Zero to 60 times.....Seriously?

[Joseph Scott]

http://carsandcoffeetalk.blogspot.co...e-changin.html




Take a look at my latest blog article and see just how fast cars are these days?? You will be surprised at the results!

[Joseph Scott]

Nobody impressed with the list??

[Rod]

I don't have a response to that, sure 0-60 is cool but if the car looks like a dishwasher (no style or flair) I don't want it and no amount of Hype makes the car better

[Joseph Scott]

I do see your point, but you have to respect the times of cars today, and that's what my article was about.......thanks!

[72BBSwinger]

Technology has went a long way, put todays tires on any of those old musclecars and todays cars would'nt look near as good.

[Nicks67GTO]

Yeah.

New cars are fast.....and really expensive......and not very nice to look at.....and impossible to work on without specialized stuff. At the end of the day no one looks at a Volvo or a Taurus SHO or a Subaru WRX and says "thats f'ing badass right there" The numbers are impressive and they handle lightyears better without arguement....but like 72BBswinger just said, if you put good tires on these old cars the numbers would probably be a lot different.

[Yelcamino]

Technology has went a long way, put todays tires on any of those old musclecars and todays cars would'nt look near as good.

Exactly what I was thinking! Muscle car era bias ply tires are no match for modern rubber. Today's DOT 200 treadwear tires probably have more grip than race slicks from back in the day.

[Joseph Scott]

Legit points.......thanks for the feedback guys!

[NJSPEEDER]

You can admire the performance of a Bugatti Veyron but that doesn't fix it being a gastly looking thing (inside and out) or that the driving position and site lines are terrible for an average sized person. You can admire the straightline performance of the new Hellcat but the question of handling is conspicuous in it's absence. You can admire the ZL1 Camaro for it's all around performance if you can justify living with mullet jokes at Corvette prices. The GTR is a fantastically quick and well balance car without the slightest hint of soul in styling or ride.

My point is that there seems to be a serious lack of all around cars for the masses. It's certainly not a new thing as manufacturers seem to have been drifting away from simple since the dawn of time. At any given price point that us normal folks can afford there are sacrifices to be made but I have to wonder how much less we would all have to give up in the fun department if at least the domestic brands gave up on solving everything by making the cars heavier and larger. It is the sacrificing of simple, nimble, fun cars in the name of badges, retro looks, and 7 ton pimp rims on the showroom floor.

It is not a situation exclusive to the domestic muscle car market. Take ever the historically super fun little hatchbacks. The first generation Golf GTi was lighter than the original Beetle, the latest generation weighs almost the same as the 91 Camaro RS I drove in college.

The above is not endorsed by management, it is merely the ramblings of probably the least fancy guy you will ever meet. lol

-Tim

[DButler]

Joseph I just realized you are located in Athens al...i live in florence....cool blog by the way

[Joseph Scott]

LOL.......yep, small world........thanks!!

[olason]

The weight of cars has increased, but so have the crash standards which drive a lot of the structure through out the vehicle. Having to have impact zones within the B-pillar, etc. has a sandwich of several formed plates all needing to fit together to be able to stop that side-impact (any direction really).

I have a 240z from 1973, and it is a project, so the plastic for the interior is all stripped out. I wouldn't like to see that after an accident that you would walk away from in modern cars. I plan to make it safer, but stock form doesn't give much security.

Food for thought, check out different parts of the world and the weight of similar cars in those markets. Bet the US weight'ed cars are the heaviest of all the sister cars for the global companies.