A good friend of mine has an XJR.It's the SC sedan(385hp). When I got my car it was stock so we raced. He walked all over me. When a full sized, luxury sedan beats a muscle car, now that's sad. Makes you feel like your car is absolete. I've been egging him on to race again, ever since i've been doing little mod's to my car but there was no apportunity to race.
Today we got the chance.BTW I just had my headers installed.So of the line I controlled my spin a little so he took lead. My clutch is going so I took it easy in first as best as I could, to keep up.The XJR get's nasty at higher RPM. No joke.So once I hit 2nd, that's where I started to catch up.I held out to about 5200 and power shifted.Whaam!!
We were next to each other and I was pulling slightly.I didn't look at the tech when I hit 3rd but I was clearly ahead by a two feet(from my nose to his)
Next thing, I swear, we stayed in that posission, suspended in time, for a split second.It stayed this way up until about 100mph and than he started to slowly pull away(blower). And than we slowed down. It was a damn good race.
I also have 99 Lexus GS400 and in the 1/4 we are pretty evenly matched do to weight difference+both cars are autos.Sometimes I win sometimes he does.
Both cars are in the 14s, but I'm real glad that my "relic" of a bird can best some of todays Hi-Per sedans. I mean if a muscle car, no matter what year, can't beat a production line luxury sedan, than what's the point to owning the damn aged muscle car?
Mike

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1990 Formula
Factory:TPI-305/Dual Cat/5 Speed,3.42 rear, Dealer:Aluminum Drive Shaft(230hp)
Mods:SLP air foil,K&N Filter, Accel:wires,coil cap,rotor.Hypertech Thermomaster chip,Stat,Fan switch,TES headers,Flowmaster 3" Cat-back exhaust,TB coolant bypass, Centerforce clutch (going).

 

Don't feel so bad, man. I got waxed by a BMW 750 a couple weeks ago. He was going about 50 in the left lane and I decided to do a little fly-by on his right. I passed him at 75-80 an he was on me in a second. We hit this long uphill and he passed me like I was still in first gear. Same displacement (5.0), but he has 4 more cylinders. Oh, well.

Like you said, what's the point of a muscle car? The point is that while those Euro battlecruisers can hold it or take it in a straight(ish) line, they loose some ground on a really twisty road. The XJR, estpecially has really soft damping, so the ride is nice and smooth, while scarificing all-out handling. You go fast, but you don't feel it.
Why drive a Muscle car? For fun. for the noise, for the feeling that you have to DRIVE that car. My dad has a '90 300ZX, which is a highly competent sports car. He says my Trans/Am has to be driven every second, if you stop paying attention to it, it will go and do what IT wants to do.
They are also more fun to watch. In my usual autocrosssing group, there is a yellow 911 Turbo that is very fast. It is also very quiet. There are a number of 4Gens, my 3Gen, and one 1Gen. The F-bodies are much more fun to watch as they buck, snort, and burn rubber around the track.

Chapter One of the Muscle Car Manifesto

Time to go have another drink.

 

One more thought:

If YOU spent $70,000 on your 3rdGen, you better be able to kick the sh#t out of any thing on the road.

 

Hey SpeedCat, since you metioned the BMW 750, another friend of mine got one of those. A bunch of us were hanging out one night, and I noticed his new car. I said "that's the v12 BMW, right? It's a quick ride". He goes "Quick ride?it's a SICK ride" I happen to have my firebird there, s I point to it and go:"That's a SICK ride. Yours is a quick ride" So to make a long story short, we raced and I beat the beemer from dead stop to about 80mph. We let off at that point. I was a good fender ahead. The 750 is not that fast. It's FAST for it's size but it's not that fast.
What I'm saying is that I wanna make sure that my Formula, at the very least, beats all the new (un moded)production sedans.
I mean I made sure that it beats my GS400 and my friends' XJR and the 750. I also raced a SL600 and won. All these cars are powerful but heavy. I enjoy the fact that a $200 car has so much *****. An uncomfortable TPI muscle car still has it's place.Not at all obsolete.

 

man it thought the XJRs were faster than 14s i know they are fast cars for there class though but yea if you spend 70 grand on your third gen and then lose to something like that then something is definetly wrong. TINFY

 

The XJRs are in the 14s. I don't remember exsactly where in the 14s but not faster.I leased my GS cause it was the fastest, auto, mid-size sedan made for that year, and I got a good deal w/business write-offs. I think it's pretty ordinary, looks vice, but the little f*cker has *****.I mean it's in the Cobra territorty.
My buddy's XJR is the Vander Plas, the extra long version, It's 3 or 4 tenths slower than the standard model and 15K more.
Hell, for 70 grand, I would make an 86 ford taurus, station wagon(in NA mode) beat an XJR and have money left over to make it look like an Impala SS.LOL
Mike

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1990 Formula
Factory:TPI-305/Dual Cat(230hp),5 Speed,3.42 rear, Dealer:Aluminum Drive Shaft
Mods:SLP air foil,K&N Filter, Accel:wires,coil cap,rotor.Hypertech Thermomaster chip,Stat,Fan switch,TES headers,MSD6AL,Flowmaster 3" Cat-back exhaust,TB coolant bypass, Centerforce clutch (going).

 

I made a mistake in my earlier post.
My Formula cost me $2000 not $200.It has since cost me more. Just to clarify.

 

You said you raced the 750 from a start to 80, right? I started at 80, and he passed me at least at 100, and I couldn't catch him.

 

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