Coyote

[Chris V.]

Are you serious?

 

Yup. the BMW, as nice as it is, has been more trouble than any of the Rangies. And even it hasn't been bad, as my thread about it showed.

 

 

That's a Fiat, they are Italian. Do you still have it?

 

No. I moved on to the BMW, MGB, and my '63 Mercury Comet convertible project (more on that later).

 

I still think the classic American cars are much better in every possible way.

 

There aren't really any affordable classic American sports cars. The British and Italians invented that genre. they handle better and are simply more fun in stock form. Any of then can be fun if modded, as the end result is always based on the builder's abilities, not on the factory result.

 

Several mambers of my family have had a Land Rover of some description - my grandfather had the first Range Rover in the Highlands for example, and my uncle has owned several Range Rovers. The only one that has worked consistantly is the one he bought last year on a "58" plate.

 

I have driven several cars with the 3.5, and one of them even broke down while I was driving it.

 

All cars can and do break, which is why there are specialist shops for any car you care to name. Most of them that broke, did so while someone was driving them (as they rarely break when sitting in a garage somewhere). My Range Rovers have driven all over the east coast of the US, often towing my travel trailer. the last was at 140k miles when I sold it. The newest is being used in the 2+ ft of snow that's outside right now. I rely on them all the time, as does my wife. if they are so bad, how could I randomly find 3 in a row that weren' year in and year out? If you say it's because I know what I'm doing, then it follows that people who have problems don't know what they are doing, and once again, it leaves the realm of the vehicle being the problem and instead it's the owner.

[Wally]

There aren't really any affordable classic American sports cars. The British and Italians invented that genre. they handle better and are simply more fun in stock form. Any of then can be fun if modded, as the end result is always based on the builder's abilities, not on the factory result.

 

I agree with you about the Italian and English sports cars. From my experience they are dogged with recurrent annoyances, especially the Lucas electrical systems the poms insisted on using, but I tend to think that is part of the essence of a true sports car:- seat of the pants, good looks, recalcitrant, stoic ride comfort.

[Elite_Deforce]

All cars can and do break, which is why there are specialist shops for any car you care to name. Most of them that broke, did so while someone was driving them (as they rarely break when sitting in a garage somewhere). My Range Rovers have driven all over the east coast of the US, often towing my travel trailer. the last was at 140k miles when I sold it. The newest is being used in the 2+ ft of snow that's outside right now. I rely on them all the time, as does my wife. if they are so bad, how could I randomly find 3 in a row that weren' year in and year out? If you say it's because I know what I'm doing, then it follows that people who have problems don't know what they are doing, and once again, it leaves the realm of the vehicle being the problem and instead it's the owner.

Actually i've found that to be quite true. But still, Range Rovers? How??? What maintenance schedule do you have?

[2007DBR9]

There aren't really any affordable classic American sports cars. The British and Italians invented that genre. they handle better and are simply more fun in stock form. Any of then can be fun if modded, as the end result is always based on the builder's abilities, not on the factory result.

 

 

 

All cars can and do break, which is why there are specialist shops for any car you care to name. Most of them that broke, did so while someone was driving them (as they rarely break when sitting in a garage somewhere). My Range Rovers have driven all over the east coast of the US, often towing my travel trailer. the last was at 140k miles when I sold it. The newest is being used in the 2+ ft of snow that's outside right now. I rely on them all the time, as does my wife. if they are so bad, how could I randomly find 3 in a row that weren' year in and year out? If you say it's because I know what I'm doing, then it follows that people who have problems don't know what they are doing, and once again, it leaves the realm of the vehicle being the problem and instead it's the owner.

 

True, but you will have to be very lucky to find a "classic" British sports car over here that actually works. I have driven several, including an MGB, and I dodn't find the drive very entertaining. They are painfully slow, very uncomfortable, and always go wrong!

 

Well I am just going by experience. Every Range Rover I have come across besides the brand new one has been riddled with faults, mostly electrical.

 

They were all maintained properly, services were never neglected or anything like that - and they still went wrong. And they were all kept in a heated garage so no damp could have got in to the electrical system.

[Chris V.]

One thing i never figured out was, why did the British, in the climate you have there, develop and hang tightly on to, the idea of a convertible sports car that had such dismal weather sealing for so long? I mean, here, vastly farther south than any part of England, the cars make a modicum of sense as the climate is so much better. You can live with the top down most of the time so weather sealing isn't an issue. But the classic British sports cars had absolutely horrible tops (which is why they tend to be left down all the time here). American cars, for all the faults you can level at them, have had some of the best convertible tops since the '40s and '50s. Better weather sealing, easier to put up and take down (often power, even in the cheaper compacts like my '63 Comet), and better integrated into the design when down than the Germans or Italians until fairly recently (and mostly that's because everybody started to make hardtop convertibles like the Ford Skyliner of the '50s).

 

Ah well, they are still fun. I don't expect an old car of any sort to be the same as a new one, so I don't look at an old MGB and say, "well, the S2000 is a great car so the MGB is crap." they are both great cars, as I don't compare them to each other. I like ALL cars, and if it has an engine and wheels, I can find a way to enjoy it.

 

And the Rangie was great this weekend. No one plowed our street, and with 2+ ft of wet snow on it, i wasn't about to shovel the entire street down to the main street to get out, so I pushed the snow around with the Rangie. Put it in 4 low, and raised the suspension to it's highest setting, and just pushed the snow around, making first a big fan in front of the driveway into the street, then making a trail all the way down the street to the main street.

 

The BMW isn't coming out for a while (that's it under a mound of snow in font of the garage door)

[Jammo]

..........The BMW isn't coming out for a while (that's it under a mound of snow in font of the garage door)

I heard on the news the other day about the snowfall, quite alot really. If it fell here, the UK would be doomed, cornwall used up all its grit in the last snowfall!

And to make it seem nice, its sunny out here

Edited February 8, 2010 by Jammo

[bfeeney]

Where do you live Chris? In Ohio right now we have about 10" of snow and they are saying 6" more within 24 hours.

[Chris V.]

Where do you live Chris? In Ohio right now we have about 10" of snow and they are saying 6" more within 24 hours.

 

Just northwest of Baltimore. Still have 2 ft on the ground and more on the way tomorrow evening. Yeah, we're about to get your weather.

[Wally]

Back on topic:

 

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A2576A8000154BC

[Chris V.]

Back on topic:

 

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A2576A8000154BC

 

It's going to be interesting to see what Ford AUs does with that engine. Shelby is working on a supercharged version, as well. Considering the potential even in NA form, I can see it getting pretty powerful in supercharged form.

 

Of course, then Holden can just grab the supercharged LS from the Corvette and make 600+ hp...

[Wally]

The guy who is doing the development is actually a member on board I frequent (which is not a Ford flavour ) Of course he's tight lipped, but the vibe is, the coyote is quite promising in blower mode. This good for us, because, as you suggest Holden will not let Falcon get ahead of itself.

 

By now you have probably fathomed the I6T is a fairly low boost application and comes out of the box at around the 310kW mark. The reason for this is two fold: it must not be seen to be more powerful than the V8 flagships and the gearbags can't handle much more, reliably. As great as the ZF tranny is, there is an intent to make boxes inhouse. This should then see the turbo six graduate into being the dominant gorilla, if and only if the ecoboost six can be held off.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Wally

[2007DBR9]

Do you think Holden will drop the ZR1 engine in one of their HSV cars?

[Chris V.]

Do you think Holden will drop the ZR1 engine in one of their HSV cars?

 

 

If Ford shows too much power, yeah, they certainly will. Gotta say, it's a great time for performance car fans.

[bfeeney]

GM already has plans for a Z07 'Vette which means bigger HP. And if history prevails then GM will come out on top. If you think about it GM can't have a Mustang beat a Corvette, that would be the biggest kick in the ass ever. although, aerodynamically the 'Vette has nothing to fear, the Mustang can have 100 hp on it and the 'Vette will win.