A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-01-03....Muscle Car Mania!

dansangel

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear, Aquamarine ~

Muscle cars have been a huge part of the American heritage. Songs have been written about them, movies made and legends born. Americans are fans of different incarnations of racing; NASCAR, Indy Car, drag racing and Formula One, to name a few. Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Michael Schumacher and Don Garlits are all household names.

Today at the Finest, we celebrate the American Muscle Car. Presented here are just a very few of the wealth of American muscle cars from which to choose.



From the Corvette History Site:

The first Corvette was built on June 30th, 1953 in Flint, Michigan. The antennas in the '53 Corvettes were mesh screen fiberglassed into the inside of the trunk. The '53 vettes had two interior hood releases, one for each hood latch. There were only 300 Corvettes produced in 1953, all were roadsters. All 300 were polo white on the outside and red on the inside. The only engine available was a 150hp six cylinder engine with a powerglide automatic transmission. The base price of the '53 Corvette was $3,498.00.



From the Automotive Intelligence Site:

The original Ford Thunderbird, introduced in 1954 as a '55 model, was a sporty two-seater. It's long cowl was set off by elegant round headlamps, an "egg-crate" radiator grille and a wraparound, aircraft-style windscreen. A scoop in the bonnet and a row of chrome-like vents in the bumpers hinted at the car's V-8 power. In 1956, the famous porthole window was added to Ford Thunderbird's optional removable hard top.



From the Mustang Maniacs Site:

The Mustang was the brain child of Lee Iococca .The Mustang debuted at the World's Fair in Chicago on April 14, 1964. The car was available with a wide choice of options in coupe and convertible only. Reaction to the Mustang's arrival was tremendous and dealers could not get enough. The first day the car went up for sale, April 17, 1964, saw 22,000 cars sold at or above retail.



Chevrolet's answer to the Mustang was the Camaro SS. Shown here is a 1969 model:

The 1969 Camaro SS featured a 5.7 liter 350 cubic inch V8 engine. With 295 bhp and a 4-speed manual transmission, it reached top speeds of 121 mph. For the serious muscle car collector, the 1969 Camaro SS is a must-own.



A personal favorite of mine is the 1970 Chevelle SS:

The 70 Chevelle SS boasted a big-block 454 in either an LS-5 with 360 bhp or the more rare LS-6 with 460 bhp. An LS-6 car was tested by Hot Rod magazine and ran 108 mph in the quarter mile in 13.44 seconds. Be still my heart!



For all of you Mopar fans, here is a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda:

This Mopar Muscle Machine boasted a 383 cubic inch, 4-barrel engine. It has been known to run 12.13 seconds at 107 mph in the quarter mile. It's sleek good looks made it a favorite that resurfaced in the TV show "Nash Bridges" with Don Johnson's character at the wheel. Nostalgia at its best!

I must admit I have a long-standing affection for a later model muscle car. From 1986 until 2000, I was the proud owner of this beautiful 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS:

Yes, that's .45MAN - notice *his* long-lost love right beside the SS, a beautiful 1988 Merkur XR4TI.

When I purchased the Monte Carlo SS brand new in 1986 it was "love at first drive." The Chevy always gave a great ride, had excellent acceleration (small-block V-8 with a 4-barrel carburetor) and ended up being low-maintenace over the course of our long relationship. In May 2000, someone decided they wanted my car more than I did and tried to steal it. The theft was foiled by a combination of .45MAN discovering it in process and the fact that the rank amateurs damaged the steering column so badly the floor-mounted shift would not move out of "neutral."

After the car was in the shop for a long 8 weeks while parts were located around the country, it was found that the transmission was slipping and the a/c was shot. After much soul-searching and a few tears, it was decided that the car that had served me so well over 14 years, needed to go on to "greener pastures."

Please feel free to share a fond "Muscle Car" story with us, or just kick back, relax and enjoy the show as others cruise up and down Memory Lane.



And, while you're at it, check out our own St.Louie1's pride and joy, a pristine 1974 Corvette:

Martin_Fierro doesn't call me Dans"Gearhead"Angel for nothin'! ;-)

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-29-03 Military Monday 09-30-03 Hall of Fame #5

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
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[Calpernia]

Thanks {{{Angel}}}!

Gotta go for a bit too. It is my (waaaaa) baby's birthday today too. Have to bring goodies to his class now.

(I don't have a baby anymore!...ok, I'm good. I can handle this)*sniff sniff*

[MEG33]

I've never been a "car" person until I got my 77 blue Cadillac Brougham. I sold it when I was leaving California,realizing that the cost of shipping was too much for a 15 year old car.I had a buyer the moment I announced I was going home to Texas.I affectionately called it my tank .Miles per gallon were comparable!

[ST.LOUIE1]

My first and only muscle car is my 77 Corvette.

EEK! What made me think it was a '74???? I must be going blind. Drats. Sorry. :-( /i>

Eeeeek! Goofy me! It IS a 74! LOL!!

[MEG33]

I love 4 year olds!They have that sense of wonder when you take a discovery walk and they still like hugs a lot.((((((((((Happy Birthday Frankie)))))))))

[MEG33]

(((((((((((((((HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA BEAR)))))))))))))

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody ! Happy Wednesday !

[MeekOneGOP]

Happy Birthday, Mama_Bear !! ...

[MeekOneGOP]

[Billie]

Another winner, Dansy! Thank you for letting me preview this earlier this week. Oh, how the guys are gonna love today's topic!

Oh, Louieeeeeeee, I wanna ride in your Corvette! Pleaseeeeeee?

[The Thin Man]

Mornin' Madame Gearhead!

Does an old beat-up Saturn qualify as a "muscle car?" If conditions are right it might even hit 80 mph. Going downhill........wind at it's back....

I' s'pose not. :-(

I don't like this thread....... it depresses me. :-)

[Billie]

........ guess who's going to be in line, none other than dan's, get me some nitro, angel.... Ha!!!!

Oh, the nicknames of our sweet Angel. :)

Four years ago, we became the owners of a Classic Car - a restored 1967 Mustang. Mr B bought the car from a friend who was fighting a losing battle with cancer. We never drove it, and after a couple of years of being sad every time he looked at it, he thought it best to sell it to someone who might enjoy it, as his friend did. People handle grief in different ways - some want to hold on to things that remind us of those who are gone....and others can't bear the reminder. I would have wanted to keep it.

[Billie]

Happy Birthday, Mz D'Bear - I left your card on the P & P thread. :)

[Pippin]

(((MARTIN)))!

[Pippin]

Hi, Cal!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANKIE!!!

[Pippin]

((((BILLIE))))!

[martin_fierro]

MEINE KLEINE

[Pippin]

Missed you!

How have you been doing?

[Billie]

For your 'real' birthday card, click on the card. :)

[dansangel]

Then move the Manx clone dune buggy with the 200+hp Corvair motor out of the way, park the VW Camper with a ~200hp corvair outside.

Corvair motors? That's a blast from the past. Those cars could really fly. Wasn't there a problem with them (I don't want to say, "exploding"), *failing*?

Sounds like you need to open a u-pick junkyard! :-)

[dansangel]

Oh my gosh, Cal. You're going to be a *mess* when your children go off to college! LOL!!

Happy Birthday to Cal's ((((((("Baby")))))!

:-)