It had been a long time, in fact, I had to stop and think for a second before recalling when the last time was. Earlier tonight, I went for a ride in a classic muscle car with some serious power. After thinking about it, the last ride in such a car was this same owner's 1966 Chevy II, packing a good 400+ hp, though that may be an overestimate considering the car is light as hell, it wouldn't take as much power to get that baby movin'.
It made me long for the day that my car is finished, though that day is nowhere in sight. I've come to realize just how much of an obligation owning a house is. In addition, how discouraging it can be living in a state with the worst economy in the nation, with little relief likely in the near future. I won't sell myself short on my plans for my car, so the day it returns to the road continues to slide back. Nothing less than a 1,000 hp street terror would be satisfactory for the amount of time the car has been off the road. In the mean time, I'll continue to work out the plans for what is now my dad's 1970 Challenger R/T. As it stands, I think I just about have him talked into the six speed transmission, though it seems the 383 will remain at home in the engine bay, though bumped up to a more respectible 400-450 hp. I'm guessing that the car should still be able to knock down decent gas mileage, probably in the upper teens, which would be damn good for a carburated car with that much power.
The guy who owns the 1969 Chevelle was thinking along the same lines. He is leaning towards building up a numbers matching 396 with good power and placing a 6 speed behind it. While nostalgia is great, more and more gearheads are taking routes that will increase their gas mileage, efficiency, and dependability of their classic rides. I've never been one who is anal about all original, numbers matching, era correct cars. So I say let the hobby evolve, keep up with the times, and help continue the hobby's strong following. I'm sure a day will come when the classic cars with efi and overdrive transmissions begin to outnumber those carbed non-od cars...who knows, perhaps that day has already come amongst the street rod scene.
