Muscle cars are a product of the American car maker between late 60’s and the oil crisis in the 70’s. Those car featured enormous gas hungry engines producing over 500 horse power. Handling was poor but price was cheap and design was agressive. Those cars are now worth over million dollar and they are the symbol of the bold American cars forever. To name a few iconic muscle cars: Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, Pontiac GTO, Chrysler Hemi Cuda...
Unlike the One Lap of America race, which recently ended, the Houston Half Mile Shootout is a brand new race for 2012. This year it was run in conjunction with the 4th annual Aeros & Autos event at Ellington Airport in Houston, TX.
This race is much like the Texas Mile, as it is purely a top speed-style of race, where your goal is to reach the highest speed within the half-mile-long track. Simple enough, right? Well, driving in excess of 200 mph is never simple, but rules sure are.
This inaugural run includes cars and motorcycles, both street legal and off-road only, which makes for some really intense speeds, but also some utter disappointment. The biggest disappointment that we see is Mario Williams, an NFL Linebacker, running his Aventador down the half-mile track and only hitting 167 mph in the above video. C’mon, man, open her up a little. That’s just getting that $400,000 supercar warmed up.
On top of that, event organizer John Hennessey shows that he is not a football guy, as he calls Mario Williams an “All Pro defensive player from the Houston Texans,” but Williams signed with the Buffalo Bills in March, oops. We have to give Hennessey a pass though, as the video was taken on March 5th and Williams was still a free agent at the time, but he certainly was not a Texan at the time.
Fortunately that was just a warm-up lap, as we saw much more speed as the event went on.
Click past the jump to read more about the event, cool cars and highlights.
Ford may not have released the official performance numbers for their latest muscle car beast - the 2013 Shelby GT500 - but there are ways to get the sports car to talk. Motor Trend recently took the GT500 for a brief test session at the Atlanta Dragway and powered the Mustang from 0-60 mph in a blistering 3.5 seconds! Move over, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Ford is taking back its muscle car supremacy! Wait, did they ever lose it?
Motor Trend pulled in other killer numbers in Atlanta, like a 0 to 100 mph sprint in 7.7 seconds and a quarter mile run in 11.6 seconds at 125.7 mph. The Mustang GT500 also raked in a 60-0 mph braking distance of 101 feet and .98g of lateral acceleration.
Let’s get back to comparisons for a second. The Camaro ZL1 runs the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.8 seconds (there’s one point for you, Ford), runs the 0 to 100 mph sprint in 8.7 seconds (second point goes to the Mustang), and runs the quarter mile in 12.1 seconds at 117.4 mph (final point goes to the GT500). So, what does this mean? Nice try, Chevrolet, but your high off of the Camaro ZL1 seems to be short-lived.
As a reminder, the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is powered by a 5.8L V8 engine (up from 5.4L) pushing out 650 HP! Next to a bigger engine, the existing Eaton M112 supercharger will be replaced by a more efficient and quieter TVS unit. Rumors suggest that the top speed will go up to an impressive 190 mph (if this is true, the Camaro loses again with a top speed of 184 mph).
RK Motors Charlotte has become pretty notorious for its Pro Touring models, which are ultra-high-performance versions of classic muscle and sports cars. Not only are they extremely powerful, but RKM also has the restored to a condition that is better than the factory could have ever imagined. Just recently, RKM launched an all-new Pro Touring model in the form of the 1955 Ford Thunderbird Pro Touring.
After the Corvette was a smash hit, Ford decided two years was a long enough wait to build its direct competitor to the Corvette, the Thunderbird. The T-bird and Corvette, however, went to completely different directions over the year. As expected, both vehicles became progressively larger through the `60s and `70s, but the T-bird grew to proportions that no one expected by the time it hit the 1967 model year.
After 1997, Ford decided to axe this growing monster, but released it again in the 2002 model year with styling cues taken from its first generation model. The first generation was arguably the most beautiful for the T-bird and RKM’s model promises to not take away from its classical styling, but rather add to it with modern modifications.
Did RKM hold true to its promise not to completely hack up this first rendition of the T-bird, or did it make this beautiful car just a shell of its former self?
Click past the jump to read our full review and find out.
In 1963, Chevrolet released an all-new Corvette to replace the C1 generation. This Corvette featured a high beltline and the body featured more chiseled lines. The C2 Generation `Vette was nicknamed the “Sting Ray” by its designers, Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda, and that eventually became adopted as part of the name and the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray was born.
The 1967 model year was the final one for the Sting Ray, but it was also its peak year, as its top level L88 427 cubic-inch power plant produced upwards of 500 horsepower, even though Chevy claimed it only produced 430 horsepower. The lower engines, the L68 427 and L71 427, were no chumps either, pumping out 400 horsepower and 435 horsepower, respectively.
Classic car specialists, RK Motors Charlotte, decided that the stock Sting Ray was just not enough and decided to heavily modify this classic muscle car. The resulting vehicle is the sexy and ultra-desirable 1967 Corvette Sting Rat Pro Touring, a one-off special edition designed by the folks at RKM.
Typically, we are totally against the hacking up of a classic muscle sports car like the Sting Ray, but RKM has a habit of improving these cars without ruining the original look and feel of them.
Click past the jump to read our full review and see if RKM hit a homerun, or struck out, with this Pro Touring Sting Ray.
When the Bugatti Veyron was originally launched packing 987 horsepower and 922lb-ft of torque, the vast majority of the automotive industry was left awestruck over how Bugatti managed to extract that much power and torque from the mammoth W16, quad-turbocharged engine.
However, to tuning firms all across the globe, particularly in Japan, 1,000-odd horsepower means nothing as similar figures can simply be achieved using six-cylinder, or even four-cylinder engines combined with just one of two enormous turbochargers.
In fact, 1,000HP is almost considered nothing these days with various companies including the ever-reclusive Rotary Supercars and TranStar Racing both promising to deliver supercars with upwards of 3,000HP. However, neither of these cars have materialized just yet.
But in what can only be described as an outrageous tuning exercise, Steve Morris Engines recently previewed that extracting three times the power than that of a Veyron isn’t that difficult. They strapped this insane power plant in a relatively stock 1970’s Ford Mustang Mach I body.
In order to achieve these insane results, the firm fitted an incredible 572 cubic inch V8 engine into the car, packing a displacement of 9.4-liters before adding a pair of 88mm billet Bullseye turbochargers. In order to prove that this recipe works very effectively, Steve Morris Engines took the completed engine to the dyno to see what numbers it would deliver.
The results are nothing to sneeze about, as the engine managed to pump out 3,040 raging horses at 7,300rpm while an equally impressive torque figure of 2,411lb-ft was achieved at 6,000rpm. It’s crucial to note at this point however, that these figures are straight from the engine itself, and when all that power is sent through the flywheel and driveshaft, this incredible Mustang may produce around 2,300-2,500 horsepower at the rear wheels.
Unfortunately, this unit has been specifically built for drag racing purposes as evident by the massive parachute hanging off the rear, but that certainly doesn’t detract from what is a mighty impressive feat. And fingers crossed, these results will help encourage other tuning companies to follow suit and continue to push the boundaries of power and torque.
Second video of Mustang on the dyno after the jump.
Richard Childress Racing Street Performance partnered with General Motors to create RC1 Camaros to pay homage to legendary racer, Dale Earnhardt. The latest rendition of the RC1 series came just one model year after the Camaro beat all odds and made a successful comeback following its deletion in 2002.
This 2011 Camaro SS/RC1 is based on the 2011 Camaro SS, but features much more than any normal SS on the market. It not only features a stylish design, but it also packs a mean bite under the hood. This particular 2011 Camaro SS/RC1 was not offered to the public, but instead Richard Childress Racing (RCR) built several of the RC1 Camaros and shipped them straight to RK Motors Charlotte.
The RC1 is the first of the series and the least powerful of the three. Of course, being the least powerful of the RC-series is not saying much, as the top-end RC3 pumps out a concrete pummeling 750 horsepower. The best thing is that this special edition Chevy Camaro is in a price range that a working class Joe can actually afford. You may be wondering how much it actually is and what you get for your money.
Click past the jump to read our full review and answer all of your questions.
The 1967 model year was the debut year for the Plymouth Belvedere GTX, which most enthusiasts simply know as the Plymouth GTX. The GTX was always one of the top performers in the 1960s, but was also a refined muscle car, receiving the nickname “The Gentleman’s Muscle Car” in its early years. Unfortunately, the GTX was a late arrival to the muscle car area and only lasted five model years.
In its debut year, there were 12,115 models built, which makes it a rather rare car in itself. Options were not scarce for the 1967 GTX, as it had two engines available, a 425-horsepower, 426 cubic-inch V-8 Hemi or a 375-horsepower, 440 cubic-inch V-8. It also had two transmission options, a three-speed automatic and a four-speed manual.
In addition to the engine and transmission options, there was also coupe or convertible options available. One would assume that the convertible four-speed manual option with a Hemi would be a popular option combination, due to its raw power and ability to shift with the wind in you hair, but that’s not the case. Only seven of these convertible models with four-speeds and a Hemi engine rolled off of the assembly line in the 1967 model year.
That makes this one of the rarest vehicles on the planet, let alone one of the rarest muscle cars ever built. To boot, it is a natural rarity, as opposed to a planned one, like a special edition. It just so happened that dealers ordered so few of this option combination that the factory only produced a few.
If you want to own one of the most rare mass produced automobiles on the planet, now is your chance, as RK Motors Charlotte has just placed a convertible 1967 GTX with a Hemi and a four-speed up for auction on Ebay.
Now we know that it’s rare, but how has this vehicle held up over the course of the past 45 years?
Click past the jump to read our full review on this rare vehicle.
In the 1960s two of the big three, Chevrolet and Ford, each had their own secret weapons in the form of racecar drivers turned muscle car builders. Ford had the recently deceased Carroll Shelby modifying Mustangs for SCCA use and sale, whereas Chevy had the late Don Yenko modifying a wide array of their muscle cars, the most popular being the Camaro. Yenko also ran multiple Chevy dealerships where the bulk of his creations were sold.
In 1967 and 1968, Yenko was dropping 427 cubic-inch monsters from Corvettes into Camaro bodies and creating some of the most powerful Camaros of the era. One of Yenko’s crowning achievements came in 1969 when Yenko was tired of selling Camaros with limited warranties because of his modifications and convinced Chevy to add a 427-equipped Camaro to its special equipment ordering system, known as COPO.
This addition of the 427-equipped Camaro to COPO made it possible for Yenko to sell these cars with the GM-standard 5-year or 50,000-mile warranty. Yenko ordered a grand total of 198 of the Camaro 427s available from COPO. The total number of COPO Camaros produced and sold is unknown, but has been rumored as anywhere from 500 to 1,000.
With exception of the 427 jammed into the engine compartment, the Camaro 427s came from COPO with almost nothing identifying them as a special model; they even came with the old dog dish hubcaps on steel wheels. Yenko made sure to order his from COPO with 15-inch rally wheels, a front stabilizer bar, and a 140 mph speedometer. The rest of the customization was all Yenko’s doing.
Needless to say, these COPO-ordered 1969 Yenko Camaros are tough to come by, but Legendary Motorcar Company got its hands on one and had it up for auction on Ebay.
Click past the jump to read more about this COPO-ordered 1969 Yenko Camaro.
Rumors have been swirling since 2011 regarding the Chevrolet SS and we were amongst the first to start discussing it. The rumors cooled off up until a few weeks ago when after 40 years of using the “SS” logo, GM finally decided to trademark it. Later the rumors became even more certain, as OnStar, GM’s in-vehicle communication system, mistakenly put the 2014 model lineup on its site. Within that lineup was a model dubbed the SS Performance.
This all adds up to a solid case that the Chevrolet SS Performance is on its way to the U.S. According to the rumormill, this would also result in the Holden Commodore SS, which was once used as the Pontiac G8, becoming the vehicle that dons the 2014 SS Perfomance badges.
With this release, Chevy would finally have a performance sedan to stack up against the likes of the Charger R/T and the Ford Taurus SHO.
UPDATE 05/17/2012: Chevrolet has officially confirmed that their new SS Performance Sedan will be a 2014 model and will arrive in dealer showrooms in late 2013. A racing version will compete at the 2013 Daytona 500. The model will be built in limited edition and will carry a derivative of the award-winning global rear-wheel-drive architecture that spawns performance vehicles like the Chevrolet Camaro.
"As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. "The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it."
Click past the jump to read our full review of the anticipated SS Performance and how it stacks up against the competition.
The Ghia L6.4 was just about as exclusive as you could get in the 1960s, as it was designed and built only for actors and other high rollers in Hollywood. The final of the 26 Ghia L6.4s ever built was built for one of the largest stars of that era, Dean Martin. Martin was not the only Rat Pack member to own a L6.4, as Frank Sinatra also owned one, as did other Rat Pack members.
Recently, one of the 26 Ghia L6.4s built, the one owned by Dean Martin, was put up for auction on eBay as Hyman Ltd. got its hands on Martin’s old L6.4. For a car of its age, the modern features are plentiful, but it still wasn’t enough for Dean Martin, as he shipped the car off to George Barris, “Hollywood’s King of the Kustomizers,” to have even more customizations performed on this already rare vehicle. This customization turned Martin’s L6.4 into a one-of-a-kind vehicle.
Click past the jump to read the full review on this vehicle and see how it has held up throughout the years.
