Sparky2263
03-10-06, 08:13 PM
Copied from May 2004 issue of Hot Rod Magazine;
" The necessity of the quarter mile....
Forget about these namby-pamby cars with balanced performance, cornering prowess, braking acumen and all those other slide-rule sensibilities that have nothing to do with making fire, noise and smoke and going scary quick in a straight line. Thank God and nitrous oxide for your redneck American right to unabashed dragstrip violence, and to practice it often.
At least that's my mood today. See, as editor of the worlds biggest performance rag, there's a certain expectation that I'll have an attitude and direction of well-rounded performance, and my prolonged exposure to the do-it-all-but-do-it-mildly genre has certainly piqued my interest--so much so that I'd love to build a handling car. Yet what I want is a barefisted, amenity-free, apex-wrecking musclecar that makes those wine-and-cheese sporty racers demand that I go home and don't come back. Putting even more kink in the sport, in a few months I'll reveal my vision of an all-out cornering '34 three-window. So, bluster aside, I'm immodest to admit that I'm wholly intrigued by handling and have followed the carrot of new and interesting technology that I think HOT ROD should continue to share with you.
But it's hard-core street-car drag racing that brought me into the hobby, and I want it back.
It struck me months ago that there's a subtle conspiracy among some aftermarket industry insiders to oust the cretins who favor sick horsepower, as if comfort and driveability are far nobler behaviors. Even in competing magazines, I often read finger-wagging admonitions to always pick the weenie cam, the tinier carb, the smaller headers and the dual-plane intake. That's all well and good for a daily driver-but how many of us are really driving our musclecars every day anymore? Praise to those who do, but if you're gonna rarely roll the odo, you might as well have some serious cackle under the big toe. Visit the Detroit or Chicago street scene sometime. Those guys know what I'm talking about. Thing is, people keep telling me that no one really wants to go drag racing anymore. That you don't see 10-second cars on Power Tour. That Edelbrock sells more Performers than Victors and that Comp peddles more hydraulics than solid rollers. "Torque is what moves the car," and such.
(paragraph on the pump gas drags.....)
.........Is quarter mile where it's at? Decide for yourself and let us know.
David Freiburger"
I was at the dyno the other day listening in on a conversation I've heard all too often.....
"I wanna burn away from the stoplight...."
"You'll need lower gears...."
"But that'll hurt my mileage"
"I need more horsepower up top...."
" You need a solid cam and a single plane intake...."
" But that'll hurt low speed driveability..."
" Then get a stall converter"
"That'll kill my mileage also..."
"Then............go play golf or something....."
Just thought I'd get some convo going. ;)
" The necessity of the quarter mile....
Forget about these namby-pamby cars with balanced performance, cornering prowess, braking acumen and all those other slide-rule sensibilities that have nothing to do with making fire, noise and smoke and going scary quick in a straight line. Thank God and nitrous oxide for your redneck American right to unabashed dragstrip violence, and to practice it often.
At least that's my mood today. See, as editor of the worlds biggest performance rag, there's a certain expectation that I'll have an attitude and direction of well-rounded performance, and my prolonged exposure to the do-it-all-but-do-it-mildly genre has certainly piqued my interest--so much so that I'd love to build a handling car. Yet what I want is a barefisted, amenity-free, apex-wrecking musclecar that makes those wine-and-cheese sporty racers demand that I go home and don't come back. Putting even more kink in the sport, in a few months I'll reveal my vision of an all-out cornering '34 three-window. So, bluster aside, I'm immodest to admit that I'm wholly intrigued by handling and have followed the carrot of new and interesting technology that I think HOT ROD should continue to share with you.
But it's hard-core street-car drag racing that brought me into the hobby, and I want it back.
It struck me months ago that there's a subtle conspiracy among some aftermarket industry insiders to oust the cretins who favor sick horsepower, as if comfort and driveability are far nobler behaviors. Even in competing magazines, I often read finger-wagging admonitions to always pick the weenie cam, the tinier carb, the smaller headers and the dual-plane intake. That's all well and good for a daily driver-but how many of us are really driving our musclecars every day anymore? Praise to those who do, but if you're gonna rarely roll the odo, you might as well have some serious cackle under the big toe. Visit the Detroit or Chicago street scene sometime. Those guys know what I'm talking about. Thing is, people keep telling me that no one really wants to go drag racing anymore. That you don't see 10-second cars on Power Tour. That Edelbrock sells more Performers than Victors and that Comp peddles more hydraulics than solid rollers. "Torque is what moves the car," and such.
(paragraph on the pump gas drags.....)
.........Is quarter mile where it's at? Decide for yourself and let us know.
David Freiburger"
I was at the dyno the other day listening in on a conversation I've heard all too often.....
"I wanna burn away from the stoplight...."
"You'll need lower gears...."
"But that'll hurt my mileage"
"I need more horsepower up top...."
" You need a solid cam and a single plane intake...."
" But that'll hurt low speed driveability..."
" Then get a stall converter"
"That'll kill my mileage also..."
"Then............go play golf or something....."
Just thought I'd get some convo going. ;)