TheSkunkWorks

Trouble is where you find it.

However near to the RR corner of the envelope I might eventually develop my shark (finances pending), I don't intend going so far as to make it un-streetable. Besides, at the end of the day it's just a toy and I shouldn't kid myself for a moment that doing the occasional trackday could ever compare with my having raced real racecars anyway...

army

No, it certainly isn't. So what if some guys like the old C3's better? Doesn't change what your C7 is: a gorgeous state of the art expensive supercar. Have lots of fun owning it. I would.

capevettes

I have always loved fast cars even though most of the time I'm only cruising. I like to jump on the car at least once every time I drive it. My 68 is a big block. I have a C6 Z06 which is plenty fast. I put a stroker 383 in my otherwise stock 61. I like the Vettes from all generations. The newer C6 and C7 Z06's are terrific cars. There are places to go fast safely. I enjoy driving a back country road with some nice twisties. I also enjoy a nice on ramp to a highway.

ajrothm

At 38 yrs old, I'm a HP/speed junky still. Strong straight line performance is very important to me...even on my daily drivers.. I like to race everything I own at the track and play around some on the street. I don't have to be the fastest, but I like to have respectable performance by today's standards. I do like the original appearance of factory cars, but I don't give 2 $hits about date codes, chalk marks, production numbers and all that other NCRS crap.

These cars are meant to be driven and have fun with. Also very important to me is reliability, streetability and even some twisty road action. My cars must be fast, reliable and USEABLE...

As I get older and more in depth into larger builds, I do find myself leaning more towards lower HP cars for their simplicity and longetivity.

Get in em, drive em, race em, road trip em, show them....everything about classic cars I love.... And they have to have some power!

My dad has 3 mid years, two 327/350hp cars and a 65' 396/425hp (actually makes 450hp) and the 65' 396 car is the only one I really care to drive.... The others are too slow, too mild and kind of boring to me...

I guess I'll never "grow up".

Faster Rat

Sounds like you are a bit angry. Did somebody put you or your cars down? No need to be referring to what other forum members are doing as crap. I joined the NCRS to find out more about how the cars were built. After one regional meet and a couple of years, I let my membership expire...figured out I don't fit in with that crowd. I don't care about chalk marks and paint daubs, but I do care about keeping the car as close to original as possible. My motto is like a doctor's oath; if you can't cure the patient, then do no harm. Every dollar that I spend is to improve it's condition and reliability. It gives me all the thrills that I need...just in 1st and 2nd gear. I also have more interests and hobbies than just cars.

It is really great that your father provided you with such an intense interest in hot-rodding. I grew up in the '60s, my first car was a used '66 GTO that I paid for by pumping gas and working in a service garage. I made one trip down the strip in my older brother's SS/F tri power '66 Olds 442...in a 4-car drag at Minnesota Dragways. First off the line but came in dead last. Life changed for me and many others in '68 with this thing called the draft. Be thankful you are "growing up" when and how you are.

bj1k

Just my opinion though.

bj1k

AMEN brother !

hail to R3

[/QUOTE]

I like it, is that a chrome wrap?

thegame

I like it, is that a chrome wrap?[/QUOTE]

No it may just Be the light reflection. Color is called shark gray.

Sunstroked

Lots of interesting comments here. A corvette is Americas sports car. 1 question, what saved the corvette from extinction? The small block V8. Why? Who wants a weenie engine in a sports car.
Some guys here are perfectly happy with the stock performance of the smog choked latter C3 350's. Some guys build the heck out of them. I'm a performance guy, so I fall in the middle. Even if I never explore it's full potential, yeah right, I have more than I need on tap. Because I can.
Have fun guys, whatever your flavor.

69427

I gotta have some darn decent performance out of the engine (and suspension) for several reasons.

1) I don't like something that looks fast/racy, but isn't.

2) I run a lot of (road course) track days, and I don't like being in the back of the pack.

3) I don't like the crappy antique suspension and cast iron in a stock C3 Corvette. I used to have a '55 Chevy 2door hard top. Loved the looks of that thing, but every time I drove it all I could think about was how crappy those old cars rode and handled. I can't deal with having that same driving experience in my Corvette.

Easy Mike

Thought not.

The Money Pit

I love the look of my 80, and compared to most cars you see on the road I think it has real class. Curves everywhere, and that old school deep rumble that just turns heads.

There is a right combination for me, and I think a car that looks like it's doing 60 mph while parked,...should have the umph to back it up. I feel that grin coming on when I pull onto the highway and goose it to about 75 mph in second, then drop it into drive and let off like it took no effort to get to that speed. The car can do 140 mph, but I don't have to prove it every time I get behind the wheel. The Escalade I drive has 400 horsepower,...and the vette feels like a jet on takeoff in comparison.

AirBusPilot

Same here.

I HAVE to have good HP. My CNC Motorsport 415 Dart SBC makes 550 hp, and I sometimes wish I had another 100 hp. But the car is a blast to drive and I get comments at traffic lights every time I drive it.

UCVette

Just my .02¢ worth, but i grew up driving a 1987 4 cylinder Toyota Pickup, while all my friends drove Camaros and IROCs (we left the Mustangs to the pretty boys). I was so envious of those guys but due to the fact I had to work 20 hours a week while in high school, I couldnt afford a fast car. Fast Forward 25 years and I got 1978 Corvette. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the speed/hp. In my mind I had built up how a V8 was to run. But we all know that due to all the constraints, 200 hp was nothing. So, I pulled that motor and so far have put in about $7000 worth into a new motor. Let me tell you, it makes me so very happy to just start it up and listen to it run. I am planning on going down to the track in about 2-3 weeks and see what the car and I can do. I don't expect to break any records, but it will be nice to go fast for a change. So, you ask how important HP and speed are, it is important to me. I want to feel how it feels to step on the gas and let the tires spin. As far as too fast for the road, my 1987 Toyota would get up to 110mph (I tried that when I was 17). It took a while to get there but that was plenty fast. Any thing can be too fast if you don't know how to drive.