stuart@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stuart Lewis) (06/07/84)
First, my greatest kudus to Jeff Buchanan and Rick Bensene for their articles on muscle cars. I know I get tired of reading all these criticisms on cars that people have never driven. I am reminded of the lyrics from a Jimmy Buffet song : "...don't try to describe a KISS concert if you've never seen it. Don't ever forget that you just may wind up being wrong!" One quick note to Rick Bensene before I start my tirade. My mail must not be getting through to you or you haven't been answering. Any guesses? Now European and Eastern Pacific afficianados (and anyone else reading that for that matter!), let me give you an example of muscle car. I've got one sitting behind my house. She's a real fine '63, four-speed, 4.11 posi-, Four OH 9!! This baby cranks over 400 horses and will blast darn near EVERYTHING off the road. My only competition comes from Rat Chevelles, 428/429 Mustangs (but when was the last time you saw one of these?), and Hemi cars. And as far as the Rat Chevelles go I'd rather admire a fellow Chevy than compete against it. This gentlemen is a muscle car. Period. The American muscle cars have always, and will always rule the streets. Yes, fellow Americans, the streets. Because that's where muscle is born - on the streets, highways and byways of this great nation (up music!). It's not found at Laguna-Seca. It's not found at Sears Point. It's not found at Elkhart Lake. NO! It's found on the corner of 1st and Main. It's found at the corner of Cherry and Smith. Come on all you RX-7's. Come on all you 280-Z's. And YES! Come on all you Porche 911's! Right now! Let's go toe-to-toe on Main Street U.S.A!! I've got the pure, raw power to suck you right up my exhaust pipes!! Corners? What corners?! Who's corners?! WE DON'T NEED NO STEENKING CORNERS!!! By the time we get to a corner, you'll be a dot in my rear view mirror!!! When the traffic light turns green, it'll be nothing but the scream of my 8 cylinders and clouds of pulverized rubber smothering you with its stench!! ALL RIGHT!!! LET'S GO!!! LET'S DO IT!!! GAS!!! TIRES!!! 30 WEIGHT MOTOR OIL!!! IT'S AMERICA!!! IT'S MOM!!! IT'S APPLE PIE!!! IT'S CHEVROLET!!!!! I'M... I'M GOING TO......I'M GOING OVER THE EDGE.....OH NO!!, I'M ABOUT TO .....AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please do not adjust your terminal. The problem is not in your set. We re- gret to inform you that our operator was electrocuted attempting to speed shift his RETURN key! :-) __________ | | ------- --------- /Stuart Lewis / / ssc-vax!stuart/ --------- ------- | | ----------
gmp@hjuxa.UUCP (06/09/84)
One question? :-) If the 409 was such a great engine as you say, why did they discontinue making them???? Compaired to the later Chevy Big Blocks (396/427), that particular design had asthma!
guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris) (06/09/84)
> Now European and Eastern Pacific afficianados... > She's a real fine '63, four-speed, 4.11 posi-, Four OH 9!! Anybody know how much power you can squeeze out of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9? 420 cubic inches should be good for something... :-) Guy Harris {seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guy
rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher) (06/12/84)
I haven't seen figures for the 6.9 liter Mercedes engine (450SEL 6.9), but have some familiarity with its predecessor, the 6.3 liter engine used in the 1969-1971 (I think) 300SEL 6.3. This produced 300 hp (DIN, I think), and 400 ft-lbs. of torque. 6.3 liters is about 380 cubes, or so. At the time, the 300SEL 6.3 was the fastest sedan in the world, despite a weight of over 4000 lbs. It would do 0-60 in about 6 seconds, and had a top speed of 145 mph. All this with power windows, sunroof, cushy leather seating for 5, and lots of walnut on the dash. The car also had an interesting air suspension system with no springs. This was quite similar to the current Lincoln system, with ride height sensors, and a compressed air system run off of an engine belt. A button under the dash could be pulled to give 2 extra inches of ground clearance, for "rough road use". I've got a 300SEL 3.5, which is identical, except for the smaller V-8 used in the 350SL sports car. This will only do 0-60 in ~9-9.5 seconds, with a top speed of 127 mph. With 136,000 miles on it, it still feels rock-solid. Bob Schleicher ihuxk!rs55611
roger@felix.UUCP (06/13/84)
[] Does it seem to anyone besides me that S. Lewis must have a really high opinion of himself? "My final word..." Really. Who cares?
jeff@qubix.UUCP (Jeff Buchanan) (06/14/84)
RIGHT-ON, BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jeff Buchanan @ QUBIX Graphic Systems, Inc., Saratoga, CA.
...{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!
...{ittvax,amd70}!qubix!jeff
decwrl!qubix!jeff@Berkeley.ARPA