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#95130 - 07/09/03 04:55 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 484
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Quote:
Here it is:
Click Here
Had the 4 speed, 273 high performance four barreled engine, positrac rearend, dropped a big cam into it, added some G50 tires, airshocks and traction bars and I was in heaven - off course that was in the mid 70's.
But only 235 HP - so why didn't you get the 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi 426 - 425 horsepower? By the way, if you keep the Dart - in good shape it would be worth about $10,000 today.
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#95131 - 07/09/03 06:02 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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Grand Turissimo Omologato (although I will admit i had to look up how to spell Omologato)
Bravo Cub Dave! (very close - Turismo)
Not according to a 1963 Pontiac Press Release Press Release
Ha! I'll be! Good eye, Dave.
Leave it to us Americans to try and change the original into something bigger and better. The Italian GTO was Gran Turismo, but the 1963 Pontiac changed it to Grand Turissimo. (like in music - "Forte" is Italian for loud; "Fortissimo" means very loud) Maybe we figured we had more roads to tour, so we had to increase the turismo!! 
Or - maybe the press writer just couldn't spell. 
OK Here's an English angle on "GTO"
I don't know how Pontiac came by it, nor what they think that it is an acronym for (I haven't followed the link above yet) but in Italy, and by extension anyone who knows a thing or two about Ferrari, GTO is, as John B said, an acronym for "Grand Turismo Omologato", which means homologated for GT racing (sports cars on a road course), so yes it does mean "authorized", but specifically for racing.
Enzo Ferarri was quite particular about this, and he only ever used the "GTO" label for the limited production runs required to be allowed to take the same model racing.
The last Ferrari GTO was the 288 GTO, which was homologated, but the racing formula was withdrawn before the car ever competed.
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This is my opinion; it is not legal advice, nor the view of my employer, and it may change tomorrow.
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#95132 - 07/09/03 07:23 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 484
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Quote:
I don't know how Pontiac came by it, nor what they think that it is an acronym for (I haven't followed the link above yet) but in Italy, and by extension anyone who knows a thing or two about Ferrari, GTO is, as John B said, an acronym for "Grand Turismo Omologato", which means homologated for GT racing (sports cars on a road course), so yes it does mean "authorized", but specifically for racing.
From the web:
Naming the GTO
Pontiac already had somewhat of a European racing theme in place with the Grand Prix and LeMans, so Chief Engineer John DeLorean appropriated the Italian racing designation Gran Turismo Omologato. The name was closely associated with Ferrari. In English it means, "Grand Touring Homologated." The Pontiac GTO was a grand touring car homologated (or made) from different parts, specifically the 389 Bonneville engine. It is doubtful whether many GTO owners understood the name or could even pronounce it, but it projected an image of a powerful, exotic, high-performance car. All that really mattered was that the GTO was a great car and the name was very well received.
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#95133 - 07/09/03 08:07 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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.... car homologated (or made) from .....
That is not what homologated means, as it is dervied from the Greek "homologos", meaning "agreeing" or "similar to".
Many forms/ classes of motorsport in Europe, and around the world are restricted to cars that have been produced in a similar (though often vaguely so) form for sale to the public in street-legal spec. A specified number must have been made and sold.
A race car that has met the design and sales requirements through it's street-legal sibling, and the fact has been acknowledged by the race administrators has been "homologated".
A car built top street legal spec to meet this type of requirement for a car designed primarily for racing (somewhat backwards compared to the intention to take street-legal cars and race them) is a "homologation special". A current example being the Mitsubishi Lancer "Evo" series, currently up to Evo VIII, and designed by Mitsubishi for competion in the World Rally series.
Other more extreme examples of the breed include the Metro 6R4, the Ford RS200 (used for rallying), and the Porsche F1, (used for track racing), non of which would have been built were it not for the need to "validate" a race car.
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#95134 - 07/09/03 09:02 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 96
Jackson, Michigan
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The old T-birds from the 50's are at the top of my list of classics.
I think the coolest car is the dark green Mustang Steve McQueen drove in the movie "Bullitt". I love the audio of him changing gears, it sounds so mean. My husband being the hemi fan, loves the car the bad guys drive. That chase scene is one of the best ever filmed. The Hemi & and the bad guys get blown to bits, Steve's Mustang does sustain some damage. However, his girlfriend (Jacqueline Bisset) just happens to have a cool Porsche, that appears in the next scene.
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#95136 - 07/10/03 03:11 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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Quote:
WildTurkey:
So what is a kit AC Cobra that is virtually the same as the original AC Cobra - body, engine, running gear, wheels? If someone asks, is it real?
That is an intereting question. I would say "yes" if it is substantially all original/historic parts (apart from "consumables" - belts and wires etc.). If it is substantially replica parts then "no". The fact that original AC Cobras were built as late as the 1990s makes the question more difficult as it is quite possible to have a kit/replica car that is older than an "original".
A few years ago somebody acquired a consignment of parts, never previously assembled, manufactured for Bugatti the legendary, but long-since defunct, French car manufacturer (though the name was revived a few years ago by a upstart business to build exotic super cars). He built a "new" car and got into an argument over whether he could sell it as an original Bugatti. The problem was compounded by the oft-quoted "fact" that no two Bugattis are identical.
There was also a court case in the High Court in London, relating to a dispute between two owners of "antique" (pah, American words!!!) racing Bentleys from the 1920. Both owners claimed they had the same original car, that competed at Le Mans. One car comprised an "original" body plus some mechanical parts, the other car had the original chassis and part of the drive train (I can't remember now which car had the engine, possibly neither  ). It was common at that time to strip and rebuild race cars (I guess that it still is), and somebody took the discarded bits from the "original" and put them on another chassis, which set up this conundrum seventy or so years later. Unfortunately I can't recall what the outcome was! 
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#95138 - 07/10/03 03:34 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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OK, WildTurkey, I gotta ask. The British don't say 'antiques'? How do they describe, say 300 year old furniture, then? Is it 'really, really used' or 'aged' or what? 
Sorry, I should have said "American usage" rather than "American words". In Britain "Antiques" are (only) historic furniture and household goods, never vehicles. If a car is older than, I think, 1920 then it is "vintage" otherwise I think that it is "veteran", though only real experts recognise this technical difference and most people in Britain would call any pre-WW2 car a "vintage car".
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This is my opinion; it is not legal advice, nor the view of my employer, and it may change tomorrow.
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#95140 - 07/10/03 07:53 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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10K Club
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 21,939
Next to Harvey
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Shortest list I can come up with:
1964 GTO post sedan, "3 deuces and a 4 speed" (ultimate sleeper)
1968 Camaro Z 28, 4 speed (just plain fun)
1995 BMW 850 12 cyl, 6 speed (art on wheels)
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#95141 - 07/10/03 08:29 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 484
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Quote:
Shortest list I can come up with:
1964 GTO post sedan, "3 deuces and a 4 speed" (ultimate sleeper)
1968 Camaro Z 28, 4 speed (just plain fun)
1995 BMW 850 12 cyl, 6 speed (art on wheels)
Ken - just don't wish for the 1995 BMW 850! New, I'm sure it was a very fine car - used - it would be your worst nightmare starting the first day have took it to the BMW dealer for anything. The cost of parts is at least equal to those on the space shuttle. But, if you are one of those big bucks guys, that fact would not be an issue. I had a 750 12 cyl. at one time - nightmare! But it looked great!
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#95143 - 07/10/03 09:16 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 862
Mexifornia
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Wheelbarrow with wooden tire – easy to maneuver around trees collecting coconuts and firewood!
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#95144 - 07/10/03 09:17 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Anonymous
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Maybe not a classic, but my favorite car was a 1970 Pontiac Firebird with a 427 big block Chevy engine and a supercharger on top. That thing could burn those M50 tires like you wouldn't believe!
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#95145 - 07/10/03 09:36 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Gold Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 484
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I had a 750 12 cyl. at one time
Guys, I'm green with envy.  I owned 12 cylinders once, too. But it was spread out over three cars!
Please don't be - it was a dream come true for about 3 months - it was really, really fast, it was all black, it turned out to be a nightmare. They started to tell me that I needed parts that I had never heard of before - real expensive parts and I purchased every part to support the dream. BMW makes fine cars, but don't buy a used BMW.
Don't get me wrong - some fun was had between trips to the shop.
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#95146 - 07/11/03 05:11 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 921
Down South, USA
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If anyone's interested the AC Cobra is still in current production, and another car that AC designed in the mid 90's appears to have been discontinued. AC CarsThe Cobra is now in it's 41[sup]st[/sup] year of production, and gets, after a couple of days thought, my vote for ultimate classic car! 
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#95148 - 07/11/03 09:52 PM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Platinum Poster
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 945
Kentucky
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'65 Mustang. I owned one at one time, but after a few months I was ready to pay someone to take it off my hands! After that experience, I knew no more classic cars for me.
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#95151 - 07/12/03 01:13 AM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Power Poster
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,353
Anchorage Alaska
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The man who invented Twister has a Shelby Cobra encased in glass in his garage. The garage is on the first floor of the home and the living room is directly above it. The floor of the living room is plexiglass so you walk over the car when you walk across the room. I know squat about Cobras so I can't tell you what the heck makes the car so special, except I know it has less than 50 original miles on it. He also has a lovely wine collection. Combining the drinking of the wine with walking over glass is sometimes quite funny...or dangerous 
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#95152 - 07/12/03 02:38 AM
Re: Best Classic Car of All Time
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Power Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,153
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Quote:
The man who invented Twister
Some jokes are just too easy...I won't even touch that Dawnie.
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