I think within the next 5 years we are all going to really see the "Law of Diminishing Returns" start taking place in HP increases.

This is when a particular techological advancement starts to become very expensive and the improvement from that technology becomes very minimal. Sooner or latter having an extra hundred horsepower wont mean much in daily performance improvement and would be left only for bragging rights and saturday night drags :-D


Technology doesnt stop because we cant improve something or make it better but certain technologies will slow-down or stop when it becomes so expensive to improve something that people are no longer willing to spend the extra money for the minor technological advancement.

 

Yea odd to hear isn't it! I think our complaints stem from the fact that for the foreseable future the Camaro will be out of those HP wars!
From top dog in 2002 to gone and forgotten in 2003 its a hard thing to get used to!

 

One thing to keep in mind is that the price of the C6/C6-Z06 WILL keep them out of alot of peoples hands. This is just me, but I see FAR FAR FAR more people driving stupidly in cheaper, slower, more mechanically challenged vehicles. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever seen a C5/Z06 driver do some of the outright idiotic stunts I've seen kids, motorcycles drivers, and soccer moms perform.

There seems to be 2 kinds of bad drivers, the younger inexperienced ones, and the inattentive ones. The younger ones lack the experience and the "willpower" to know when to keep their driving in check, and when to NOT do something that could be construed as "dangerous" (wheelies down the interstate). The inattentive ones are the cell phone users, the non-signalers, the 3 lane changers to make their exit, and the lane changers who feel they dont have to look next to them to see if the lane is clear.

That said, I can rememer back when I was in HS, and they started putting 350's back into Camaros..and they said "OH MY GAWD, 210HP IN A CAMARO IS WAAAAAY TOO DANGEROUS, WE'LL ALL BE KILLED!" Of course that number is laughable now, and the prospect of a stock Fbody running high 12's/low 13's back then would have been the same as what we're talking now. At the time, that would have represented about a 2 sec improvement over the IROCS of the day, or the equivalent of a Z06 running 10's, and a base vette running 11's using todays vehicles. Point is, every generation gets faster, but safer. It was that way in the 50's, 60's, backtracked a bit in the 70's, and of course today.

Todays C5's aren't a menace to society, but history proves, you can put a stupid driver behind the wheel of a GEO, and he'll find a way to crash it into something. Keeping our roads safe have less to do w/ the vehicle, and more to do w/ driver behavior.

 

In 2006 I will still be in a good old musclecar, still beating all the newest and latest cars. My next project, is too build my 850 ci aluminum block,heads,intake. I will drop it in... well will see, lol! This project will take a couple years, when its done. I will supercharge it, and drive it on the street. yep. And thats my thoughts on racing against stock and modified cars. Because i will never worry about it.

 

My answer, if there had to be 1, would also be a high performance driving course. I'll teach

 

1.mandatory scca license
2.safety course
3.a written test about parts of the car they own (i believe that if they don't know what the fuel pump looks like in their 160+mph cars then they wouldn't know how to drive it)

 

Oh brother, another one of those guys.

"I can throw money into my old car, and buy all these neet things and beat all the new cars, so my good old fashioned muscle car is far better"....pleeeezze!

Little late to the party, but to bring you up to date, the fastest cars ever to roll off the assembly line are being made today. Pick a car today: Cobra, Corvette, Z28 (kinda), even the upcomming GTO. All are quicker & faster than at anytime in their history. The current Nissan Altima 3.5 is as quick 0-60 mph as the standard issue Chevelle SS.... yes, that includes the 454 LS6 (you'll need nothing more than a new Mustang GT to take the SS454 in the quarter.... and people here consider Mustangs slow )

I like muscle cars for what they represent, and it's great to see these cars restored & apprieciated for what they meant for their era. Unfortunately, by today's standards, the performance of most aren't quite super.

Don't get too high up there in boast-ville, my friend, there's nothing being proven except where your paycheck goes. Of course, you can put all the money into go-fast parts you want, but so can everyone else.

There's more than a few very near new Camaros out there that just like your car, isn't stock....and the owners have bigger budgets as well.

 

I think it will come down to insurance. Also, I think they will change the rating sometime soon to make it look like it doesnt have as much power as it does.

This is starting to look at lot like 1964 all over again. Think of the new cars that will be coming out. New Camaro, Mustang(GT and Cobra), Ford GT, Corvette, Viper, GTO, Impala, and the list goes on. Dont forget that in the 60s there were big block cars that where under rated in the 400-500hp range and those where few and far between, ZL1 Camaros and Corvettes, 426 HEMI & 440 6pack are a few that come to mind. I just dont think that the BIG 3 are dumb enough to put 450+hp cars in the hands of people that dont know what they are doing. Now there will be that kid that thier parents buy them that Z06 and Cobra, but how many do you know? Also these are the extreme cars we are talking about. Look at the GT, Z28, Firebirds, and Corvttes, how many of those do you see on the street compared to the Vipers, Z06, and s/c Cobras? I'm just excited in the number of cars I will have to choose from in the next decade.

 

No flame intended, but did you see his sig? A beefy 468 will take pretty much anything available now out! Provided he has capable suspension and tires....I don't think he is trying to be cocky about his car. I think he means that putting money into something that isn't around anymore, and still kicking 35 years of technologies *** is what its about for him. And i can understand that...30,000 dollars for a new car is a lot, but you do get what you pay for, the driveablity of new cars no matter how fast they are is unprecidented.

But for this guy, and like others to do it with less than half the money and knowing that they built the car with their own hands is what means the most. Anyone can go buy a mass produced Fast car, they're all over the place now.
Just my opinions man, absolutey no flame intended...i just have respect for the old muscle, it means more!

Mike

 

thats my exact thoughts.

 

I think its cool too!!

 

build em and sell em to all..

 

In terms of straight-line speed, top-end speed, driveablity, handling, braking, ride and comfort modern cars are superior. I would challenge anyone to find an example of "new car" from 30 years ago that would come close to being acceptable by modern standards. The past is a fun place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

On the other hand, with enough money and compromises, a classic musclecar can be fully competitive at the dragstrip - if not on a road course. If somebody wants to spend a substantial portion of their income and life on modifying a '67 Camaro, more power to them.

However, the reality is that newer cars are generally superior all-around. The F2 was the first front-engined domestic that didn't have chronic and unavoidable understeer. If you just have to "build" the car of your dreams, at least go for a 1970. Personally, I think the newer the Camaro, the better the base for improvement. The exceptions are the astoundingly heavy and lethargic late F2s. It's fair to say that emmisions, fuel economy and safety regulations ruined a whole era of automobiles. From the mid-seventies to the late-eighties every domestic car was a irrecoverable disappointment in some way.

When its all said and done, I wouldn't trade my LS-1 Z28 for a '69 ZL-1.

 

I tell ya, I'm certainly glad your opinions, are just opinions.

 

I built my 67 for power, yeah it doesnt have a/c or powersteering. Man it doesnt really have anything expect a nice body and lots of guts. But i wouldnt have it any other way. I drive it anytime i want , its not my daily driver. When its time to put any new car in its place, then its time. That is why the car was built , there should be no arguments about this. Yeah it wont handle like any new car , you know what? Im not racing on a oval track!I have outstanding suspension. I just want to go fast ,fast. I want to do that in a car that has no aerodynamics whatsoever and im proud of that man!