An audiophile and petrolhead's journal: Buckle up!
Dec 31, 2013 at 10:18 PM Post #5,371 of 9,499
Wow so it was basically the car that introduced the term "Sleeper"..... 


Hmm - not really - there were sleepers waaaay before the 1980s. Certainly back to the 60s when you could get a big block in a family sedan - or even earlier in the 50s with cars like the Chrysler 300C.

In 1957, this car had 375 HP!

 
Jan 1, 2014 at 1:32 AM Post #5,372 of 9,499
Hmm - not really - there were sleepers waaaay before the 1980s. Certainly back to the 60s when you could get a big block in a family sedan - or even earlier in the 50s with cars like the Chrysler 300C.

In 1957, this car had 375 HP!



And six years later you could buy one of these:)
 

 
Jan 1, 2014 at 1:58 AM Post #5,373 of 9,499
Happy New Year! And I noticed that somewhere I made my 5000th post, that's either cool or sad, not sure at this point. We had a great time, froze our butts off shooting fireworks, and my wife almost killed everyone by knocking over a big tube with a shell in it that was larger than my fist, while lighting it, and it ended up pointed right at us. What does she do? She screamed and waved her hands in the air, yeah, that always helps. Luckily it sailed a few feet over us, but the explosion was something else.


I think I mentioned it before, but my great uncle had a `68 factory 426 Hemi Dart with a posi-trac diff and Muncie 4-spd, cammed and bored it made over 500hp at the wheels... painted beige and white. He left all the vette and Camaro guys crying, and choking on his tire smoke. That was a sleeper from hell. Back in the day he could run high-11s in the 1/4. He ended up selling it to a buddy and bought a New Yorker for his then wife, who turned around and left him for a guy with more money.
 
Jan 1, 2014 at 2:23 AM Post #5,374 of 9,499
There used to be a guy down the street from me (when I still lived in Wisconsin) who had an 7- or 8-second dragstrip 'Cuda and somehow licensed it for the street. Those 426s will really go if you pay careful attention to them. I've got a hemi head sitting on top of my desk right now.
 
Come to think of it, the Wisconsin DMV tended to be pretty lenient and/or dumb when it came to performance cars. The owner of a local electrical contractor had an Evo V rally car bought straight from a pro team and got it by the government by telling them it was a paint-only replica. He also had a CAV GT40 and a stripped-out 944 racer that were both deemed legal.
 
Happy New Year, everyone!
 
Jan 1, 2014 at 10:59 AM Post #5,375 of 9,499
Another great old sleeper was the 1964 Buick Wildcat. A buddy of mine had one of these in high school that he inherited from his grandmother (really!) In 1977, we had A LOT of fun chewing-up stock firebirds. His had a nailhead 401 ci motor with a 4 bbl and an auto transmission - which was the most mild version of the Wildcat you could have bought in 1964. You could have also bought a version with a 425 ci, dual 4 bbl carbs & a 4 speed.




[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdV28rOHe_s[/VIDEO]
 
Jan 1, 2014 at 9:42 PM Post #5,378 of 9,499
Happy New Year to all my friends on this thread. May 2014 bring even more headphones and even faster cars.

I echo your sentiments wholeheartedly. 
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Of course, in my case, even a Smart Car would be faster than what I have now...(nothing) lol.  
 
Jan 2, 2014 at 2:58 AM Post #5,382 of 9,499
So cool, we have a new neighbor. A half mile down the road is a mid-century colonial, it's been on the market for 7 years, I considered getting it long ago but it would have needed extensive renovation, the wiring was substandard, and the plumbing was on its last legs. Also, due to its closer proximity to the local landfill, on some mornings, when the wind is blowing in out of the north, smells of ammonia and fetid bio waste roll in, and well... hell no. :blink: Anyhow, apparently this guy has no sense of smell, but he does have fair taste in cars, I saw him drive by in a black 996 Turbo. There aren't enough sports car nuts around here, so it'll be cool to have another in the neighborhood. :)
 
Jan 2, 2014 at 6:22 AM Post #5,383 of 9,499
So cool, we have a new neighbor. A half mile down the road is a mid-century colonial, it's been on the market for 7 years, I considered getting it long ago but it would have needed extensive renovation, the wiring was substandard, and the plumbing was on its last legs. Also, due to its closer proximity to the local landfill, on some mornings, when the wind is blowing in out of the north, smells of ammonia and fetid bio waste roll in, and well... hell no.
blink.gif
Anyhow, apparently this guy has no sense of smell, but he does have fair taste in cars, I saw him drive by in a black 996 Turbo. There aren't enough sports car nuts around here, so it'll be cool to have another in the neighborhood.
smily_headphones1.gif

Or he could be an unwieldy gentleman like most 911 drivers....... XD (I did say most Magick you probably being the only one who isnt snobby and cuts in the lane of all people) 
 
P.S come to think of it this applies to most drivers of German cars....... 
 
Jan 2, 2014 at 6:56 AM Post #5,384 of 9,499
  Or he could be an unwieldy gentleman like most 911 drivers....... XD (I did say most Magick you probably being the only one who isnt snobby and cuts in the lane of all people) 
 
P.S come to think of it this applies to most drivers of German cars....... 


You mean BMW/Audi drivers? Merc drivers seem fairly well behaved though I might be biased there......
 
Jan 2, 2014 at 11:02 AM Post #5,385 of 9,499
Magick - are you sure he's the owner? Maybe he's just the flipper that is doing the renovation?

And yeah, the "New Jersey Merge" (at least that's what a friend from NJ calls it) is a favorite maneuver of Porsche & BMW drivers.

Are Mercedes drivers more "polite" - maybe - except in SoCal where there are also a lot of quasi-celebrities, lawyers & real-estate agents driving Mercs... :p
 

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