[Vid]

Interesting thread and way more automatics than I would have imagined. And not a close ratio M-22 in the bunch!

One of my personal favorite drivetrains wasn’t performance related at all, it was a bone stock ‘03 Chevy S-10 little truck with a 4 banger and a 5 speed manual. Thing was gutless but bulletproof and a blast to drive.

When I was moving from Atlanta to Pasadena, CA in ‘05, I drove the S-10 with just me and a suitcase up front and my guitar and amp collection in the back (under a tonneau cover). Funny part is, when I was in NM or AZ the speed limit was 75, I crested a hill and there was the HP with a radar gun, and my foot was 100% pedal to the metal. My reaction, naturally, was to lift and hit the brakes. However it was not a problem… the thing would only go 73mph balls out, haha.

I also owned a ‘76 Cosworth Vega for about a year, #2802 out of 3500 built if I recall. Very interesting and collectible car that handled amazingly well, and yes another 4 banger with a 5 speed. Unfortunately specs were probably something like 132 peak horsepower and MINUS 43 lb ft of torque, LOL. It was a DOG down low. But once you got the revs up, say over 4000, then it was a complete and total blast especially in winding mountain roads.


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[besserspat]

Originally Posted by Vid

Interesting thread and way more automatics than I would have imagined. And not a close ratio M-22 in the bunch!

I honestly think that if we weren't "indoctrinated" by how fast our car "should" get in the quarter or how much HP we "should" put out for street cred. We'd drive around in much milder set ups.

it does not mean boring cars , far from that but we would spend more time optimizing and fine tuning what we have, instead of throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts in hopes of pleasing the gods of speed and our ego.

One car I always wanted as a kid was a Porsche 911 Ruf. So I was lucky enough to find one 12 years ago, but it get very little drive time... My main residence is near the downtown core and our roads are absolutely atrocious. The only vintage stuff that cam survive those roads are Jeeps and trucks.

Besides the fact that I would destroy the Porsche on those roads on a regular basis, the car is too clean, too rare and becomes an real burden to drive around surrounded by bozos..

I've even put recent Turbo twist 17" wheels and more forgiving rubber to spare the original wheels from our million potholes.

The Ruf came from the factory with a cage, race seats, stiff suspension and loud RSR type exhaust. The clutch is an On/Off switch and the transmission has airport gearing ( very short track ratio , tops at 135 mph @ 7000 )

So yeah its a hoot to drive on a smooth track , in the street not so much.

I still appreciate the car...

...But I realized a while ago that less is more when it comes to driving the streets and that too much is really a thing.

Peter

[mgarblik]

Drove a 66 Catalina, 9 passenger wagon with a 421 HO, turbo 400, 3.42:1 rear gear for 15 years as a daily driver. Towed a 19ft. 3500 lb. Sea Ray boat thousands of miles with it to various lakes in OH, IN, KY, TN. Towed a open race car trailer with it a few times. It ran 14.69 @ 98 MPH @ 5100 lbs. I would say that was a damn nice combination. I put about 140K miles on it while I owned it.

[besserspat]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Drove a 66 Catalina, 9 passenger wagon with a 421 HO, turbo 400, 3.42:1 rear gear for 15 years as a daily driver. Towed a 19ft. 3500 lb. Sea Ray boat thousands of miles with it to various lakes in OH, IN, KY, TN. Towed a open race car trailer with it a few times. It ran 14.69 @ 98 MPH @ 5100 lbs. I would say that was a damn nice combination. I put about 140K miles on it while I owned it.

Thats indeed a real nice set up... id daily drive that over any new sheetmetal

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by besserspat

Thats indeed a real nice set up... id daily drive that over any new sheetmetal

Thanks. The brakes were not the best, just because they were 4-wheel drum. Boat trailer had a surge brake that helped. I installed a rear stabilizer bar that greatly improved the handling. Gas mileage wasn't the best, but with tri-power it was OK. As I remember it got about 10 MPG towing that boat on the highway. About 15 MPG, not towing. It was great fun in a stop light challenge, slowly pulling away from mid-late 70's "Muscle Cars" like Corvettes, Z28's, 442's and the like. With a full car of friends and a couple watching the whole thing from the rear facing 3rd seat! Good times.

[Dragncar]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Drove a 66 Catalina, 9 passenger wagon with a 421 HO, turbo 400, 3.42:1 rear gear for 15 years as a daily driver. Towed a 19ft. 3500 lb. Sea Ray boat thousands of miles with it to various lakes in OH, IN, KY, TN. Towed a open race car trailer with it a few times. It ran 14.69 @ 98 MPH @ 5100 lbs. I would say that was a damn nice combination. I put about 140K miles on it while I owned it.

I grew up with a 66 Catalina Station Wagon. 389, 3 on the tree and had a Toploader 3 speed from the factory. Got 19mpg. Took us from CA to Broken Bow OK twice.
My dad put a GTO intake and AFB on her. Totaled it 3 times. 55 Chevy pickup was stopped in the middle of the road just past a curve on a 2 lane mountain road talking to people on both sides of the truck. We plowed into their Barden bumper and shortened the car. Had a complete Bonneville front end on her after that down to the emblems. (my dad go the ticket for the rear end but its not like we could go around them with people there. He caught my sisters head seeing her in the rear view mirror as she was about to go through the windshield)
2nd time the whole car got sandblasted in a dust storm in New Mexico on a OK trip. All new glass and paint job.
3rd time I burnt the dash down playing with flares....... in the Church parking lot at intermission.
The 66 389 thin cylinder wall issue finally took her out in the 80s.
We pulled the intake and carb before hauling her off.
My brother and I wish we still had her once we started bracket racing because it would have been very cool and consistent with all that weight out back.

This thread, my vote goes to a 400HP 455 with 3.08s and a T400. 480LE even better.

[Vroom_vroom]

Originally Posted by besserspat

I honestly think that if we weren't "indoctrinated" by how fast our car "should" get in the quarter or how much HP we "should" put out for street cred. We'd drive around in much milder set ups.

it does not mean boring cars , far from that but we would spend more time optimizing and fine tuning what we have, instead of throwing a bunch of aftermarket parts in hopes of pleasing the gods of speed and our ego.

One car I always wanted as a kid was a Porsche 911 Ruf. So I was lucky enough to find one 12 years ago, but it get very little drive time... My main residence is near the downtown core and our roads are absolutely atrocious. The only vintage stuff that cam survive those roads are Jeeps and trucks.

Besides the fact that I would destroy the Porsche on those roads on a regular basis, the car is too clean, too rare and becomes an real burden to drive around surrounded by bozos..

I've even put recent Turbo twist 17" wheels and more forgiving rubber to spare the original wheels from our million potholes.

The Ruf came from the factory with a cage, race seats, stiff suspension and loud RSR type exhaust. The clutch is an On/Off switch and the transmission has airport gearing ( very short track ratio , tops at 135 mph @ 7000 )

So yeah its a hoot to drive on a smooth track , in the street not so much.

I still appreciate the car...

...But I realized a while ago that less is more when it comes to driving the streets and that too much is really a thing.

Peter

I remember watching a show or documentary on them many years back, very cool find! They put together some fantastic cars.


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