In just one year from now.....

... if you haven't stopped to think about it, we'll be well into the new muscle car age:

1. The production Dodge Challenger would have been shown and would be less than a couple of months from the showroom with the SRT version only months behind it.

2. Ford's new Bullit Mustang would have been available for some time.

3. The 4.9 second/0-60 Pontiac G8 GT would have been out for nearly 6 months.

4. The Corvette SS should be unveiled and only months from production.

5. The Lecrosse Super will be on the streets.


Also:

* We should have a bead on GM's future coupe plans.

* Should finally know more about what Ford will be replacing the Crown Vic with.

* Should see at least 1 version of the next-gen LX.

* Should see 1 new Zeta design "concept" (Impala?).

And finally, if Bob Lutz is actually serious about a coupe version of the Solstice, the next 12 months should tell the story. Otherwise, it's safe to say the money isn't going to be spent on a car that's likely to be in the last couple of years of the current design.

Yep, I'm gonna have to throw some more mods on the car just to keep up.:)

LaCrosse, not LECrosse.

:)

(Sorry, it just hurts my eyes when I see that "e" in place of the "a").

.

3. The 4.9 second/0-60 Pontiac G8 GT would have been out for nearly 6 months.


HUH? Hate to bring it up again, but I think the G8 GT is expected to have a 0-60 of mid 5's, like the Commodore.

Where'd you get 4.9?
maybe this is why we disagree so much on the G8 performance?!

Also, where the heck is the Camaro!?

Still awaiting to be mass produced, rememebr? It's a late 08 release(officially).

Also, where the heck is the Camaro!?

In a year from now? Another year away.


* Should see at least 1 version of the next-gen LX.

And finally, if Bob Lutz is actually serious about a coupe version of the Solstice, the next 12 months should tell the story. Otherwise, it's safe to say the money isn't going to be spent on a car that's likely to be in the last couple of years of the current design.
You'll probably see next gen LX (LY) in concept form (I think thats what you meant), certainly not production though. The 300 and Magnum get MCEs this year and Charger gets one next year, so the current cars will still be around for a little bit.

Gonna need more than a year for the Solstice Targa though.

Its a helluva time to be an automobile enthusiast!!

as for the Camaro.. i'd think it's a good chance that the production model will be shown at either NAIAS 2008 or the Chicago show.. isnt it?

The future looks bright indeed! :D

HUH? Hate to bring it up again, but I think the G8 GT is expected to have a 0-60 of mid 5's, like the Commodore.
Thats my problem with it. I've pulled away from several charger r/t's which I see as comprable to the g8 GT in my g/f's Ion Redline. IMO, that means its not all that fast.

HUH? Hate to bring it up again, but I think the G8 GT is expected to have a 0-60 of mid 5's, like the Commodore.

Where'd you get 4.9?
maybe this is why we disagree so much on the G8 performance?!

Also, where the heck is the Camaro!?

The manual HSVs can apparently do 0-60 in 4.9 sec. The standard holdens the G8s are based on are good for mid 5s.

The manual HSVs can apparently do 0-60 in 4.9 sec. The standard holdens the G8s are based on are good for mid 5s.

and if we do get an hsv equivalent it wont be the gt, but likely the gxp a year later

and if we do get an hsv equivalent it wont be the gt, but likely the gxp a year later

Correct, and likely to have the LS3 compaired to HSV currently using the LS2.

Thats my problem with it. I've pulled away from several charger r/t's which I see as comprable to the g8 GT in my g/f's Ion Redline. IMO, that means its not all that fast.

:rolleyes: :no: Noooooo!

It simply means the Saturn Ion redline is very, very quick.

FWIW: try the same stunt alongside an SRT8. ;)

HUH? Hate to bring it up again, but I think the G8 GT is expected to have a 0-60 of mid 5's, like the Commodore.

Where'd you get 4.9?
maybe this is why we disagree so much on the G8 performance?!

Also, where the heck is the Camaro!?

Camaro isn't on the scene till at least a year later.

4.9 did indeed come from the HSV version which will be similar (though not identical) to what's being planned for the GXP. The GT will likely be a hair quicker than the mid-5 second 0-100 km/h time of the SS. Expect the auto GT to be above 5.5 seconds, and the manual to be below.

My bad. :)

...
4. The Corvette SS should be unveiled and only months from production.
...


If there is any justice in the world, that will not be the name though.

Thats my problem with it. I've pulled away from several charger r/t's which I see as comprable to the g8 GT in my g/f's Ion Redline. IMO, that means its not all that fast.

:rolleyes: :no: Noooooo!

It simply means the Saturn Ion redline is very, very quick.

FWIW: try the same stunt alongside an SRT8. ;)

How can you consider a mid-14-second car "very, very quick"? Is it 1993 again, and stock LT1's are all we have to compare against? :think:

And no, I'm not a "drag racing is the only thing that matters" kind of guy. You'll note that we are, in this context, talking about acceleration performance. :)

Charger R/T is big and heavy, and therefore relatively slow. That's all there is to it. Heck, even the 425hp SRT8 doesn't qualify for "very, very quick".

I consider mid-14s cars quick. Not very very quick, but quick.

Do we need 11s cars from the factory? I'd rather have more mod potential then a 11s car from the factory... But that's just me.

I consider mid-14s cars quick. Not very very quick, but quick.

Do we need 11s cars from the factory? I'd rather have more mod potential then a 11s car from the factory... But that's just me.

Generally, I think I'd agree to the following for production cars in stock condition (with the caveat that the whole thing is just an approximation):
15.00 or slower: not quick
14.x: somewhat quick
13.x: quick
12.x: very quick
11.x: very, very quick
10.99 or faster: stupid fast

The point of my comment wasn't about what we need -- simply that Guy is usually very clear about what he says, and I think that if we're calling 14-second cars "very, very quick", then the waters have been muddied.

Simply because there are some cars today that accelerate quick enough to defy the theory of E=MC2, doesn't change the definition of very quick.

Once you get your head out of the drag strips and put down enthusiasts car rags long enough, most all the new cars on the road take 16 seconds to run a quarter. Take off half a second for the more quicker rides.

In the REAL world, meaning outside of a site dominated by LS1 owners, a 15 second quarter is quick. Using the standardized yardstick of Car & Driver, the Redline does it in 14.7 (6.1 0-60). Qualifies it as a quick ride.

Keeping the same standard, the Dodge Charger R/T does the quarter in 14.2 (5.6 0-60). Quicker than the Ion (sorry slt.... the Dodge driver either wasn't trying or his computer was restricting the engine, like all Hemis do till about 2000 miles). Any car that does the quarter over 100 mph is quick.....period. LT1 Camaros did that. Charger R/T does it at 101.

When we get to 14 flat and below, we're in very quick territory. Our LS1 Camaros and Firebirds fall in that territory. 13.7. 5.3 to 60.

When you get around 13 seconds, you are in rareified air where you either have money or start tweaking stuff. CTSv runs 13.1 (4.7 to 60). SRT 300s and Chargers run around here. Rule of thumb: Anything which under the same yardstick in the same stock trim that outruns an LS1 F-body is pretty frigging quick, bordering on (to steal a term) Stupid-Fast. 13 seconds is half a second quicker. That more than qualifies.

The number of people here who drive a 12 second car probally aren't enough (even on a site like this) to hold a decent card game, so one can only imagine how rare it is in the general public. We're now in Z06-Viper-Ford GT territory.


My point here hits on what alot of people including myself have been saying for some time. The capability of SOME of the performance cars today (horsepower figures & acceleration times) has thrown off whack any realistic sense of what quick and fast really is to alot of people, especially at enthusiasts sites. People see the numbers from an $80,000 Z06 Corvette with a hand built engine and a production volume as low as 5 pound diamonds, and they end up so mentally whacked that they use it as a yardstick to measure a mass produced $25,000 Mustang. No s*it. It actually happened! Then there was the guy who was dissappointed that the vehicle we were talking about had "only" 400 horsepower.... though it's doubtful he's ever driven anything with 400 horsepower.



Another point, which I haven't mentioned because I was flabberghasted enough already, is that a 14 second Corvette is alot different than a 14 second Cobalt or Miata or even a 14 second Crown Victoria. In the Corvette that's a slow number. In the Cobalt, it's quick. In the Crown Victoria, it's almost a revelation, and in the Miata, you'll find yourself calling God alot. Yet, running a 14 second quarter on a Kawasaki Ninja is moving at snails-pace.

Everything is relative. Numbers are meaningless unless it's used in context.

Again, we aren't talking about a car at the drag strip with x-thousand-dollars in mods or someone's rich-guy toys. We're talking about cars that roll off the assembly line that an automaker spent millions or even billions to make. Complete with all the emissions, safety, and comfort items and still have a car that runs as quick and fast as it does.... that real people can walk off the street into the showroom & buy. :)

If there is any justice in the world, that will not be the name though.

There is no justice

Original SS was a Corvette...