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Well you can rationalize all you want but the simple fact still remains that Subaru has been using essentially an identical engine for the past 20 years... They produce a distinctive sound that only a subaru can make but my issue is thats the ONLY sound that a subaru can make. Thats fine because its a matter of preference but they are a brand that lacks variety in my opinion. I bet I could run an experiment asking people to explain to me what a sporty subaru is and the majority would describe a blue impreza with gold rims and that lawnmower exhaust note.
Have the last word my friend since this seems to be an issue so close to your heart.
haha sad but true because thats what I would say too. But then again I would say a mustang GT is driven by people in my age group 25-35 while a subaru WRX is for the 19-24 crowd.
It's not that I dislike eight cylinder engine noises, I think it might be a slight generational thing. Muscle cars were dead and buried by the time I knew any better. When I was coming of age in the mid-80s, the Camaro and Firebird had 140 horsepower (and might be outrun by a Cruze or a Focus) and we had a 77 Impala which I'm pretty sure had a 305 (possibly a 267 as I was told it had the Turbo 200) which to me had no exhaust note.
I can give you examples from earlier in life as well to show you where I got my love for VW engines, Japanese bumblebees, and GM V6s.
-There was (still is) a VW repair shop around the corner from my childhood home with a parking lot full of VWs and Audis. I believe this is a major source of my love of foreign cars...and I read Consumer Guide as a child, not Road and Track.
-I can still remember the first Japanese car I ever saw with an aftermarket exhaust. It was in Las Vegas, on a 91 or so Sentra sedan, on Maryland Parkway near the Boulevard Mall. Japanese cars with these exhausts are rare around here in SE MI, so they still get my attention...to this day when I pull up to a red light and see a foreign car with a coffee can muffler, I still roll the window down to listen.
-As I grew up within walking distance of the GM Tech Center, 2.8s and 3.8s were (and still are) as common as Honda B16s in the rest of the country. My favorite FWD domestic car of all time is the 6000 STE, if that helps.
I kind of missed the muscle era, too. I didn't get my driver's license until 1979. But there were still muscle cars around and I had and still have many magazines which featured muscle cars.
Perhaps you can take a "Muscle Cars 101" class?
If you do, here is an example of what you will be seeing:
thing is those big block muslce cars of the late 60's early 70's would get smooshed by todays mustang GT and Camaro SS. alot of those cars were high-14 and low-15 second cars heck some stock 4x4 pick-up trucks are just as fast these days as the 440ci dodge charger was in 1970.
one good thing is we live in the modren muscle/pony car era were 400HP cars are everywhere at the big 3 just like in the 70's and regular a working stiff can afford them too.
I kind of missed the muscle era, too. I didn't get my driver's license until 1979. But there were still muscle cars around and I had and still have many magazines which featured muscle cars.
Perhaps you can take a "Muscle Cars 101" class?
If you do, here is an example of what you will be seeing:
thing is those big block muslce cars of the late 60's early 70's would get smooshed by todays mustang GT and Camaro SS. alot of those cars were high-14 and low-15 second cars heck some stock 4x4 pick-up trucks are just as fast these days as the 440ci dodge charger was in 1970.
one good thing is we live in the modren muscle/pony car era were 400HP cars are everywhere at the big 3 just like in the 70's and regular a working stiff can afford them too.
thing is those big block muslce cars of the late 60's early 70's would get smooshed by todays mustang GT and Camaro SS. alot of those cars were high-14 and low-15 second cars heck some stock 4x4 pick-up trucks are just as fast these days as the 440ci dodge charger was in 1970.
one good thing is we live in the modren muscle/pony car era were 400HP cars are everywhere at the big 3 just like in the 70's and regular a working stiff can afford them too.
it is good times for us gear heads
Actually, a lot those cars were 13 and 14 second cars. With a good driver and if you could get some kind of traction. '60s tires were pretty bad regarding traction.
Another bonus is that you could actually work on the engine yourself! The Motor Trend (Jan., 1969) test car, a '69 Charger R/T with 440-4 bbl, auto trans, and 3.55 gears ran 13.9 @ 101.4 mph... on skinny '60s tires! I've read that some of the bargain-priced Wal-Mart tires have better traction than 1960s slicks!
This will illustrate when I'm talking about. An article from a muscle car magazine:
1969 Ford Fairlane Corba 428 Super Cobra Jet, auto trans, 3.91 axle ratio, modifications: revised cam grind... 1/4 mile: 13.87 @ 101.57 mph
Not bad for 40+ year-old cars! Given a choice between one of the above or a new muscle car, I know what I would choose! The one with power and style!
Note: The Buick was a convertible.
(From Muscle Car Review, Jan., 1999).
Yeah, there are 400 hp modern cars... to bad many of them are so ugly! One could always put in a crate engine in an old '60s car. But, for me, the original engines they had are just fine.
ya but fleet the 2010 dodge ram with the 390HP 5.7 Hemi standard cab shortbox 2WD is getting
these types of numbers from a motortend test: 1/4 Mile ET:13.850 1/4 Mile MPH:95.380 1/8 Mile ET:8.780 1/8 Mile MPH:78.860 0-60 Foot ET:1.957
the larger 4x4 quad cab hemi Ram 1500 runs a 14.4 stock not bad for a stock pick-up truck right off the dealer lot and you can daily drive it to work and make money with it as contractor or working in the trades and still race it on friday and saturday nights.
I lived thru the 60's-70's musclecar ear and now this musclecar era. No comparison. Gas mileage, comfort, blinding speed, handling and they now can stop. Plus you can idle all day in the desert with the ac on and they engine will not care one bit.. Todays musclecars have it all over the ones from 30 years ago sorry to say. BUT I still love driving my old cars too.. I love em all but truly there is no comparison.. watch this.. Its a very good series.. This is part one.. watch all 5 parts.. Very enjoyable..
ya but fleet the 2010 dodge ram with the 390HP 5.7 Hemi standard cab shortbox 2WD is getting
these types of numbers from a motortend test: 1/4 Mile ET:13.850 1/4 Mile MPH:95.380 1/8 Mile ET:8.780 1/8 Mile MPH:78.860 0-60 Foot ET:1.957
the larger 4x4 quad cab hemi Ram 1500 runs a 14.4 stock not bad for a stock pick-up truck right off the dealer lot and you can daily drive it to work and make money with it as contractor or working in the trades and still race it on friday and saturday nights.
If that '69 Charger I mentioned had modern tires, its e.t. would have been low-to-mid 13s instead of 13.9.
But yes, those are great times for a truck.
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