Got a laugh out of this one...

I'm new here, but here's what I have actually seen or done:
Last year, I dialed in the engine on a CSX 4000 Cobra. These are the cars currently being built by Carrol Shelby, and they are 'real' cobras. This thing had a 482 inch all aluminium FE in it. It is, to date, the only car I ever had need for a death grip on the steering wheel. Any rapid movement of the loud pedal resulted in tire smoke in any gear. I only had it at 120, don't know about 130.
My buddy used to race big rigs. He had a peterbuilt that was running low 12's when I last saw him, and I heard he went even quicker.
I used to live 1.5 miles from Atco dragway in NJ, and every year they had tractor trailer drags. These guys would drive in, drop their trailers in the parking lot and race. It is quite impressive to see them smoking 8 tires. Best times I saw were high 11s, but there were numerous 12s and 13s. This was with full exhaust and truck tires.
Anything will run, if you can get enough air and fuel into it, and it does not break. I am part of the crew for a 110 ft long, 875,000 lb steam locomotive that regularly used to go over 100 mph. Acceleration was not that great, but it usually pulling 3,000,000 lbs, or more, of passenger cars along for the ride.
I have a 454 70 monte carlo that lights the tires at 60-70 no problem. With the headers open, it would probably be even scarrier for my passengers. Best time of 11.802 @ 114.12.
I saw a post where people got upset because someone mentioned that a new mercedes was fast. Mercedes OWNED Le Mans, until they quit after a bad crash in 1957. When they returned to racing several years ago, they dominated once again, and for the 2 seasons that I took notice, they had NO mechanical failures. That's unheard of in serious racing. Credit where credit is due.
I have always had Chevys, but I have also had 2 67 GS400s, 4 GTOs, a 442, a shelby 500, a torino cobra, a road runner vert, and others. It is great to be enamored with a certain marque, but in this day and age, I find the 'us against them', or 'the other side sucks' ideology to be detrimental to the very small (in relation to those who are not) number of people who like powerful cars. Ther are millions of people out there who would love to take your buick and crush it, in the name of cleaner air, or safer streets. There is the true 'us vs. them'.
I try to play no favorites in the hot rod game. I respect all fast cars, even the rice burners. Though I will never own one of them, someday one of those little chain saws on acid is going to hand me my head. I like the oddballs too. Nothing like seeing a cadillac, or a studebaker kick butt.
My point is; you like your street machine, I like your street machine. It's time to like everybody's street machines. There are so few of us left!

This is not intended to upset anyone, just my thoughts.

Rich

 

Rich, you are correct........the only us against them is the ones who are trying "clean up the air'
Anyway, I never knew those big rigs could acccelerate so fast :3gears: