Quote:
Originally Posted by Bomino
GM simply isn't showing as much interest in straight line performance.
They want to get rid of the stigma that american cars cant turn, as the Europeans and the japanese say.
they are trying to appeal to that market, by creating a more balanced car. its exciting, because it is clear that this is what there goal is, and with the alpha based 6th gen, they will be able to dive more effectively into this market.
and its not just chevy... look at Ford with their Boss model. go check out the ford forums. LOTS of people that prefer the boss LS over the gt500. and now dodge making claims to put out a z/28 rival.
the one thing that still is and will continue to be true about american cars is that V8 roar. that is until CAFE butts in.
drag racing as a sport is shrinking, and road racing is growing.
It's OK guys, you don't need a mullet to drive a camaro any more.
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There's also the fact that times have simply changed. In 1962 the world population was about 3 billion. Now it's 7 billion. Back in the 60's everybody street raced. The streets weren't congested with traffic like they are now. It was a standard activity on Friday and Saturday night to cruise the local burger joints, street race, hang out in the parking lots of the burger joints and talk about cars, girls and whatever. With over twice as many people in the world now it's no longer easy or safe to street race. Too many drivers on the road and way too many are clueless and slow.
Building a dedicated street racer in these current times is not an image any of the car companies want to have since that's like stirring up a hornets nest of self-righteous do-gooders, public safety hounds, etc. You can imagine the crapstorm backlash that would happen if a car company built and advertised a "killer" street racer and some idiot managed to accomplish just that; kill someone and/or himself with it street racing.
Much better to build impressive, high-powered track cars that emphasize overall performance including handling and braking. Much better (and safer liability-wise) than building and advertising a car to do something that's illegal in every state.
Times have changed. And while that may be sad for some who wanted just the street racer, overall it's fantastic for the performance enthusiast. Start with an SS or 1LE and build your street machine. Don't say it's the warranty that's stopping you; you voided the warranty the moment you took the car to the dragstrip. And you will DEFINITELY not have a warranty if you get busted for street racing.
The performance cars we're able to buy and drive right now to me are simply mind-blowing. The capabilities, reliability, quality, fit and finish is just astounding when you compare them to the cars of the 60's and early 70's.