Top 10 "Sleeper" list
#2
Team Owner
Too many late-model, "econo boxes" on that list. When I think "sleeper", I think of the 1969 COPO 427 Camaros, which didn't have engine badges on them, and in many cases, were equipped with the "dog dish" hubcaps, on body colored, steel wheels.
Or you could go back even a little further, before Detroit decided to go all "splashy" with the muscle cars, and the only clue as to what the cars had under the hood, was a rather small (and easily removed) engine badge located somewhere on the front fender.
#3
Intermediate
Sleeper:
67 El Camino Custom 300 Deluxe. (No SS prior to 68)
375 HP (conservative) 396, 4 speed, 12 bolt posi with 3:55's.
Launched better that the SS Chevelle of the same year and had far less issues with axle hop. People didn't associate them with performance then and often still don't.
I have one, 2nd owner.
Love that car.
Dan
67 El Camino Custom 300 Deluxe. (No SS prior to 68)
375 HP (conservative) 396, 4 speed, 12 bolt posi with 3:55's.
Launched better that the SS Chevelle of the same year and had far less issues with axle hop. People didn't associate them with performance then and often still don't.
I have one, 2nd owner.
Love that car.
Dan
#4
Drifting
Member Since: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary Alberta
Posts: 1,528
Likes: 0
Received 24 Likes
on
16 Posts
Dare I say it but there is a lot of junk in that list- oh wait, they are all junk!
This was my sleeper that I built 10 years ago and sold it in '12. It's a '66 Strato Chief (Canadian) 468ci bench 4 speed w/ Hotchkis suspension and C3 brakes on all 4 corners- Camaro JL8 set up on rear. That's just a small list of what I did to it. Could get 3 gears of rubber all day long.......
When I built it I wanted to build a car as GM would've built it.
This was my sleeper that I built 10 years ago and sold it in '12. It's a '66 Strato Chief (Canadian) 468ci bench 4 speed w/ Hotchkis suspension and C3 brakes on all 4 corners- Camaro JL8 set up on rear. That's just a small list of what I did to it. Could get 3 gears of rubber all day long.......
When I built it I wanted to build a car as GM would've built it.
#5
Team Owner
Dare I say it but there is a lot of junk in that list- oh wait, they are all junk!
This was my sleeper that I built 10 years ago and sold it in '12. It's a '66 Strato Chief (Canadian) 468ci bench 4 speed w/ Hotchkis suspension and C3 brakes on all 4 corners- Camaro JL8 set up on rear. That's just a small list of what I did to it. Could get 3 gears of rubber all day long.......
When I built it I wanted to build a car as GM would've built it.
This was my sleeper that I built 10 years ago and sold it in '12. It's a '66 Strato Chief (Canadian) 468ci bench 4 speed w/ Hotchkis suspension and C3 brakes on all 4 corners- Camaro JL8 set up on rear. That's just a small list of what I did to it. Could get 3 gears of rubber all day long.......
When I built it I wanted to build a car as GM would've built it.
Pontiac or big-block Chevy under the hood?
#6
Race Director
My 10 (edit 11, plus the tie, so 12). Also, including all the different generations under name plates so 15.
All are still relevant now, but when they were new ... make you feel like chinchilla in the heat.
EVO VIII/IX RS & GD STi Limited (tie)
Chevy SS
Grand National / GNX / T-Type
E39/E60/F90 M5
'98-'03 XJR
E55/E63 Wagon
855R/V70R
135is
RS7
P100D Ludicrous (Model S or X)
Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
All are still relevant now, but when they were new ... make you feel like chinchilla in the heat.
EVO VIII/IX RS & GD STi Limited (tie)
Chevy SS
Grand National / GNX / T-Type
E39/E60/F90 M5
'98-'03 XJR
E55/E63 Wagon
855R/V70R
135is
RS7
P100D Ludicrous (Model S or X)
Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
The early 00s Marauder was a sleeper. There aren't really any sleepers anymore, performance cars are very short about how fast they are with aero bits, huge exhausts and wheels and brakes, etc.
#7
Drifting
Member Since: Aug 2008
Location: Calgary Alberta
Posts: 1,528
Likes: 0
Received 24 Likes
on
16 Posts
thumbs:
Pontiac or big-block Chevy under the hood?
BBC of course. That's what they were putting in them up here back then. GM built 2 of these with 427's and a small handfuls of 396's.
Pontiac or big-block Chevy under the hood?
BBC of course. That's what they were putting in them up here back then. GM built 2 of these with 427's and a small handfuls of 396's.
Last edited by 68ACADIAN; 04-12-2018 at 08:52 PM.
#8
Race Director
All those cars are visually expressive that they'e fast though. They have scoops and splitters and huge forged wheels and brakes that could stop a bus with a rocket strapped to it.
Sleeper cars are understated. The E39 you could make the argument for, it looked very much like a 540i, just with a fancier exhaust. The XJR was very understated. The Jag S-type R also was. I could even see the case being made for the 1st gen CTS-V.
A sleeper doesn't have to be the fastest car, that' not what they're bout. They'e about being surprisingly fast. Marauder fit that 100%, it looked like grandma out in her grand marquis, but could run with several more typical performance cars.
IMO, the true sleepers now ays are the mid tier cars. A car like a 550i is WAY faster than you expect. With an M5, you expect it to be fast. But a 550i looks like a lease special 528i, but is a rocket. MB, Caddy, Infiniti, Lincoln, and several others have cars like this now, they're not sport models, but they pack a wallop of power.
Sleeper cars are understated. The E39 you could make the argument for, it looked very much like a 540i, just with a fancier exhaust. The XJR was very understated. The Jag S-type R also was. I could even see the case being made for the 1st gen CTS-V.
A sleeper doesn't have to be the fastest car, that' not what they're bout. They'e about being surprisingly fast. Marauder fit that 100%, it looked like grandma out in her grand marquis, but could run with several more typical performance cars.
IMO, the true sleepers now ays are the mid tier cars. A car like a 550i is WAY faster than you expect. With an M5, you expect it to be fast. But a 550i looks like a lease special 528i, but is a rocket. MB, Caddy, Infiniti, Lincoln, and several others have cars like this now, they're not sport models, but they pack a wallop of power.
#9
Intermediate
All those cars are visually expressive that they'e fast though. They have scoops and splitters and huge forged wheels and brakes that could stop a bus with a rocket strapped to it.
Sleeper cars are understated. The E39 you could make the argument for, it looked very much like a 540i, just with a fancier exhaust. The XJR was very understated. The Jag S-type R also was. I could even see the case being made for the 1st gen CTS-V.
A sleeper doesn't have to be the fastest car, that' not what they're bout. They'e about being surprisingly fast. Marauder fit that 100%, it looked like grandma out in her grand marquis, but could run with several more typical performance cars.
IMO, the true sleepers now ays are the mid tier cars. A car like a 550i is WAY faster than you expect. With an M5, you expect it to be fast. But a 550i looks like a lease special 528i, but is a rocket. MB, Caddy, Infiniti, Lincoln, and several others have cars like this now, they're not sport models, but they pack a wallop of power.
Sleeper cars are understated. The E39 you could make the argument for, it looked very much like a 540i, just with a fancier exhaust. The XJR was very understated. The Jag S-type R also was. I could even see the case being made for the 1st gen CTS-V.
A sleeper doesn't have to be the fastest car, that' not what they're bout. They'e about being surprisingly fast. Marauder fit that 100%, it looked like grandma out in her grand marquis, but could run with several more typical performance cars.
IMO, the true sleepers now ays are the mid tier cars. A car like a 550i is WAY faster than you expect. With an M5, you expect it to be fast. But a 550i looks like a lease special 528i, but is a rocket. MB, Caddy, Infiniti, Lincoln, and several others have cars like this now, they're not sport models, but they pack a wallop of power.
My 67 El Camino in primer with a bench seat looked like a beater outside of the wheels. We replaced the factory 396 with a 496 (454 w/ 1/4 in arm and .060 over). 10.4:1 compression with Dart Big Chiefs. That 4,000 lb car went 10.22@ 147 MPH on a 10.5 tire and was a BLAST to drive! Unfortunately the lack of a bar, drive line loop, etc. got me banned from the track for the remainder of the year so I went street racing instead.
Looking back on my youth I did some dumb ****....
Dan
#10
Melting Slicks
my Favorite thing is a good sleeper.
I have a build thread on this site dedicated to a sleeper build.
My list of desirables
1. Quiet un-hearable exhaust (turbo + resonator + muffler does it)
2. Stock exterior car, no scoops, stickers etc
3. Stock interior car, no gauges visible, looks like a stock auto from the glass
4. Excellent fuel economy for long drives like a regular car also helps
It should basically go 10's on stock wheels with no driving ability (auto), approx 500+ rwhp should do the trick.
I have a build thread on this site dedicated to a sleeper build.
My list of desirables
1. Quiet un-hearable exhaust (turbo + resonator + muffler does it)
2. Stock exterior car, no scoops, stickers etc
3. Stock interior car, no gauges visible, looks like a stock auto from the glass
4. Excellent fuel economy for long drives like a regular car also helps
It should basically go 10's on stock wheels with no driving ability (auto), approx 500+ rwhp should do the trick.
#11
Drifting
Currently own a 17 SS which I think as the article states one of the best street sleepers out there. I've always enjoyed owning sleeper type cars. No one knows what an SS is....
Prior to the SS was my 2014 S6. Yes, it's a high performance German luxury sedan but most thought it was just an A6. With AWD and launch control not many cars can take this off the line
My 2012 CTS-V was before the S6. Although it's a V with a bulging hood and big *** tires many thought it was a regular CTS until I started it up.
Before the V was an 08 Impala SS. Yeah, it was FWD and based off the old Lumina chassis but it had guts. When I smoked a guy in a 70 Roadrunner ( 383 with work done)from a stoplight he was to embarrassed to even look at me at the next light. If you took the traction control off FWD burnouts were easy. LOL!
Prior to the SS was my 2014 S6. Yes, it's a high performance German luxury sedan but most thought it was just an A6. With AWD and launch control not many cars can take this off the line
My 2012 CTS-V was before the S6. Although it's a V with a bulging hood and big *** tires many thought it was a regular CTS until I started it up.
Before the V was an 08 Impala SS. Yeah, it was FWD and based off the old Lumina chassis but it had guts. When I smoked a guy in a 70 Roadrunner ( 383 with work done)from a stoplight he was to embarrassed to even look at me at the next light. If you took the traction control off FWD burnouts were easy. LOL!
Last edited by MRANT212; 04-14-2018 at 10:54 AM.
#12
Intermediate
Currently own a 17 SS which I think as the article states one of the best street sleepers out there. I've always enjoyed owning sleeper type cars. No one knows what an SS is....
Prior to the SS was my 2014 S6. Yes, it's a high performance German luxury sedan but most thought it was just an A6. With AWD and launch control not many cars can take this off the line
My 2012 CTS-V was before the S6. Although it's a V with a bulging hood and big *** tires many thought it was a regular CTS until I started it up.
Before the V was an 08 Impala SS. Yeah, it was FWD and based off the old Lumina chassis but it had guts. When I smoked a guy in a 70 Roadrunner ( 383 with work done)from a stoplight he was to embarrassed to even look at me at the next light. If you took the traction control off FWD burnouts were easy. LOL!
Prior to the SS was my 2014 S6. Yes, it's a high performance German luxury sedan but most thought it was just an A6. With AWD and launch control not many cars can take this off the line
My 2012 CTS-V was before the S6. Although it's a V with a bulging hood and big *** tires many thought it was a regular CTS until I started it up.
Before the V was an 08 Impala SS. Yeah, it was FWD and based off the old Lumina chassis but it had guts. When I smoked a guy in a 70 Roadrunner ( 383 with work done)from a stoplight he was to embarrassed to even look at me at the next light. If you took the traction control off FWD burnouts were easy. LOL!
Cool stuff right there. My dead give away was the dual 3" exhaust and flowmasters. Hard to hide the cam that way. Later when we went to a Holley single plane intake and BG 1250 cfm carb there was no hiding it at all with the 4" cowl hood....
Turbo car are awesome for hiding true capability as are some factory "family" cars.
Dan
#14
Team Owner
#15
Team Owner
The owner had a '66 Ford Galaxie, 2 door hardtop...........with a "warmed up" 428 Police Interceptor engine under the hood. One of his buddies had a '69 Chevy Caprice, 2 door hardtop, with a vinyl covered, formal roof. Looked like a typical "old fart" car.....except it had a 427 under the hood, backed by a Turbo 400 transmission, and a little more rear gear than the "standard" 3.08:1 ratio, possibly 3.55s. The third guy had a 1968 Chevelle. It was a small block car, but I think it was a 350/350, backed with a 4 speed tranny, and a little steeper gear. He pulled the 350 engine emblems, and replaced them with the 307 emblems.
#16
Team Owner
What a terrible list. An SLR McLaren? That doesn't say sleeper at all!!!
I agree on the SS though. I don't think the Evo or the STi really count as sleepers either. Most people know what they are.
I agree on the SS though. I don't think the Evo or the STi really count as sleepers either. Most people know what they are.
#17
Team Owner
Now they do. I had a WRX in late '02 and STi in late '03 and I caught so many people off guard in those cars. I think the big wing and scoop of the STi actually made it look slower since bolt on, massive, rear wings were such a big thing during that time.
When the STi was stock I ran a few muscle cars at the 1/4 mile and one guy in a Chevelle lost to me, in the pits he came up to see what modifications it had, when I said stock, his jaw dropped.
When the STi was stock I ran a few muscle cars at the 1/4 mile and one guy in a Chevelle lost to me, in the pits he came up to see what modifications it had, when I said stock, his jaw dropped.
#18
I was a bit bummed that a new civic could just about keep up with my newly acquired C6 and even beat it in some areas looking at the specs 300 hp out of the box!! Technology is so crazy now a days.
Last edited by PoppaHoss; 04-25-2018 at 04:40 PM.
#19
Race Director
I have a 70 Dodge Coronet 383 HP with 3 speed. Ordered as a sleeper and in its day it was.
Realistically today moms mini van can probably pull the same 1/4 mile times as it could when bone stock.
Realistically today moms mini van can probably pull the same 1/4 mile times as it could when bone stock.
#20
Team Owner
A "reader's comments" column, in a magazine I recently read, reminded me of a real sleeper. The reader mentioned the NY State Thruway Police used to be a separate entity, and had their own patrol cars. In particular, 1966 Chevy Biscayne 4 doors...............with 427s, backed by a 4 speed manual transmission.
I remember seeing a couple of them, in the local Chevy dealer's service department, when I was a kid. What sticks out in my memory, was that the cars didn't have tachometers, but instead, a typewritten note affixed to the dashboard, with the " maximum upshift points", in MPH.
I remember seeing a couple of them, in the local Chevy dealer's service department, when I was a kid. What sticks out in my memory, was that the cars didn't have tachometers, but instead, a typewritten note affixed to the dashboard, with the " maximum upshift points", in MPH.