Do you guys realize just how spoiled we are?

[cal45]

I'm with ya big dave. When I was 15 (just months away from 16 and my Jr. license) in the summer of '74, I bought my 1st car - a 1964 GTO w/389 Tri-power & a Turbo400 Automatic......boy, I wish I had that car now.

[LStick]

I'm 62............my 69 Chevelle ran fast.........350-300 horse with a factory 3 on the floor.

[hotlap]

For those regretting letting your old car go... My second car (19) was a Y82, 455 4-speed TA that I completely restored in 99 and then sold in 09 after 27 years ownership. It was visceral, it was quick (mid 13s) but it still felt like an old car with squeaks and rattle. Here she is nearing completion of the resto.

[Murder 1]

Some of you guys are throwing out some serious "old iron". Okay... going back to those cars... Here's my 72 Monte Carlo on top of the old Bayfront Center. When I met Bobby Allison in about 1992 at his cellular phone business in Pinellas Park and told him I had a '72 Monte we nick named "Coke Machine" after his #12 NASCAR he smiled because he knew that was too farfetched to make up. Here it is. I got his autograph.

Funny thing is the ZL1 weighs > 400 pounds more than this car !!

350 4 barrel 355 12 bolt posi baby YEA !!! Amazing how the radial tires were so much better than the bias ply. It was modded some. It could hold off a GN or a 6 spd Vette in the 80s but you had SD 455 Trans Ams, Satellite GTXs, and 440 SuperBees still running around that were way deadlier that the cars of the era. They survived the gas crisis.

[davej]

Im with big dave. Im 71 and grew up in the muscle car era, fortunate enough to drive, race and own some
Of the beasts seen on the tv auctions. And I can tell you there is no comparison. Many of them rode like stage coaches, overheated, poor brakes, sometimes unreliable and dangerous. No computer to keep you from going into the ditch. Don't get me wrong they were fun and you learned to drive by feeling the car. You didn't miss too many power shifts (no lift shift) because the only RPM governer was floating the valves, and you didn't want to do that too often. Top advertised HP was is the 400 range (really probably around 325). If those cars had come with 580 without todays technology I would think not many of us would have made it to 70.

[big dave]

Originally Posted by davej

Im with big dave. Im 71 and grew up in the muscle car era, fortunate enough to drive, race and own some
Of the beasts seen on the tv auctions. And I can tell you there is no comparison. Many of them rode like stage coaches, overheated, poor brakes, sometimes unreliable and dangerous. No computer to keep you from going into the ditch. Don't get me wrong they were fun and you learned to drive by feeling the car. You didn't miss too many power shifts (no lift shift) because the only RPM governer was floating the valves, and you didn't want to do that too often. Top advertised HP was is the 400 range (really probably around 325). If those cars had come with 580 without todays technology I would think not many of us would have made it to 70.

Lol!! I agree. We have all the power in the world at our disposal, but thank god we have smart people that say " the average person won't be able to handle it, so lets ensure we have safety measures in place". Traction control has saved me more than a couple times.

[brian-nicola]

Made it to 70? LOL, try the first night driving the car...

[KaBoom1701]

I thought my 92' RS 305 Camaro was fast.....this ZL1 puts it to shame.

But your right. Even though I'm sure all of us work our asses off to afford these great cars we are among a small select few who have a great American supercar!

[Shark72]

Originally Posted by KaBoom1701

I thought my 92' RS 305 Camaro was fast.....this ZL1 puts it to shame.

But your right. Even though I'm sure all of us work our asses off to afford these great cars we are among a small select few who have a great American supercar!

Exactly!!!
When you add up the total production;
2012 = 1971
2013 = 7956
2014 = 2436
2015 = ?????

We are looking at maybe a grand total less than 15000 total cars!
We are spoiled and loving every minute!!

[cdjnight]

In 1998 I started chasing the World Ford Challenge with a 1989 notch back with a bastardized 460 big block ford and powerglide. I had gotten fed up with NHRA treating sportsman racers like crap (It was a 10.90 superstreet car) So I bolted on NOS big shot 400hp plate and went 10" DOT tire racing. Also did a little street racing but little did I know back then I had to run Super bikes on the street to even have any competition. And that was without the bottle. The car ended up running low low 9's back then and I'd drive it all over town. I remember how crazy people would go when I rolled into the local burger joints with parachute hanging off the back.

[jessrayo]

Originally Posted by cdjnight

I remember how crazy people would go when I rolled into the local burger joints with parachute hanging off the back.

What really impresses me is that I can mod up a street legal ZL1 to hit 200mph in the standing mile and run 10's at 140 mph in the quarter mile and stand on the brakes and easily stop without a parachute. I can pass the traps at 140 mph and brake for the first turn out road in about 300 feet. The cars today really are just plain amazing.

[EOD_Tech Infidel]

245hp lol I still love this car

[cdjnight]

Originally Posted by jessrayo

What really impresses me is that I can mod up a street legal ZL1 to hit 200mph in the standing mile and run 10's at 140 mph in the quarter mile and stand on the brakes and easily stop without a parachute. I can pass the traps at 140 mph and brake for the first turn out road in about 300 feet. The cars today really are just plain amazing.

LOL, I still had drum brakes on the back and 4 cylinder brakes on the front. NHRA required the chute because I was going over 150 in the quarter. Other wise I wouldn't have put it on there as most tracks I didn't have any trouble getting slowed down. definitely used the whole shut down area as to not destroy the little brakes I had.

Your car is absolutely amazing...reminds me of the old Carol Shelby sales pitch for the Cobra back in the 60's. Zero 100 and back to zero...like 12 seconds or something crazy!

[Bigtime53]

My first car was one that my neighbor had and he had bought another car so I talked him in to selling it to me. I can't remember what it was called for the life of me but I gave him 10 bucks for it. It would not run so I had some friends help me tow it it home. I pulled the radiator cap off and it was froze up,no anti freeze in it. So I thought what the hell, we messed around and got it running and it had not hurt anything. I was a junior in high school and worked at a gas station five days a week and on weekends I helped my friend drive a dump truck hauling sand to different jobs. When summer rolled around I quit my job at the gas station and went to work full time for my friends dad who owned that construction company. I was making 2 bucks a hour!! Man I was getting rich! So I sold that first car for a 150 bucks and went and bought a 1969 Olds 442 with a 4 speed. It was azteck gold with a white vinyl top and bucket seats. After I paid the taxes and tag I just had to have some mag wheels and a 8 track tape player. I spent every dollar I could on that car. I had just got it all done and started back to school for my senior year and one saturday afternoon I thought I would go down to the local drive in and I got t-boned by a guy who was drunk and he totaled my car out. After I settled with the insurance company I went right back to the Olds dealership and they had about 5 1970 Olds 442 W-30's sitting there and I bought one. It was rally red with the white stripes,white interior and a automatic. That big twin scoop sold me on that car! Well I kept it till I got married and then sold it. I kept up where the car was for about 10 years then lost track of it. I was looking on ebay a couple months ago and what did I see, my car! It is in michigan and I called the guy. I bought the car from him but then when the transport driver got there to pick it up he backed out of selling it to me. So life goes on and maybe I will end up getting my Olds back. At least he said when he really wants to sell it he will let me know. We shall see.

Just remembered the make of the first car,it was a Kaiser. It had 4 doors but the one behind the drivers seat was fake. It had the spare tire and jack on the inside of the fake door.


Here are some pics of my Olds. Not like the new iron out nowdays but was fun in 1970! Car ran 14:20's all day.