car like a frieght train. its noisy, but not a p.o.s. whats wrong with my mom doing the burn-out? everyones mom should do burn-outs, the world would b a much better place.  

Do the Mustangs know that a race is going on? Yeah I have driven a big block car and yeah they haul until you have to turn a corner then yes they do push alright like a school bus on ice usually. If I ever send my picture in I hope I am the one driving the car. Oh nothing wrong with your Mom being in the burnout by the way. My Mom used to hotrod her 68 Chevelle SS396 all of the time. A car she bought by the way because the Shelby GT500 she test drove before was too much of a car for her to drive.  As far as the hypocritical comment goes, go back and read some of your previous posts about how 1/4 mile times are what is the most important thing . Or is that just where the Monaro blob is concerned?  

Just to clarify, there were three other cars that did not have abs that out braked the stang.  A 9.46 is extremely impressive from any car driven on the street.  And that car doesn't look like a 9 second car.  So I'll give credit, its badass.  Both it and the AMX (or corvette in an AMX body. . .whatever) were basically tied for three events (actually the Mustang beat it by about 5 points) HOWEVER, when you get spanked by 47.1 feet in braking. . .you're gonna lose.  So while the AMX is stopping 50 ft before an accident, your mustang is slamming into it head first.  Dont discount the importance of brakes.  You can slam the ride quality, you can slam how creative you were in building the car, but brakes are not something that can be thrown out the window cuz you think you shoulda won a competition.  Why don't you compare the fact that the AMX and the Camaro are capable of outbraking a Ferrari (you know, $200,000 car thats supposed to rule the world).  I know many abs cars that wont do that.

The ford is one hell of a car, but it was not good enough to win RSE.  It'd rule at drag racing, but thats not the point of RSE now, is it?  Since RSE stands for real STREET eliminator, you must take into account things that happen on the streets, like corners, and deer, and accidents, and that drive across country that you want to take.  Drag racing is not the end all, its just the best measure of a cars ability to accelerate.  I personally prefer my car to be able to do other things as well. . .such as take a corner without rolling the tires over, or not destroying your ride when some idiot pulls out in front of you.

Congrats to John Garner, you built a hell of a car, unfortunately you just overlooked one very important aspect of your car.

Well, when you pass someone, you usually slam the loud pedal all the way to get around as soon as possible, so it is a race of sorts. When someone does that to me, I make sure to get around them anyways. Big block cars handle better than you think. I have no problem taking corners with a posted speed of 45 at 75. tell me where I said quarter mile times are the most thing.