Nice cars other than x-fire
- Thread starter 1st Vette
- Start date
Level spelled backwards is Level as well.... When it comes back down that Dodge will be a level racecar
Dave91TM
Power User
Stick Shift is part of my theft insurance.
Dave91TM
Power User
What an amazing list of features ... you would need an entire one page add to list all the features now. Yes thing were a lot simpler then.
And a push button automatic as well.
LE BARON
Power User
By 1970, every GM division was fighting for muscle car supremacy. Chevrolet had the Chevelle SS 454. Pontiac had the GTO Judge. Buick unleashed the GSX. Yet many seasoned enthusiasts quietly believe Oldsmobile built the best balanced muscle car of them all: the 442 W-30.
The W-30 package transformed the already potent 442 into a serious performance machine. Under the hood sat Oldsmobile's legendary 455 cubic-inch Rocket V8, factory rated at 370 horsepower and a massive 500 lb-ft of torque. More importantly, the W-30 received a functional cold-air induction system, special camshaft, aluminum intake manifold, unique cylinder heads, and carefully tuned components that made it significantly stronger than the numbers suggested.
Contemporary road tests recorded quarter-mile times deep into the 14-second range, while well-prepared examples regularly dipped into the 13s. That placed the W-30 among the quickest production cars available anywhere in America.
What made the 442 special wasn't just straight-line speed. It combined serious performance with excellent build quality, refined road manners, supportive seats, and a level of comfort many competing muscle cars simply couldn't match.
Only about 3,100 W-30s were produced for 1970, and far fewer survive today. More than fifty years later, many collectors consider it the ultimate gentleman's muscle car and one of the finest high-performance automobiles General Motors ever built.
The W-30 package transformed the already potent 442 into a serious performance machine. Under the hood sat Oldsmobile's legendary 455 cubic-inch Rocket V8, factory rated at 370 horsepower and a massive 500 lb-ft of torque. More importantly, the W-30 received a functional cold-air induction system, special camshaft, aluminum intake manifold, unique cylinder heads, and carefully tuned components that made it significantly stronger than the numbers suggested.
Contemporary road tests recorded quarter-mile times deep into the 14-second range, while well-prepared examples regularly dipped into the 13s. That placed the W-30 among the quickest production cars available anywhere in America.
What made the 442 special wasn't just straight-line speed. It combined serious performance with excellent build quality, refined road manners, supportive seats, and a level of comfort many competing muscle cars simply couldn't match.
Only about 3,100 W-30s were produced for 1970, and far fewer survive today. More than fifty years later, many collectors consider it the ultimate gentleman's muscle car and one of the finest high-performance automobiles General Motors ever built.
LE BARON
Power User
In 1968 everyone was obsessed with massive heavy muscle cars like the Charger and the GTO. But the mad scientists at Dodge decided to play a completely different game. They took their absolute smallest and cheapest economy car platform and created the Dart GTS.
Buyers had 2 major choices under the hood and both of them were legendary.
You could order the massive 383 cubic inch big block V8. That engine was so physically huge that it barely fit between the narrow shock towers. There was absolutely no room for power steering or air conditioning. If you wanted to change the rear spark plugs on that model you literally had to unbolt the driver side motor mount and jack the entire engine up with a hoist just to reach them. It was a complete maintenance nightmare.
But the really smart buyers chose the brand new 340 cubic inch small block V8.
Dodge officially rated the 340 at 275 horsepower to keep the insurance adjusters from panicking but that was a total corporate lie. It was easily making over 300 horsepower right out of the box. Because the 340 engine was so much lighter than the big block the car had perfect weight distribution. It hooked up off the starting line instantly and could easily outrun cars with twice the engine displacement on a twisty road.
Look at this brilliant silver example. It has a formal black vinyl roof and those cheap steel wheels with basic poverty hubcaps. To the untrained eye it looks like a polite commuter car. But the redline tires and the bumblebee stripe on the tail tell the real story. It is the ultimate lightweight street brawler and one of the smartest engineering moves in Mopar history.
Buyers had 2 major choices under the hood and both of them were legendary.
You could order the massive 383 cubic inch big block V8. That engine was so physically huge that it barely fit between the narrow shock towers. There was absolutely no room for power steering or air conditioning. If you wanted to change the rear spark plugs on that model you literally had to unbolt the driver side motor mount and jack the entire engine up with a hoist just to reach them. It was a complete maintenance nightmare.
But the really smart buyers chose the brand new 340 cubic inch small block V8.
Dodge officially rated the 340 at 275 horsepower to keep the insurance adjusters from panicking but that was a total corporate lie. It was easily making over 300 horsepower right out of the box. Because the 340 engine was so much lighter than the big block the car had perfect weight distribution. It hooked up off the starting line instantly and could easily outrun cars with twice the engine displacement on a twisty road.
Look at this brilliant silver example. It has a formal black vinyl roof and those cheap steel wheels with basic poverty hubcaps. To the untrained eye it looks like a polite commuter car. But the redline tires and the bumblebee stripe on the tail tell the real story. It is the ultimate lightweight street brawler and one of the smartest engineering moves in Mopar history.
LE BARON
Power User
In 1971 the American government and insurance agencies basically joined forces to kill the muscle car. If you were a young driver who walked into a Dodge dealership and tried to order a brand new Challenger with a 426 Hemi engine, the insurance agent would quote you a monthly premium that cost significantly more than your actual car payment.
Because of that massive financial brick wall, the car you are looking at right now is a total ghost.
Dodge only built exactly 71 Challenger R/T hardtops equipped with the 426 Hemi for the entire 1971 production year. It was the absolute final curtain call for the legendary Elephant motor. After 1971, Chrysler permanently wiped the 426 Hemi from the factory order books due to looming emission standards.
To distinguish the 1971 model from the famous 1970 version, Dodge designers made some very specific visual changes. They split the front grille into two distinct twin loop sections. They also added those aggressive but completely non functional fiberglass brake cooling scoops on the rear fenders just ahead of the back tires.
Underneath that massive dual scooped sport hood sits a race engine that completely ignored the incoming emissions panic. The 426 cubic inch V8 featured two giant four barrel carburetors and hemispherical combustion chambers that easily produced 425 horsepower and 490 foot pounds of torque.
It was a violent and highly temperamental race block forced into a street car chassis. Buyers had to constantly adjust the dual carburetors just to keep it idling smoothly in city traffic. But when the road opened up and the driver floored the gas pedal, that blinding Sassy Grass Green paint became an absolute blur. It is a masterpiece of terrible timing and raw power, making it one of the most highly sought after and valuable Mopars in the world today.
Because of that massive financial brick wall, the car you are looking at right now is a total ghost.
Dodge only built exactly 71 Challenger R/T hardtops equipped with the 426 Hemi for the entire 1971 production year. It was the absolute final curtain call for the legendary Elephant motor. After 1971, Chrysler permanently wiped the 426 Hemi from the factory order books due to looming emission standards.
To distinguish the 1971 model from the famous 1970 version, Dodge designers made some very specific visual changes. They split the front grille into two distinct twin loop sections. They also added those aggressive but completely non functional fiberglass brake cooling scoops on the rear fenders just ahead of the back tires.
Underneath that massive dual scooped sport hood sits a race engine that completely ignored the incoming emissions panic. The 426 cubic inch V8 featured two giant four barrel carburetors and hemispherical combustion chambers that easily produced 425 horsepower and 490 foot pounds of torque.
It was a violent and highly temperamental race block forced into a street car chassis. Buyers had to constantly adjust the dual carburetors just to keep it idling smoothly in city traffic. But when the road opened up and the driver floored the gas pedal, that blinding Sassy Grass Green paint became an absolute blur. It is a masterpiece of terrible timing and raw power, making it one of the most highly sought after and valuable Mopars in the world today.