Originally posted by gaweidert If you look at how those old performance cars were equipped you may be in for a shock. No airbags, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, cruise control, sound system, GPS, the myriad of sensors feeding data to a computer, fuel injection, collision resistant bumpers, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel. No power brakes or steering. No catalytic converters. No collapsible steering column. No backup camera. No passenger side rear view mirror. No vanity mirrors. And the list goes on and on. Usually a manual transmission too. Usually only the driver had a seat belt.
You had to tune it up every 10,000 miles or so. Even more frequently depending upon the setup. Dodge had a 440 cubic inch engine with three two barrel carburetors. Keeping that setup in optimal operating condition was an adventure in itself. One guy was so frustrated with his that he offered to trade me a straight up trade for my 1971 Ford Maverick. And he was dead serious about it.
Back then a car with 70,000 miles on it was considered on it's last legs. A car with 100,000 miles was almost unheard of. My 1964 Chevy Biscayne had 96,000 miles on it when I scrapped it. Transmission was shot and it was rusted pretty good too.
Cars and tire today are exponentially better than they were in the "good old days". Rare was the year that you did not experience at least one flat tire. By the time a car had 50,000 miles on it you had probably done at least three tune ups and 16 oil changes if you were following recommended maintenance. Replaced the ignition wires twice. Replaced the water pump. Replaced all the belts and hoses at least once and maybe even the carburetor. Valve cover gaskets were probably changed too. Ball joints wore out. Another list that goes on and on.
Quite right, but you get many if not all those improvements you mention on new Ford Focus...non RS models... cars that go for $ 21,175 to 27,000 CAD. I was looking at the prices of new Focus models at the local dealer.
Everyone of them has the following and I'll quote, but paraphrase you.. "safety equipment airbags, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, cruise control, sound system, GPS, the myriad of sensors feeding data to a computer, fuel injection, collision resistant bumpers, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, power brakes / steering. Catalytic converters, collapsible steering column, backup camera. Passenger side rear view mirror, vanity mirrors. And the list goes on and on, etc
The RS model at 60 grand has added performance features in an engine, brakes, cooling, suspension, tires...but not almost 40 grand worth...is my point. Almost three times as much...not quite, but almost at $ 21, 175.
You are paying extra, extra...for the performance image and I realize the RS and GT 350 do have what some might term...extreme performance..compared to regular cars.
If only a regular citizen could get a new police package AWD, turbo 3.5 liter V6 Taurus Police Interceptor...what a fine performance car that would be. Not as quick as the extreme RS and GT 350...but a great performance car for a driver who wants sharper handling, better braking, crisper acceleration for and I think the purchase price is around the mid $ 30,000 mark.
Not an original idea by me, think that was how the late '60's Plymouth Road Runner / Dodge Super Bee came about...essentially stripper sedans with police package equipment...383 cube /335 hp V8, HD suspension, cooling, brakes, performance tires...for low prices.
---------- Post added 05-06-18 at 11:23 PM ----------
Originally posted by Just1MoreDave The GT350 has 562hp which is probably a bit more than absolutely necessary. The base Mustang used to be some anemic thing but today has 300hp - possibly OK. It would be interesting to see how many vintage Mustangs would be outrun by the new base model.
You're right the base Mustang 300 hp V6 or the base Camaro with the 335hp, 3.6 liter V6 would outhandle, out brake and in all probability out accelerate many ...stock...not breathed on...but stock....'60's performance cars.
I checked out Car and Driver magazine and the 2018 Camaro V6 is impressive... 0-60 mph is 5.2 seconds, 1/4 mile is 13.8 seconds @ 101 mph. Not too shabby and I can tell you there were not many hi po muscle cars from the '60's that can match or better those figures.
When it comes to braking and handling..the Camaro/Mustang are generally in another league. Think these cars are somewhere in the mid to high 30 grand area (after wheeling and dealing) ...new.