Choose your neutered muscle car!

Started by Madman, January 02, 2013, 10:46:05 AM

What happens when a legendary name outlives the era in which it was created?  It becomes a neutered shell of it's former self.  Now is you chance to choose the best (or worst?) Malaise-era muscle car!

1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO
5 (45.5%)
1990-91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 442
3 (27.3%)
1978-83 Dodge Challenger
2 (18.2%)
1983-87 Dodge Charger
0 (0%)
1974-78 Ford Mustang II
0 (0%)
1980-82 Mercury Cougar
0 (0%)
1988-93 Pontiac LeMans
1 (9.1%)

Total Members Voted: 10

Madman

1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO.

Replacing the legendary GTO after the first Arab oil embargo was this crudbucket.  Based on the Pontiac Ventura (AKA Chevy Nova), the new GTO was powered by a smog-gear strangled 350 V8.  This car was so bad, it killed the GTO name for three decades!






1990-91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 442.

In 1964, "442" meant a four barrel carburettor, a four-on-the-floor shifter and two exhausts.  When GM's marketing "geniuses" decided to revive the moniker in 1990, "442" now stood for four cylinder, four valves per cylinder and two camshafts!  GM couldn't understand why a Quad-4 powered econobox didn't grab customer's imaginations like the 442's legendary ancestors.






1978-83 Dodge Challenger

After lying dormant for a few years, the Dodge Challenger thundered back onto the scene as a rebadged Mitsubishi Sapporo coupe packing a 77 horsepower 1.6 litre four cylinder engine!  Real speed freaks could opt for a 2.6 litre four-pot pumping out 105 horsepower.  Try not to get too exited!






1983-87 Dodge Charger

No, not the famous Dukes of Hazard Charger.  This one was based on the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon subcompact and, in base form, was propelled by a 1.6 litre Peugeot engine producing a whopping 62 horsepower.  The optional 2.2 coughed up 94 ponies and the 2.2 Turbo finally broke into triple-digit power figures.  For purposes of this poll, however, you can't have the Turbo.  You're stuck with the 62 horse Peugeot engine.






1974-78 Ford Mustang II

A commercial sales success but a critical flop, this Pinto-based Mustang wasn't put out to pasture soon enough!






1980-82 Mercury Cougar

For 1980, the Cougar (and it's Ford Thunderbird twin) shrunk in size and power.  An 88 horsepower 2.3 litre lump, inherited from the Pinto, "powered" this velour-lined, vinyl roofed Cougar.  In addition to the Coupe, you could also have a sedan and even a station wagon.  The "Sign of the Cat" had clearly been declawed.






1988-93 Pontiac LeMans

Designed by Opel, built by Daewoo, bought by idiots.  This little heap of misery often went to the junkyard faster than most other cars of it's era.


Current cars: 2015 Ford Escape SE, 2011 MINI Cooper

Formerly owned cars: 2010 Mazda 5 Sport, 2008 Audi A4 2.0T S-Line Sedan, 2003 Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8T wagon, 1998 Ford Escort SE sedan, 2001 Cadillac Catera, 2000 Volkswagen Golf GLS 2.0 5-Door, 1997 Honda Odyssey LX, 1991 Volvo 240 sedan, 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo sedan, 1987 Volvo 240 DL sedan, 1990 Peugeot 405 DL Sportswagon, 1985 Peugeot 505 Turbo sedan, 1985 Merkur XR4Ti, 1983 Renault R9 Alliance DL sedan, 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon, 1975 Volkswagen Transporter, 1980 Fiat X-1/9 Bertone, 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit C 3-Door hatch, 1976 Ford Pinto V6 coupe, 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe sedan

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." ~ Isaac Asimov

"I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses." - Johannes Kepler

"One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts." - C.S. Lewis

hotrodalex

Pontiac if I have to keep the car as-is. Otherwise, Mustang II so I can keep the front suspension and put it in a '55 Chevy truck. The rest of the car would go to the scrap heap.

2o6

Cutlass Calais had 180HP...nothing to sneeze at in the 80s and still fairly respectable now for outpit fom a four cylinder.

68_427

Quotewhere were you when automotive dream died
i was sat at home drinking brake fluid when wife ring
'racecar is die'
no


Onslaught


CALL_911

This is actually a very good comparo. I'll have to defer my judgment, though.


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

Onslaught

That POS GTO still looks better then all the other POS cars.

Payman

GTO. Easy to mod with obscene power, and it looks respectable.

Gotta-Qik-C7

Quote from: 2o6 on January 02, 2013, 10:54:52 AM
Cutlass Calais had 180HP...nothing to sneeze at in the 80s and still fairly respectable now for outpit fom a four cylinder.
I'm with you! The Quad 4 was a rough engine but it was pretty quick for its day.
2014 C7 Vert, 2002 Silverado, 2005 Road Glide

2o6

Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on January 02, 2013, 02:31:26 PM
I'm with you! The Quad 4 was a rough engine but it was pretty quick for its day.

IIRC, I remember reading that it was the fastest sedan on the market for a short while (until the Taurus SHO usurped that title, and then some Turbo Mopar took it away again).

Laconian

Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

SVT666

GTO.  I can mod the fuck out of it and it still looks good. 

2o6

Quote from: Laconian on January 02, 2013, 04:37:59 PM
The LeMans was so so so awful.

And it has like 10 different names.




It's odd how well the Astra is reviewed, and when Daewoo got their hands on it, they ruined it.

Northlands

Quote from: Rockraven on January 02, 2013, 01:51:40 PM
GTO. Easy to mod with obscene power, and it looks respectable.

This. All day long.

Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on January 02, 2013, 02:31:26 PM
I'm with you! The Quad 4 was a rough engine but it was pretty quick for its day.

It was quick. I had the Grand Am variant of this car. The only problem was it spent more time in the garage than it did the streets! I loved it when it worked though.



- " It's like a petting zoo, but for computers." -  my wife's take on the Apple Store.
2013 Hyundai Accent GLS / 2015 Hyundai Sonata GLS

cawimmer430

Went with the 1978-83 Dodge Challenger.

The Mitsubishi Sapporo was actually a very good-looking and handsome car. I grew up with them and they always looked very good to me. As a little car-crazy kid I remember how the Sapporo was on my "Dream Car" list. If someone gave me one today I wouldn't mind at all. It still looks good.
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
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cawimmer430

Quote from: Onslaught on January 02, 2013, 01:22:22 PM
Wheres the kill yourself option?

Only available in Wimmer Threads.  :praise:


But you can commit suicide by driving the 1983-87 Dodge Charger with the weak Peugeot engine by trying to merge unto a freeway. 100% death guarantee.  :ohyeah:

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
www.facebook.com/wimmerfotografie

cawimmer430

Quote from: Laconian on January 02, 2013, 04:37:59 PM
The LeMans was so so so awful.

And it's sadly still a common sight here. Opel Kadett E.

-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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AutobahnSHO

challenger for me.


(usual criteria, it's the only one that even has a chick in the picture though... )
Will

cawimmer430

Quote from: AutobahnSHO on January 02, 2013, 07:07:29 PM
(usual criteria, it's the only one that even has a chick in the picture though... )

:thumbsup:
-2018 Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Line (W177)



WIMMER FOTOGRAFIE - Professional Automotive Photography based in Munich, Germany
www.wimmerfotografie.de
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2o6

Quote from: cawimmer430 on January 02, 2013, 07:05:14 PM
And it's sadly still a common sight here. Opel Kadett E.



Well, at least the Opel is known for being decent. The LeMans is known for being total crap.