Freyith
New member
Anyone here into cars, or just enjoy motoring in general? Hatchbacks, sedans, sports coupes, trucks, you name it, we all spend a lot of time in them in our lives for the most part. Almost all good cars have some sort of charming characteristic to them that makes them stick out in your mind. What are your favorites?
My favorites are:
1967-1969 Ford Mustang / Mustang GT350/ GT500 Shelby (in signature)
-A classic American muscle and sports car, the Mustang got its roots in 1964, when it originally debuted as more of a style-over-substance car for youths before getting Ford's best engines from '65 onward thanks to Carroll Shelby's involvement with Ford and Ford's motor-racing endeavors to out-do Chevrolet and their Corvette, 'America's Sportscar'. What ensued is an iconic American car with style, power, nimble handling, light weight and speed. It was also the biggest automotive success story for Ford as they sold in the first year alone close to 1 million units, when they expected to do 1/10th of that. That success led to beautiful cars like the GT500, which today, in good/restored form can fetch $125,000+, when at the time of sale, the car barely cost $3,000. The sound, the look, and the racing pedigree of its involvement with AC Cars' Carroll Shelby makes this car one of my favorites, and if not complete favorite classic car. Proof of its timelessness is that even today, the Mustang still has a GT500 variant. Later this year, due to go on sale is Ford's latest Shelby GT500, a massive 5.8L supercharged V8 monster engine-powered car that gets 650bhp and will pass the 200mph mark if you've got enough road (and guts) to try. Today the Mustang is reborn after a long slump of slow, underperforming examples through the late 90s and early 2000s. In 2011, they redesigned the cars practically from the ground up, and now even the V6 base model produces 305bhp (more than the previous year's GT Cobra) with a smaller, more fuel efficient egine, and the GT gets the 5.0L Coyote V8. The American Muscle War is on once again.
Here's a recent GT500 Cobra/Shelby
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32-R34) / Nissan GT-R (R35)
It's mean, and it's fast, and possibly Japan's most aggro car line ever. This one makes my short-list for a dream garage every time.
The Skyline dates back to the Prince Motor Company in Japan in 1955 as a small coupe, but the ones I'm talking about are Nissan's R32 platform Skyline GT-R dating from circa 1989 onward. This is probably Japan's most legendary tuner car, coming out the box with at the time, the most power legally allowed a road-going car there, 276bhp from a twin-turbo, 2.6 liter inline six-cylinder engine that in reality was a total lie, as with only minor tweaks, it could develop over 400bhp of power, all put to the ground through the innovative ATTESA-ETS all-wheel drive platform and HICAS all-wheel steering. So even though the car was heavy, its weight distribution, power, and advanced AWD/AWS systems gave it exceptional maneuverability. And those mean looks aren't just for show either, since they were designed to produce downforce and ground-effects. A lightly-tuned R32 GT-R in the early 1990s could easily outperform cars like the Ferrari 348m so no wonder it got the nickname "Godzilla". The Skyline GT-R saw lots of touring car racing in various teams, and culminated with the R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nur in the early 2000s, designed to tackle possibly the most insane public racetrack in the world, the Nurburgring. None of these cars ever saw distribution or sales in North America, but many have been imported to the U.S after a lot of haggling with the NHTSB. But then the GT-R disappeared, the Skyline name shuffled over to Nissan's upmarket brand (Infiniti) as a luxury coupe and nothing more... until...
Godzilla came back for another rampage through the streets in this, its rebirth as its own line, the Nissan GT-R (R35) in 2007. Above is pictured the newest iteration, the 2012 Black Edition. After peeks at motor shows and expos, the GT-R made a triumphant return in the form of this priced-for-'regular folk' ($70,000 then) supercar that could STILL outperform cars costing 2-3x as much. Redesigned completely, with a 3.8 liter twin-turbocharged, handmade V6 engine that could crank out 470+ horsepower from the factory, mated to a superfast formula 1 style paddle-shift transmission, this new, bolder, meaner, sleeker GT-R reaffirmed its place at the head of the import sportscar table. It immediately went to the races and racked up trophies. Just look at that car. The lines, the shape, the headlamps. Stunning. And with rear seats, a decent trunk as well as the latest ATTESA-ETS AWD system, it's a supercar one could live with on an everyday basis. Redesigned and improved for 2012, the GT-R now has 545bhp, almost 500 ft-lbs of torque, faster gear changes and an even more streamlined, effective body kit...and can do 0-62mph in get this... 2.8 seconds. O_O. That's faster than a Ferrari 599, and on par with the Lamborghini Aventador. Both cars cost over 3x what you can get the GT-R for. It's almost definitely the quickest (if not outright fastest in a straight line) car you can legally drive on the road. It's also probably the most over-engineered car since the ludicrous (and pointless) VW Phaeton, with Nitrogen-filled tires, a handbuilt engine made in a sealed 'clean room', computers and sensors all over the place, and a double-clutch gearbox from hell. The few critics it has (who are probably furious at having been passed in their Porches, Ferraris, Aston-Martins etc) might say it's a lifeless computer with wheels and seats, with no character, but I beg to differ!
Subaru Impreza WRX STi (1989-present, 2006 sedan, 2012 hatch pictured below)
If you want to go fast, have fun, get the groceries and take the kids to school AND look like a badass...all in one car, this is the car for you. The WRX STi is the 'evolution' form of Subaru's legendary rally-racer, the WRX-spec Impreza. Originally developed as a homologation model for Subaru's works rally team, Subaru Technica International, the guys and gals responsible for making Subaru's WRC and All-Japan Rally race cars, the STi is a leaner, more powerful, sharper WRX. It originally only came as a 4-door sedan. but since its introduction has been offered, depending on the model year in a 2-door coupe as well as a 5-door hatchback, and presently, both sedan and hatch forms. Sold in the U.S. from only 2004 forward, the engine has hardly changed since its inception, utilizing a 2.5L flat-four turbocharged boxer engine (2.0 liters in Japan and Europe) that produces around 300bhp and 280 ft-lbs of torque.
Those figures sound like nothing special until you discover the INSANE grip the all-wheel drive car has in the corners and that it can launch from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds (a tenth faster than Ford's Mustang GT 5.0L V8 that produces 430ish bhp!) and keep speed in turns much faster than most RWD cars. Why's that? Well, when Subaru designed a rally car and decided to sell it, they likely forgot to de-tune the car for street use. The result is a car that can, with only minor mods run an amateur rally and place highly, but still has satellite navigation, air-con, cupholders and heated seats. For folks like me who live in New England, where the weather is rough in the winter, this is the ultimate fun car. I just can't say enough good things about this car, even if out-of-the box, its excellent rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X might be faster, and the Subaru's EJ25 engine has a habit of blowing itself to pieces under the factory tune... it's seriously a lot of car for just $35,000, and roomier than a VW Golf or your average Honda Civic. You might earn a reputation as a boyracer driving one of these, or at the very least, a lot of tickets. It's a deceptive car that does a magic trick very few cars do: it makes you think you're a much better driver than you really are.
My favorites are:
1967-1969 Ford Mustang / Mustang GT350/ GT500 Shelby (in signature)
-A classic American muscle and sports car, the Mustang got its roots in 1964, when it originally debuted as more of a style-over-substance car for youths before getting Ford's best engines from '65 onward thanks to Carroll Shelby's involvement with Ford and Ford's motor-racing endeavors to out-do Chevrolet and their Corvette, 'America's Sportscar'. What ensued is an iconic American car with style, power, nimble handling, light weight and speed. It was also the biggest automotive success story for Ford as they sold in the first year alone close to 1 million units, when they expected to do 1/10th of that. That success led to beautiful cars like the GT500, which today, in good/restored form can fetch $125,000+, when at the time of sale, the car barely cost $3,000. The sound, the look, and the racing pedigree of its involvement with AC Cars' Carroll Shelby makes this car one of my favorites, and if not complete favorite classic car. Proof of its timelessness is that even today, the Mustang still has a GT500 variant. Later this year, due to go on sale is Ford's latest Shelby GT500, a massive 5.8L supercharged V8 monster engine-powered car that gets 650bhp and will pass the 200mph mark if you've got enough road (and guts) to try. Today the Mustang is reborn after a long slump of slow, underperforming examples through the late 90s and early 2000s. In 2011, they redesigned the cars practically from the ground up, and now even the V6 base model produces 305bhp (more than the previous year's GT Cobra) with a smaller, more fuel efficient egine, and the GT gets the 5.0L Coyote V8. The American Muscle War is on once again.
Here's a recent GT500 Cobra/Shelby
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32-R34) / Nissan GT-R (R35)
It's mean, and it's fast, and possibly Japan's most aggro car line ever. This one makes my short-list for a dream garage every time.
The Skyline dates back to the Prince Motor Company in Japan in 1955 as a small coupe, but the ones I'm talking about are Nissan's R32 platform Skyline GT-R dating from circa 1989 onward. This is probably Japan's most legendary tuner car, coming out the box with at the time, the most power legally allowed a road-going car there, 276bhp from a twin-turbo, 2.6 liter inline six-cylinder engine that in reality was a total lie, as with only minor tweaks, it could develop over 400bhp of power, all put to the ground through the innovative ATTESA-ETS all-wheel drive platform and HICAS all-wheel steering. So even though the car was heavy, its weight distribution, power, and advanced AWD/AWS systems gave it exceptional maneuverability. And those mean looks aren't just for show either, since they were designed to produce downforce and ground-effects. A lightly-tuned R32 GT-R in the early 1990s could easily outperform cars like the Ferrari 348m so no wonder it got the nickname "Godzilla". The Skyline GT-R saw lots of touring car racing in various teams, and culminated with the R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nur in the early 2000s, designed to tackle possibly the most insane public racetrack in the world, the Nurburgring. None of these cars ever saw distribution or sales in North America, but many have been imported to the U.S after a lot of haggling with the NHTSB. But then the GT-R disappeared, the Skyline name shuffled over to Nissan's upmarket brand (Infiniti) as a luxury coupe and nothing more... until...
Godzilla came back for another rampage through the streets in this, its rebirth as its own line, the Nissan GT-R (R35) in 2007. Above is pictured the newest iteration, the 2012 Black Edition. After peeks at motor shows and expos, the GT-R made a triumphant return in the form of this priced-for-'regular folk' ($70,000 then) supercar that could STILL outperform cars costing 2-3x as much. Redesigned completely, with a 3.8 liter twin-turbocharged, handmade V6 engine that could crank out 470+ horsepower from the factory, mated to a superfast formula 1 style paddle-shift transmission, this new, bolder, meaner, sleeker GT-R reaffirmed its place at the head of the import sportscar table. It immediately went to the races and racked up trophies. Just look at that car. The lines, the shape, the headlamps. Stunning. And with rear seats, a decent trunk as well as the latest ATTESA-ETS AWD system, it's a supercar one could live with on an everyday basis. Redesigned and improved for 2012, the GT-R now has 545bhp, almost 500 ft-lbs of torque, faster gear changes and an even more streamlined, effective body kit...and can do 0-62mph in get this... 2.8 seconds. O_O. That's faster than a Ferrari 599, and on par with the Lamborghini Aventador. Both cars cost over 3x what you can get the GT-R for. It's almost definitely the quickest (if not outright fastest in a straight line) car you can legally drive on the road. It's also probably the most over-engineered car since the ludicrous (and pointless) VW Phaeton, with Nitrogen-filled tires, a handbuilt engine made in a sealed 'clean room', computers and sensors all over the place, and a double-clutch gearbox from hell. The few critics it has (who are probably furious at having been passed in their Porches, Ferraris, Aston-Martins etc) might say it's a lifeless computer with wheels and seats, with no character, but I beg to differ!
Subaru Impreza WRX STi (1989-present, 2006 sedan, 2012 hatch pictured below)
If you want to go fast, have fun, get the groceries and take the kids to school AND look like a badass...all in one car, this is the car for you. The WRX STi is the 'evolution' form of Subaru's legendary rally-racer, the WRX-spec Impreza. Originally developed as a homologation model for Subaru's works rally team, Subaru Technica International, the guys and gals responsible for making Subaru's WRC and All-Japan Rally race cars, the STi is a leaner, more powerful, sharper WRX. It originally only came as a 4-door sedan. but since its introduction has been offered, depending on the model year in a 2-door coupe as well as a 5-door hatchback, and presently, both sedan and hatch forms. Sold in the U.S. from only 2004 forward, the engine has hardly changed since its inception, utilizing a 2.5L flat-four turbocharged boxer engine (2.0 liters in Japan and Europe) that produces around 300bhp and 280 ft-lbs of torque.
Those figures sound like nothing special until you discover the INSANE grip the all-wheel drive car has in the corners and that it can launch from 0-60 in 4.7 seconds (a tenth faster than Ford's Mustang GT 5.0L V8 that produces 430ish bhp!) and keep speed in turns much faster than most RWD cars. Why's that? Well, when Subaru designed a rally car and decided to sell it, they likely forgot to de-tune the car for street use. The result is a car that can, with only minor mods run an amateur rally and place highly, but still has satellite navigation, air-con, cupholders and heated seats. For folks like me who live in New England, where the weather is rough in the winter, this is the ultimate fun car. I just can't say enough good things about this car, even if out-of-the box, its excellent rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X might be faster, and the Subaru's EJ25 engine has a habit of blowing itself to pieces under the factory tune... it's seriously a lot of car for just $35,000, and roomier than a VW Golf or your average Honda Civic. You might earn a reputation as a boyracer driving one of these, or at the very least, a lot of tickets. It's a deceptive car that does a magic trick very few cars do: it makes you think you're a much better driver than you really are.
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