Forgotten speed
There are some speedy rides like the Grand Prix NASCAR and Mustang Monroe Handler that have become forgotten. What other obscure rides can you think of? :confuse:
Poncho Powa
Poncho Powa
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The blue car is a 1975 Chevelle Laguna S-3 I found posted on Flickr and is also shown from the rear angle.
The Monroe Handler Mustang was a part of an advertising promotion by Monroe Shock Absorbers and other sponsors. They commissioned 7 show cars based on the 1978 Mustang II and apparently gave them away in a contest. (Click on either pic for a larger view.)
The 1974 GTO wasn't a bad car. Although Ventura / Nova based its 350 V8 put out a Corvette threatening 200 hp net, which was good for the time and you could still team it with a manual gearbox (3 speed).
The '74 Goat
Both of 'em also did a ~15.7 second quarter mile although the '64 was doing 92 mph, versus 88 for the '74, so I guess that's an indication that the '64 was still a much better performer at higher speeds.
Not a bad car at all, considering the timeframe, but they just should have called it something other than GTO.
Some of the early Hurst Olds Cutlass were special cars too, later ones were pretty much paint & tape only.
Hurst/Olds
Yenko ordered L-78 equipped SS Camaros and swapped in the Chevrolet Corvette's L-72 427 in³ (7.0 L) V8. The cars came with a 4.10 rear end and heavy-duty suspension. The exact number of cars produced is not known; most estimates are around 50. Yenko also installed a fiberglass replacement hood similar to the "Stinger" hood featured on 1967 big-block Corvettes.
Don Yenko's Camaros were equipped with a 427ci L-72 in them with either an M21 or M22 transmission. The horsepower was rated at 423 hp (315 kW). Yenko Camaros were not allowed to race for Chevrolet on the drag strip because they were not made by Chevrolet. Chevy's answer to this was the Copo Camaro, or Central Office Production Order, in 1969. The Copo Camaros were equipped with the same 427ci engine and were allowed to race for Chevy. :shades:
The Vega Cosworth never really lived up to expectations because of pollution controls, but an interesting curiosity today.
Mazda RX-7 & Cosmo AP
To Mazda's credit, they stuck with it, and replaced a sizable number of rotary engines under warranty, and BEYOND warranty, and I'm sure it cost them a pretty penny.
Eventually, in the early 1990s they developed that rotary engine into the rather magnificent Mazda RX 7 Twin Turbo, which was, and still is, a formidable sports car and very quick indeed.
I wonder if with all the advances in Corvette tech of late, that the once popular C3 is getting overlooked?
C3 in video
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Well certainly in 1973--1982, the C3 values start to sink pretty rapidly.
I followed a '70-ish C3 for a couple of blocks last night. Boy, the fumes coming off it sure took me back a few decades...
I know. We've forgotten that intoxicating smell of hydrocarbons from a badly adjusted carburetor.
Well, from a classic car point of view black smoke just means the car has been sitting a long time. Blue smoke indicates valve guide wear, and white smoke and sweet smell indicates coolant is leaking into the oil (cracked head/gasket issues) Only white smoke is a sign of serious problems.
Gremlin 401-XR
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I always liked the Cosworth Vega. In '76, they could be gotten in any regular Vega color, not just black like the '75. That one in the photo has the bright trim around the quarter window missing--common on those cars. Our little dealer got one in. I rode in it when new, driven by a salesman I knew. At the time, it seemed exhilarating for a four-cylinder. Fast-forward over 20 years, and that same exact car had been traded in on a used Corvette at even a smaller Chevy dealer fifteen miles south of the original selling dealer. A friend of mine bought it and I rode in it again. It has only 13K miles now. Incidentally, the car was originally bought by a little old lady--I saw her in it--salesman told me she said it reminded her of her late husband's Corvair.
I always enjoy driving a slow car fast more than a fast car slow. My '83 GTI, all 90 hp of it, was fun on a day-to-day basis, could use all of the power much of the time, unlike, say, a Corvette or even Mustang now.
There's a bit of a Cosworth cult, so the cars are appreciated by some.