Why do these cars have instant street Cred

[Luke]

So I was out driving around town. I noticed my car was idling a bit fast so gave it a couple of blips at the lights. Anyways was getting some fuel just after that and a young dude in a newish SS commodore comes over and says I followed you in hell I bet that things quick. I laughed and gave him the bad news all 177hps worth. Seemed like a cool enough bloke so we talked a bit about cars. My ride looks cool has a certain amount of presence and I think this is what people key into the potential of these old beasts. His LS powered thing with a chip aircleaner and cam has 470ish at the treats and he drives it everyday and looks like 1000s of others.

So is it style and scarcity combined with the potential to extract big HP from these cars. That gives them Instant street cred or are we trading of the myth and legend that was the muscle car era.

 

[goodnigh]

Got a similar experience the other day. Walked out to the parking lot and this construction

worker maybe 30 or so was looking over my car. He commented "you don't see many of these

anymore". I am not sure he even knew what he was looking at, he just knew the car was old, rare

and badass. My car is badly in need of a paint job and some major/minor body work just need to

find a body shop that is not afraid of real steel. The car still turns heads. Maybe it is the quench

Cleveland with factory exhaust that some rebuild fool put in a cam. But people still approach me

when the car is parked. Got pulled over for doing 64 in a 40 zone, oops. I am not proud about that.

The cop said he understood the need to jump on a car like this and said "try not to", then left.

No ticket.

mike

 

[Austin Vert]

So is it style and scarcity combined with the potential to extract big HP from these cars?

Definately style, good looks and scarcity Luke my man!

When you've got it, man, you've got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good story Mike!!

Greg.

 

[73StangCoupe]

I have had quite a few experiences like that. I told one kid..."my wife's minivan has more HP than this old thing". He did know what to say and just said "thanks" and left. I LOVE my car, not because people think its fast, I LOVE it because of how it makes me feel when I drive it. Yes lots of thumbs ups and picture snapping, that is just a side affect of driving a classis car. Lots of people love to see them out on the road... still being driven.

 

[Rob73Mach1]

Even know new technology will run circles around most classics the bottom line is NOTHING compares to the looks, sounds, & smells, of good ole American Muscle.

I have a Roush Stage III F-150 NITEMARE (#86 out of 100 made). Off the showroom floor it's 445/500 of Supercharged Power and mine is now about 500/600. I go to a car show with it and not a person comes near it or knows what it is, (or what it's capable of). Maybe once in a blue moon I get a "Hey Man Nice Truck".

But when I pull in with Project Stealth people surround it and ask questions and it's surrounded all night long....

People can appreciate old school because they remember how Bad Ass they were when they came out, how you can work on them yourself, how easy it is to make them go faster, and of course "The Memory's" of their younger years.

 

[droptop73]

I hear ya guys, I took mine to my aunt's memorial service Friday. It was sitting with the top down in the parking lot. When I went to leave... the minister was looking the car over and said I was lucky the keys were not in it or he'd be out for a ride! I get so many comments and compliments it's crazy, then you say the magic word "Cleveland" and like Luke said instant cred. I guess a good reputation lasts a real long time.

 

[cudak888]

It's the looks of the car, gentlemen. Same theory behind your constant return to the Mustang Babes thread It could have a 250 I6 in it and we'd still be all giddy if we found one just hanging about somewhere.

By comparison, the current Holden Commodore could pass for a VW Jetta from far away (along with 10 other modern 4-door cars), and it's two-door Monaro cousin looks like a 1996 Honda Civic scaled up in size, especially when riced out:

How can you get exited about that?

-Kurt

 

[rottenralph]

It helps to paint it a nice bright color. The bright lime caused me to buy mine without looking it over very carefully. I am still paying for that lesson. My 8500 dollar car will be a 13,500-14000 car when I am done. Looks like a 30K car to the unwary. The Nascar sound certainly gets peoples attention. Bright lime is a real attention getter. I rarely see 71-73's but I see 65 to 68's quite frequently. The reality is that they just look cool to just about anyone.

 

[Austin Vert]

It's the looks of the car, gentlemen. Same theory behind your constant return to the Mustang Babes thread It could have a 250 I6 in it and we'd still be all giddy if we found one just hanging about somewhere.

By comparison, the current Holden Commodore could pass for a VW Jetta from far away (along with 10 other modern 4-door cars), and it's two-door Monaro cousin looks like a 1996 Honda Civic scaled up in size, especially when riced out:

How can you get exited about that?

-Kurt

Good points you make there Kurt!

Greg.

 

[Luke]

Kurt, thanks mate I nearly lost my cornflakes Such a horrible image demands a counter point and to be fair when Aussies think Monaro this is the imagery that comes to mind.

[/img]

Not vomit inducing riced commodore coupes

 

[will e]

The first point of cred is from the age. Keeping a 40 year old car running isn't easy to begin with. And I think the guys with the rough looking rides get more cred because they get the 'work in process' kind of cred.

In the glorious 80's my mildly modified mustang could take most any new car (corvette/mustang included) at the stop light. But technology got the better of us and you just can't complete with modern valve trains and fuel delivery systems. Add some extra oomph with a little boost as well as at least twice as many forward gears and it is game over.

I remember not too long ago I lifted the hood for some young guys who were admiring my ride. I don't think they knew what a carb was (let alone three of them in a row). Old guys seem to appreciate my old school approach more.

So when I pull into the gas station and someone asks me "What's under the hood" I just smile and tell them "It's just an old Cleveland".

 

[Luke]

Tri Power is car porn along with old school Enderle injection or Hilborn stacks Blowers are ultimate hardcore car porn.

Like porn we probably don't need it but it sure is fun to look at lol

 

[cudak888]

Kurt, thanks mate I nearly lost my cornflakes

....Not vomit inducing riced commodore coupes

Now that's more like it, Luke.

Bring on the stainless windshield trim, knife-sharp styling, and all the other good things that distinguish a great old car from...those other 4-wheeled contrivances.

No stainless trim? No hard edges? No dime-sized rims with fat rubber? I'm not driving.

Like porn we probably don't need it but it sure is fun to look at lol

Quiz:

Why are our cars better than the Mustang Babes thread?

Answer:

You can drive the car any way you like.

-Kurt

 

[Mister 4x4]

Several things work in our favor when our cars are spotted in public:

• Classic Mustang - Mustang badges on classic bodies... not much gray area there. Coolness factor is already high.
  
• Fastback - Who doesn't know what this means?
  
• Coupe - Generally, people see it and realize they'd never seen one before and it's one of the coolest things they've ever seen.
  
• Convertible - face it, '71-'73 convertibles are pretty much the coolest muscle car 'verts out there.
  
• Mach 1 - Need I say more? This is probably the only reason everybody thinking all '71-'73s are Mach 1s that doesn't annoy the crap out of a '71-'73 owner
  
• Cleveland - Face it - the term "Legendary" comes to mind... right up there with "Boss," and even "Windsor." It really doesn't matter what engine's in the car, but the word "Cleveland" is usually the first name dropped by the admirer
  
• Muscle Car look - Everybody knows what a '69 looks like... but seriously - almost nobody can tell you what a '70 looks like... and then there's our cars. People either love 'em or aren't exactly sure what they are. Only a handful of the hardcore vintage Mustang guys will ever diss a '71-'73 in-person... the rest just talk smack on the forums, and will crawl all over our cars while drooling and talking Mustang stuff.
  

As Will E pointed out, the fact that our 40+ yr old cars are on the road, lookin' good, and running well is also a huge boost... but being a little more rare than the earlier Mustangs adds to it as well.

 

[1972MustangSVH]

In the glorious 80's my mildly modified mustang could take most any new car (corvette/mustang included) at the stop light. But technology got the better of us and you just can't complete with modern valve trains and fuel delivery systems. Add some extra oomph with a little boost as well as at least twice as many forward gears and it is game over.

Well said and heart rendering at the same time. My Mach was a stoplight king in the mid '80's. Vettes, camaro's, the NEW 5.0 mustang, IROC 350's, all the new glitter and power wasn't even a consideration. You run your trap and I'd shut you down with a midnight trip to the boulevard. Always figured it would be that way. I figured wrong. At least the new muscle is limited to a smaller percentage of the population.

 

[rocket366]

1st Off jealous of Will e who has 1 of 6 (I read somewhere) Ford 351C experimental six pack intake drool!

I've had my 73 coupe for 8 months now and reactions are:

1) little kids "Daddy what kind of car is that?"

2) Teenagers (what kind of car is that dude?) "Its a Pinto I say"

3) Older guys (That car is B Azz, it looks hella mean and sounds awesome!)

4) Older women ( OMG I Love the sound of a Muscle car!)

5) My wife (The seat hurts my back, the exhaust makes my eyes water and shifting gears hurts my neck

...but can we go for a ride daddy?)

I think the 71-3 Stang boils down to a muscle car that looks fast, sounds fast and is not seen much these days.

In the 80's I had a 69 Stang with a 302 and all I dreamed about was the 351c swap... the motor purposely built

by Ford to go racing!

The influence for that dream was a guy I worked with in 85 that had a 70 Mach 1 351c Blown

with Dual Quads.

Hmmm I wonder what happened to that car the CA plate said "BADCO"

 

[will e]

Thinking some more on this I think we get cred points for THE 'Mach 1'. Sure there were Mach 1 before 71 but as mentioned above our cars are the 'Mach 1' Mustangs. No one could take a 69 or 70 mustang coupe or convertible and toss some Mach 1 accessories on it and have a casual Mustang enthusiast believe it is a Mach 1.

And for a while the original mustangs were all over the place so you got a little desensitized to them. It seems to me I see them a lot less than I used to. Even when you do you know you have seen them before.

Of course, I may be just a bit biased.

 

[Jim and Jutta]

I'm not sure what's happening out there but our 71-73's are getting more attention and admirers, at least here in the Northwest. Even had one of my Mustang Classic purest friends who hated the 71-73's recently ask me to be on the look out for a 71-73, he explained they've "grown on him". Last week had a guy in a newer M3 follow me into the gas station and asked if he could check out the car, said he hadn't seen a Mustang like it before then he tried talking me into giving him a price, told him it wasn't for sale plus I wouldn't even know what to ask if it were, certainly less than I put into it.

 

[matrixx]

Well, my ford family purist used to call them the catfish mustangs.

Now they've slacked off a bit on the jokes as I've put a lot of work into it. I also still receive that "oh it's just a coupe" look. And.... Well all I have to ys to that is... Have fun backing up