Re: Nascar

[Arny Krueger]

"Paul Dormer" > wrote in message

> Round and round and round they go...
>
> IT'S ****ING BORING!

The beauty of Nascar racing must be too subtle for you, Paul.

[George M. Middius]

Arnii "Feces is a delicacy" Krooger said:

> > IT'S ****ING BORING!

> The beauty of Nascar racing must be too subtle for you, Paul.

Arnii, did you consider the possibility that Mr. Dromer™ is simply lying
about NASCAR?

[Trevor Wilson]

"Paul Dormer" > wrote in message
...
> Round and round and round they go...
>
> IT'S ****ING BORING!

**Indeed. Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and the
Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly. The last to try was the
Chrysler monstrosities. Plenty of power, but braking from 280kph, down to
around 100kph, in about 150Metres killed them. The race takes place over a
chunk of public road and specialised race track. 1,000km of gruelling stuff.
Very impressive and very exciting (especially in the wet). Lots of hills and
twisty bits. Nice scenery too. The best car to ever run the race was the
mighty Godzilla, but the organisers changed the rules, so it couldn't race
anymore.

http://www.abc.net.au/centralwest/bathurst/


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[[email protected]]

Was that the homebuilt contraption with a O-290-G POSL, no cooling
blower, for power?

[Arny Krueger]

"Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message

> "Paul Dormer" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Round and round and round they go...
>>
>> IT'S ****ING BORING!
>
> **Indeed. Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called
Mt
> Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well,

Especially U.S. owned brands like Ford and Holden(GM).

> as do the Euros and the Japanese (Godzilla).

> US cars usually fail badly.

In fact race cars are purpose-built cars. If a car fails, it reflects
more on the team that entered it than anything else.

> The last to try was
> the Chrysler monstrosities. Plenty of power, but braking from
280kph,
> down to around 100kph, in about 150Metres killed them.


> The race takes
> place over a chunk of public road and specialised race track.
1,000km
> of gruelling stuff. Very impressive and very exciting (especially in
> the wet).

A piece of puff pastry compared to say Pike's Peak, not the Nascar
track but the hill climb.

http://www.ppihc.com/

>Lots of hills and twisty bits. Nice scenery too. The best
> car to ever run the race was the mighty Godzilla, but the organisers
> changed the rules, so it couldn't race anymore.

> http://www.abc.net.au/centralwest/bathurst/

The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's HQ is about 15
miles from my house here in the Detroit area.

[Tom]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote
>
> ....... If a car fails, it reflects
> more on the team that entered it than anything else.

> The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's
> HQ is about 15 miles from my house here in the Detroit area.


However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.

[George M. Middius]

Tom said:

> > The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's
> > HQ is about 15 miles from my house here in the Detroit area.

> However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
> within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.

What does that "KFP" logo mean?

[Arny Krueger]

"Tom" > wrote in message


> However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
> within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.

Why would you believe such a strange thing, Tom?

[George M. Middius]

The Krooborg needs a flushing.

> > However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
> > within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.
>
> Why would you believe such a strange thing, Tom?

Why do you claim to wipe your butt with $1,000 checks, Arnii?

[Tom]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
> "Tom" > wrote in message
>
>
>> However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
>> within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.
>
> Why would you believe such a strange thing, Tom?
>

I apologize for assuming your meaning. Please enlighten
me as to your true meaning. TIA.

[Robert Morein]

In article , "Trevor Wilson", known America
basher, wrote:

> Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
> Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and the
> Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly.

"Australian" cars ARE American cars.

Ford = Ford
Holden = GM

And the Japs are the Japs.

There ARE no Australian cars, in fact Australia manufactures almost nothing.
Even most Australian food producers are American owned and operated.

Never miss a chance to America-bash, do you Trevor?


Bobo

[Arny Krueger]

"Robert Morein" > wrote in message

> In article , "Trevor Wilson", known
> America basher, wrote:
>
>> Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
>> Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and
>> the Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly.
>
> "Australian" cars ARE American cars.
>
> Ford = Ford
> Holden = GM
>
> And the Japanese are the Japanese.

> There ARE no Australian cars, in fact Australia manufactures almost
> nothing. Even most Australian food producers are American owned and
> operated.

Agreed.

> Never miss a chance to America-bash, do you Trevor?

The Aussies have always been a colony of someone. They apparently
never noticed that the British empire was replaced by the U.S. Empire
in two steps - one after WW2 and one after the fall of the USSR. It's
probably because they still drive on the wrong side of the road.

[Trevor Wilson]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Was that the homebuilt contraption with a O-290-G POSL, no cooling
> blower, for power?

**No. It was a race-prepared Viper. Fast in straight lines. Not so good on
the twisty bits. Not so good, when required to brake hard and often.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[Trevor Wilson]

"Robert Morein" > wrote in message
.. .
> In article , "Trevor Wilson", known America
> basher, wrote:
>
>> Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
>> Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and the
>> Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly.
>
> "Australian" cars ARE American cars.

**No. They're Australian cars. GM no longer builds large RWD, independent
suspension autos anywhere on the planet, except for Australia. GM's product
uses and entirely Aussie designed and developed V6 alloy engine. V8s are US
derived. The body, suspension and other bits are all Aussie. The US buys the
technology from Australia. The Australian GM subsidiary is US owned. Ford is
in a similar situation, with their large autos, except they have even more
local input than GMH (Australia). They still use (quite magnificent) in-line
six cylinder engines.

>
> Ford = Ford
> Holden = GM
>
> And the Japs are the Japs.

**Indeed. And again, the might Godzilla (Nissan Skyline) would cream ALL the
opposition in almost all the races across the country. Easy. The organisers
simply changed the rules, so only GM and Ford could race.

>
> There ARE no Australian cars, in fact Australia manufactures almost
> nothing.

**Incorrect. Though I do agree that Australia's manufacturing has been run
down significantly.

> Even most Australian food producers are American owned and operated.

**I don't have the figures to hand, but I would suspect that "most" is not
correct. "A lot" would be correct.

>
> Never miss a chance to America-bash, do you Trevor?

**I was bashing a dumb-as-dirt race called NASCAR. I was bashing the idiots
who imagine the behemoths from Detroit can beat Aussie developed autos at Mt
Panorama. The Europeans have managed it, as have the Japanese. The Camaro
managed it back in the 1970s, I recall. That's about it.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[Trevor Wilson]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message
>
>> "Paul Dormer" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Round and round and round they go...
>>>
>>> IT'S ****ING BORING!
>>
>> **Indeed. Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called
> Mt
>> Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well,
>
> Especially U.S. owned brands like Ford and Holden(GM).

**Indeed.

>
>> as do the Euros and the Japanese (Godzilla).
>
>> US cars usually fail badly.
>
> In fact race cars are purpose-built cars. If a car fails, it reflects
> more on the team that entered it than anything else.

**And the basic design. All the cars are based on production sedans.

>
>> The last to try was
>> the Chrysler monstrosities. Plenty of power, but braking from
> 280kph,
>> down to around 100kph, in about 150Metres killed them.
>
>
>> The race takes
>> place over a chunk of public road and specialised race track.
> 1,000km
>> of gruelling stuff. Very impressive and very exciting (especially in
>> the wet).
>
> A piece of puff pastry compared to say Pike's Peak, not the Nascar
> track but the hill climb.
>
> http://www.ppihc.com/
>
>>Lots of hills and twisty bits. Nice scenery too. The best
>> car to ever run the race was the mighty Godzilla, but the organisers
>> changed the rules, so it couldn't race anymore.
>
>> http://www.abc.net.au/centralwest/bathurst/
>
> The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's HQ is about 15
> miles from my house here in the Detroit area.

**Yep. Go look at this, when you next pop into your local GM dealer:

http://www.pontiac.com/gto/index.jsp?brand=home&pagename=home

It's a pretty decent auto.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[Arny Krueger]

"Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message


> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Was that the homebuilt contraption with a O-290-G POSL, no cooling
>> blower, for power?

> **No. It was a race-prepared Viper. Fast in straight lines. Not so
> good on the twisty bits. Not so good, when required to brake hard
and
> often.

Who entered it?

[Arny Krueger]

"Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message

> "Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
> ...

>> The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's HQ is about
15
>> miles from my house here in the Detroit area.
>
> **Yep. Go look at this, when you next pop into your local GM dealer:
>
> http://www.pontiac.com/gto/index.jsp?brand=home&pagename=home
>
> It's a pretty decent auto.

AFAIK it is not selling well, and not getting much critcial acclaim.

http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2004/07/13/cx_mf_0713test_1html

"The problem is that GTO, which in its 1960s-70s heyday was about sexy
styling and road-stomping muscle, is lagging way behind targeted
sales, with more than a 100-day supply on hand at most dealerships. GM
will be lucky to shift 12,000 units of the $31,795 GTO when it wanted
to move at least 18,000. So why aren't the cars moving off the lots?

"Still, we think the second major flaw with this car is that it's
priced all wrong. Instead of keeping the sticker below $25,000, to
compete with Ford Motor's (nyse: F - news - people ) Mustang, the last
real muscle car on the road, at nearly $32,000 GM has the GTO
competing with BMW's 3 series, Nissan Motor's (nasdaq: NSANY - news -
people ) 350Z, and Mazda's RX-8. In that echelon, the GTO stands
little chance.

"More than that, however, the GTO lacks refinement in fit and finish.
For example, to gain access to the rear buckets you have to first lift
a lever that allows the front seat-backs to tilt forward, then push a
button to electrically slide the seat bottoms forward. The process is
slow and cumbersome. And for daily use, there are other big drawbacks.
The rear seat-backs don't flip forward from the trunk because
sandwiched in between the cockpit and the rear wall is the gas tank.
That design is for safety reasons (in the Holden the fuel tank sits
aft of the rear axle, which could lead to very explosive rear-end
collisions that GM didn't want to risk with the GTO). Unfortunately
this creates a tiny trunk that can't even hold two average-size
suitcases. So, strangely, you have a GTO with a big wheelbase and yet,
pretty poor practicality.

"here's serious V-8 stomp from this car, enough juice to launch an
idle GTO to 60 mph in just about 5.5 seconds, faster than any of the
aforementioned rivals in this price range. That said, the 350Z and
Mazda RX-8 are far more fun to drive through corners. The GTO feels
too heavy (it is much heftier), the steering is a bit vague, and
although the 17-inch tires will hang on for dear life, there's a ton
of chassis roll. Some of this shouldn't be a surprise; the car is
essentially a Cadillac Catera underneath, so much of the technology,
especially that of the rear suspension, simply is too old to compete
with newer cars.

"But unfortunately, even in a straight line, some of what should be
more fun, like toggling through the six-speed transmission, feels more
tractor-like than sporty. It becomes work, not play.

"At least the vintage models actually looked the part, whereas the new
version has the visual appeal of at least six different cars you'd
rent for $49 a day from Budget.

[Robert Morein]

"Robert Morein" > wrote in message
.. .
> In article , "Trevor Wilson", known America
> basher, wrote:
>
> > Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
> > Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and the
> > Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly.
>
> "Australian" cars ARE American cars.
>
> Ford = Ford
> Holden = GM
>
Forgery.

[Arny Krueger]

"Paul Dormer" > wrote in message

> "Arny Krueger" emitted :
>
>> "Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message
>>
>>> "Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>
>>>> The race seems to be won by GM cars quite a bit. GM's HQ is
about
>>>> 15 miles from my house here in the Detroit area.
>>>
>>> **Yep. Go look at this, when you next pop into your local GM
dealer:
>>>
>>> http://www.pontiac.com/gto/index.jsp?brand=home&pagename=home
>>>
>>> It's a pretty decent auto.
>>
>> AFAIK it is not selling well, and not getting much critcial
acclaim.
>
> Well done on finding the one hyper-negative review (unbalanced).

Here's another review pointing out the GTO's bad rep and lackluster
character:


http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=8908&page_number=2

"Big surprise, right? The Goat finishes second; it's a goat after all,
and that's what goats do. Second place might be the expected finish
for what some cynics would call the Blunder from Down Under, but
despite selling far fewer than the expected 18,000 units in 2004,"


"Some cosmetic changes have been made to correct the much-maligned
inadequacies of the Pontiac's lozenge-like exterior. Two hood scoops
protrude in hopes of giving a bit more snarl to the Goat's front end.
Nice try. Imagine your aunt Clara penciling in some more angry
eyebrows, and you get the idea. She might look a bit more volatile,
but she's still your aunt."

"It's easy to get going quickly in the GTO, but the six-speed manual
transmission is about as fun to use as that Soloflex collecting dust
in your basement. Throws are long, rubbery, and high effort and drew
universal criticism. Even the GTO's staunchest advocate here conceded
that the shifter might be enough to keep him from spending the extra
dough for the GTO. "

"Worse yet were the foot pedals. In a car that encourages and embraces
delinquent behavior, you expect the pedals to be placed for a
heel-and-toe downshift. That's not the case; it's nearly impossible to
brake and blip the throttle. The brake pedal is nearly a shoe width
away from the accelerator. Making matters more difficult is a hinged
accelerator pedal; if you do manage to brake and blip, the pedal
swings on its hinge instead of opening the throttle."

"Most of the serene nature of the GTO comes from the way the driver is
treated. Aside from three chintzy climate-control knobs, there is a
lot to admire. Backlit gauges and several digital readouts provide
easy-to-read information. One bizarre display even suggested we take a
break after two hours by showing an Atari-grade tree and park bench
and then beeping at us in an R2-D2 dialect common to some parts of
Australia."

Which echoes many points from the earlier review of the 2004 GTO in
Forbes:

>>
>> http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2004/07/13/cx_mf_0713test_1html
>>
>> "The problem is that GTO, which in its 1960s-70s heyday was about
>> sexy styling and road-stomping muscle, is lagging way behind
targeted
>> sales, with more than a 100-day supply on hand at most dealerships.
>> GM will be lucky to shift 12,000 units of the $31,795 GTO when it
>> wanted to move at least 18,000. So why aren't the cars moving off
>> the lots?
>>
>> "Still, we think the second major flaw with this car is that it's
>> priced all wrong. Instead of keeping the sticker below $25,000, to
>> compete with Ford Motor's (nyse: F - news - people ) Mustang, the
>> last real muscle car on the road, at nearly $32,000 GM has the GTO
>> competing with BMW's 3 series, Nissan Motor's (nasdaq: NSANY -
news -
>> people ) 350Z, and Mazda's RX-8. In that echelon, the GTO stands
>> little chance.
>>
>> "More than that, however, the GTO lacks refinement in fit and
finish.
>> For example, to gain access to the rear buckets you have to first
>> lift a lever that allows the front seat-backs to tilt forward, then

>> push a button to electrically slide the seat bottoms forward. The
>> process is slow and cumbersome. And for daily use, there are other
>> big drawbacks. The rear seat-backs don't flip forward from the
trunk
>> because sandwiched in between the cockpit and the rear wall is the
>> gas tank. That design is for safety reasons (in the Holden the fuel
>> tank sits aft of the rear axle, which could lead to very explosive
>> rear-end collisions that GM didn't want to risk with the GTO).
>> Unfortunately this creates a tiny trunk that can't even hold two
>> average-size suitcases. So, strangely, you have a GTO with a big
>> wheelbase and yet, pretty poor practicality.
>>
>> "here's serious V-8 stomp from this car, enough juice to launch an
>> idle GTO to 60 mph in just about 5.5 seconds, faster than any of
the
>> aforementioned rivals in this price range. That said, the 350Z and
>> Mazda RX-8 are far more fun to drive through corners. The GTO feels
>> too heavy (it is much heftier), the steering is a bit vague, and
>> although the 17-inch tires will hang on for dear life, there's a
ton
>> of chassis roll. Some of this shouldn't be a surprise; the car is
>> essentially a Cadillac Catera underneath, so much of the
technology,
>> especially that of the rear suspension, simply is too old to
compete
>> with newer cars.
>>
>> "But unfortunately, even in a straight line, some of what should be
>> more fun, like toggling through the six-speed transmission, feels
>> more tractor-like than sporty. It becomes work, not play.
>>
>> "At least the vintage models actually looked the part, whereas the
>> new version has the visual appeal of at least six different cars
>> you'd rent for $49 a day from Budget.

[Trevor Wilson]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message
>
>
>> > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>> Was that the homebuilt contraption with a O-290-G POSL, no cooling
>>> blower, for power?
>
>> **No. It was a race-prepared Viper. Fast in straight lines. Not so
>> good on the twisty bits. Not so good, when required to brake hard
> and
>> often.
>
> Who entered it?

**Dunno. I'll try to find out.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[[email protected]]

Arny Krueger wrote:
> "Tom" > wrote in message
>
>
> > However, if a car wins, it reflects more on the nerds that live
> > within a specified distance from the car brand's HQ.
>
> Why would you believe such a strange thing, Tom?
>
>

Let's see....

a)Tom has an adolescent mind-set

or

b)Tom has a two-digit IQ

or

c)both of the above

[Trevor Wilson]

"Paul Dormer" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Wilson" emitted :
>
>>**Indeed. And again, the might Godzilla (Nissan Skyline)
>
> Aaah... so that's what it is :-)

**Indeed. I realised, after my initial post, that the term: 'Godzilla' might
be a local one. When the Skyline GTR first appeared on the local racing
scene, it creamed the opposition. Local racing officials quickly realised
that it's existence threatened the status quo (ie: Ford vs. GM), which had
kept them going for decades. It reacted quickly and predictably. Rules were
altered to make the Skyline uncompetitive.

Personally, I think it was a con-job. The Skyline was (and still is) an
awesomely competitive automobile.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[Trevor Wilson]

"Paul Dormer" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Wilson" emitted :
>
>>> Round and round and round they go...
>>>
>>> IT'S ****ING BORING!
>>
>>**Indeed.
>
> They could liven it up by strapping buxom women to the front.

**I'd sure be watching more often. Hang on a sec: That's pretty much what
they do, anyway. Before each race, they have these PYTs standing next to
each car, flashing their wobbly bits. My favourite part of the race, if
truth be told.

>
>>Here in Oz, we have a race once a year, at a place called Mt
>>Panorama. Naturally Aussie cars do quite well, as do the Euros and the
>>Japanese (Godzilla). US cars usually fail badly. The last to try was the
>>Chrysler monstrosities. Plenty of power, but braking from 280kph, down to
>>around 100kph, in about 150Metres killed them. The race takes place over a
>>chunk of public road and specialised race track. 1,000km of gruelling
>>stuff.
>>Very impressive and very exciting (especially in the wet). Lots of hills
>>and
>>twisty bits. Nice scenery too. The best car to ever run the race was the
>>mighty Godzilla, but the organisers changed the rules, so it couldn't race
>>anymore.
>>
>>http://www.abc.net.au/centralwest/bathurst/
>
> Sounds great. I'd love to see it. Sadly, I have been unable to find
> pictures of the mighty Godzilla :-(

**Try here: http://www.gtr.co.uk/html/ Should be plenty of pics there.

>
> I've been getting into GT4 a bit lately... one for the petrolheads :-)
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4340797.stm

**Nah. I'm more of a blood-n-guts kind of guy. It's Doom for me.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[Trevor Wilson]

"Arny Krueger" > wrote in message
...
> "Trevor Wilson" > wrote in message
>
>
>> > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>> Was that the homebuilt contraption with a O-290-G POSL, no cooling
>>> blower, for power?
>
>> **No. It was a race-prepared Viper. Fast in straight lines. Not so
>> good on the twisty bits. Not so good, when required to brake hard
> and
>> often.
>
> Who entered it?

**That information is surprisingly difficult to find. However, I have
managed to glean SOME information. The Viper has been competitive, in
Australia, for some years on many Australian race tracks. It is NOT
competitive on Mt Panorama, as the words from an opposition driver explain:

"After a good start I took the Mazda going into 'Forest Elbow' on the 2nd
lap. This put me into the lead momentarily, that is until the Dodge Viper of
Gary Waldon ran me down going up mountain straight. He had obviously used
up the Viper to catch me as immediately after he passed me he was
considerably slower over the top of the mountain. This allowed the Beninca
Porsche to catch up with the two of us. I was not concerned about this as
both Beninca and I soon got past the Viper under brakes at the end of Conrod
Straight. Beninca and I then set off on our own little race with our
positions and gaps between us changing repeatedly depending on slower
traffic."

At Mt Panorama, the Viper's poor braking and lack of 'nimbleness' make it
uncompetitive. Sheer power is only part of the equation at Mt Panorama. An
auto must be a good all-rounder to win. It must be able to accelerate to
around 280kph, then rapidly brake to less than 100kph. It must be able to
navigate twisty mountain (public) roads and billiard table smooth race
track.

This seems to be a characteristic of most (all?) US race cars which are
entered at Bathurst. Here is a list of winners, from the early days:

http://scs.une.edu.au/StudentFiles/HomePages/174_96/Bathurst/RaceWinners.html

Note some of the early winners. The mighty Cooper S is one standout.

I have no idea if the race is screened in the US, but, if it is, watch it.
It is one of the World's great auto races. Exciting, tough and varied.
Enthusiasts spend the whole day watching it. For me, I watch the start,
middle and end. Unless it's raining.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[[email protected]]

I agree NASCAR is "dumb as dirt", but the fact is that Australia has
not been a fountainhead of originality. That's not to say they have
nothing that's any good. I'd like to have an Australian Charger with
the local non-slant six and Webers. RHD would be 1)legal and 2) ok for
a hobby car in the US.

Among the small group of inline hot rodders and drag and circle track
racers in the US-guys like Clifford and Ak Miller, really talented
guys-it was common to import Aussie bits like heads and blocks for
certain US engines. Of course the heads needed hard seats installed for
unleaded gas (Ak Miller was running propane FAST in California decades
ago!)and propane.

You'd think they would build a cool diesel-maybe a 60 degree 250 CID
V-6-but no. No one right now makes a really attractive diesel engine to
put in fullsize RWD American cars. The Duramax is too big and the
various VM choices too small.

[Trevor Wilson]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> I agree NASCAR is "dumb as dirt", but the fact is that Australia has
> not been a fountainhead of originality.

**Duh. Australian automobiles and auto races are probably somewhere between
European and US products and events. Cars handle better and two of the
larger manufacturers (GM and Ford) still build large numbers of RWD cars.
Having said all that, I did SPECIFICALLY refer to the Mt Panorama race
track. It is a unique and exciting track. Competing cars cannot win, just
with brute force. Some finesse is required.

That's not to say they have
> nothing that's any good. I'd like to have an Australian Charger with
> the local non-slant six and Webers. RHD would be 1)legal and 2) ok for
> a hobby car in the US.

**What a car! Back in the late 1960s, it was a rocketship. Was that engine
variant available in the US? Well, I know the engine was (that Hemi 265 was
a brilliant thing back in the day), but was it available with all those
Webers hanging off it? It cleaned up the much larger V8s on the racetrack.
Pity about the brakes and the crappy handling.

>
> Among the small group of inline hot rodders and drag and circle track
> racers in the US-guys like Clifford and Ak Miller, really talented
> guys-it was common to import Aussie bits like heads and blocks for
> certain US engines. Of course the heads needed hard seats installed for
> unleaded gas (Ak Miller was running propane FAST in California decades
> ago!)and propane.

**Really? I thought all the go-faster bits came from the US.

>
> You'd think they would build a cool diesel-maybe a 60 degree 250 CID
> V-6-but no. No one right now makes a really attractive diesel engine to
> put in fullsize RWD American cars. The Duramax is too big and the
> various VM choices too small.

**Here in Oz, diesel fuel is very low quality. As a result, we don't see
many on the roads. Diesel is more expensive than regular unleaded too. It's
pretty dumb, if you ask me. Modern diesels are very impressive. Efficient
and long lasting.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[[email protected]]

No, we only had the Slant Six. I don't know if the Webers on ones over
there were factory but I know the manifolding is still available. It
would make a nice hobby car and in fact three or four of them are in
the US now, generally with the V8.