The Judge was supposed to be a budget beater

In 1968 Plymouth took a strippy two-door taxicab Belvedere/ Satellite model. They made the standard engine a 383 V8, and added the heads and cam from the GTX's 440 Super Commando ( Or in Dodge speak the 440 Magnum) engine. They also added an unsilenced air cleaner, and a horn that made the "Beep-Beep" sound that the Popular Warner Brothers cartoon character "The Road Runner" made. They even put little decals of the bird on the fenders and called the car the "Road Runner." To keep the price down, the cars had rubber floor mats, no carpet, and pop-out rear windows-they didn't even roll down. They didn't even have front disc brakes, just drums. They didn't have trick wheels, just hybcaps, or in some cases, like their Super Bee cousins, black steel wheels with chrome lug nuts. Chrysler hoped to sell 10,000 units. The car was a runaway hit, selling over 45,000 units the first year, and a fair number had 440s in them. Because they were so stripped-down, they were also fast. Whether you had the 383 or the optional 440 under the hood, these cars could outrun the much heavier and option-laden 396 Chevelles or 400 GTOs.  This fact was not lost on the GM upper brass, especially Pete Estes and John DeLorean who worked for Pontiac and had started the whole musclecar craze 4 years earlier with the GTO. However, the GTO had started out like the Road Runner-"Lets take a big motor and put it in a light car."  The 1964 Tempest-based GTO was a lean, mean, hot rod.  However, to broaden its appeal, The GTO had gotten bigger, heavier, and more luxurious, and thus, more expensive every year. They were still great performing cars, but this challenge from the new badass from Chrysler could not be ignored. It was obvious that the Road Runner was attracting a lot of potential GTO buyers, especially younger guys who couldn't afford a "Loaded" factory hot rod like the GTO, Olds 442, or even Chryslers own Plymouth GTX.  DeLorean told his engineers to build a stripped, down, cheap, badass GTO to crush the Road Runner challenge. They took a base-model Tempest coupe, and took a 350 Pontiac V8 and put bigger valve heads on it, a Ram Air III cam and four-barrel intake. They backed it up with a Muncie 4-speed and a 3.55 geared posi rear end. They painted it carousel red, and Called it The "E.T." For "Elapsed time".  They tested one against a 383 Road Runner, and the strippy Tempest was faster.  However DeLorean said that there would never be a GTO with an engine smaller than 400 cubes while he was president of Pontiac, but he liked the color. Estes said that by January 1969 Plymouth had already sold more Road Runners than they had in all of 1968, and they weren't all strippys. A lot of them had 440s and were loaded with options, and the new 440 "Six-Pack" which had  3 Holley 2bbls on an Edelbrock manifold, would certainly lure GTO buyers who were still pissed about Tri-Power being dropped in 1967.  This was a full on assault on the cash cow that Pontiac and GM held dear. A sales guy talked about the Popular Rowan and Martin comedy show "Laugh In" and "This funnt guy-( The "Funny guy" was Flip Wilson ) who says "Here Comes the Judge." "Why don't we call it "The Judge?"  DeLorean agreed, and Estes and others decided to give the Judge the heart to back up it's attitude. The Ram Air III 400 was standard equipment, and the Vaunted Ram Air IV was optional.  Although they weren't introduced until April, 6,833 Judge models were sold, and the magazines raved about them.  It still didn't stop the Road Runner from being the Undisputed Musclecar champ that year. Pontiac sold 72,287 GTOs in 1969. However Plymouth sold over 81,000 Road Runners that year, nearly doubling their total from 1968. Even mighty Chevrolet, with a dealer network network twice the size of Plymouths, could only sell 86,000 SS396 Chevelles-barely beating the Bird with funny horn. The Judge lived on until the option was dropped in mid-1971, and The GTO istself was gone by 1974, as were the big-block SS Chevelles. The Road Runner hung on until 1974 as well, but the GTX package was dropped after 1971, as were the 426 Hemi and the 440 Six-Pack.  However, for a few years-1968-1970, Chrysler went toe to toe with GM for performance car buyers, and we all won for it. If not for the Road Runner, there probably wouldn't have been a Hurst/Olds, a Judge, or 454 Chevelles or 455 Trans-Ams.  Mastermind  

RIP Peter Yates

Happy Easter everyone. Sorry I didn't post more this week, but I was out of town and didn't have my computer. I heard Movie director Peter Yates died recently at age 81. If your not a film buff, he was the director of "Bullitt" the Steve McQueen classic that has spawned 40 years of car chases in action movies. "Bullitt" was based on a novel called "Mute Witness" by Robert L. Pike. Even though the chase is only 11 minutes of the two-hour film, everyone knows about it. The reason it still stands up more than 40 years later-(regardless of how many hubcaps the Charger loses, or how many times they pass the same VW) is because Yates and McQueen demanded to the letter police, hospital and morgue procedures be shown. And in the chase, McQueen, Stunt coordinator Carey Loftin, and stuntman Bill Hickman-who drove the Charger, and the Grand Ville in another classic chase-"The Seven-Ups"-insisted on realism. No speeding up the camera. They were sometimes going 115 mph through the streets of San Francisco. If not for Yates and McQueen's vision and committment to excellence, we might not have had classics like "Vanishing Point" - incidentally, Carey Loftin was the stunt coordinator on that flick as well, or "The French Connection", "To Live and Die in LA" or even camp like "Smokey and the Bandit, or Fast and Furious 5 coming out this summer. May he join Steve McQueen in Valhalla! Mastermind

The best car no one bought.......And Why!

I had a 2006 GTO in the shop the other day for minor repair and the tech that worked on it was amazed at how fast the car was and how good it handled. "I wonder why they didn't sell more of those?" He asked. He laughed at my answer, and then agreed completely. "Because it looks like a Grand Am on steroids." I said. "It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW and looks like a rental car." "Ford can't make Mustangs fast enough to meet demand becuase they look a lot like a 60's Mustang." "Dodge Challengers are selling like hotcakes because they look like the Original "Vanishing Point" Challenger." "The New Camaro is a hit because it looks like a 69 Camaro." "If GM had made this look like a 69 GTO they'd have had people lined up around the block." "They blew it." "Or they could have made it look like a '70's T/A and brought the Trans-Am nameplate back." It seems automakers never learn. Now, if I could only afford a white 392 Hemi Challenger..... Mastermind

Here's your sign.....

Remember comedian Bill Engvall had the hit song "Here's your sign" about people that were so stupid they needed to carry a sign warning others of their stupidity? I hate to say it, but I've encountered quite a few lately. My personal favorites are the ones asking why I don't devote a lot of time to modern performance cars like the Shelby GT500 or SRT8 Challenger 392. I've also been asked why I don't cover stuff like Infiniti G37s, BMW M3s, and Honda S2000s. I've also been told that if Im going to write about vintage performance cars I should give equal time to Datsun 240Zs,E-Type Jags, and Porsche 914s and 911s. To all those people-"Here's your sign."  What part of "Musclecar Mastermind" did you not grasp?  Did you read where it says this site is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of 1960's and 70's musclecars? I don't recall an E-type Jag or a 240Z ever being considered a musclecar. As for modern American muscle-yes I love the cars, but if you want to read about a new Mustang, Camaro, Corvette, Charger, or whatever you can pick up any issue of Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road and Track, or go on the the net for the online tests. That's why 90% of what I talk about it is duh-related to old musclecars. I'm reminded a few years back Playboy had a special edition called "Barefoot Beauties".  One idiot wrote in and asked why it didn't have any pictures of the Playmates wearing high heels or boots!  Here's your sign...... Mastermind

More on "Non-Existent" mystery cars!

In the last post I talked about cars that were never made and why. I've gotten some more inquirys about other vehichles. I may have touched on this in the past, but enough people have asked that I think it's worth going over again. Here's an expanded list of  "Cars that never were" and why. #1 There was never a GTO Station Wagon. In 1971-72 you could order the "Endura" Read-GTO front bumper and scooped hood on any LeMans model, including wagons. The 400 and 455 engines were available as well, although the vaunted 455HO was only available in GTOs and Firebirds. If someone claims to have a GTO wagon, it's a LeMans Sport with GTO emblems. Period. #2 Still on Pontiacs-There were only 295 SD-455 engines built in 1973 and they were all installed in Firebirds. 252 in Trans-Ams, and another 43 in Formulas. In early 1973 sales literature the engine was listed as optional in the Grand Am,Gran Prix, and the GTO as well as the F-bodys. However the engines had trouble passing emissions with the RAIV cam, which was changed to the RAIII grind and horsepower dowgraded from 310 to 290. They also troubles with EGR valve function, and quality control issues with the connecting rod supplier. Mainly because Herb Adams would not quit fighting, the engine was finally certified in the Firebird line only. That's why all SD engined cars have late production dates-May or June. If you have a 455 1973 Pontiac-it may be a tire fryer, but it's not an SD. #3 There are technically no 1970 Shelby Mustangs. The ones that were sold in 1970 were leftover 1969 models that were given new vin numbers by Ford and Shelby American and sold as 1970 models. That's why 1970 GT350s have the 290hp 351 Windsor that was used in 1969 Mach 1s, instead of the 300 hp 351 Cleveland that was the standard engine in 1970 Mach 1s. GT500s still had the 428. #4 There are no Boss 302 Cougars. A few privateers built Cougars for Trans-Am racing and these may have had Boss 302s bought through dealers over the parts counter and then put in the race cars. The SCCA overlooked minor violations like this from "Mom and Pop" race teams-i.e. the Pontiac Firebirds with Chevy engines-But they were hard on the auto manufacturers. If Ford was to officially sponsor one, they'd have had to sell at least 500 to the public to race them legally. The Boss 302 Mustangs were already outrageously expensive to build because of the many unique parts they had that were different from a "regular" 289/302, so they didn't want to waste the money on a Cougar version. #5 The Olds "Rallye 350" 1970 Cutlass is not a 442 in any way, shape or form. And it was not "Almost the 1970 Hurst/Olds". The 442, after 1964 always had a 400 cubic inch engine through 1969. In 1970 the 455 became the standard 442 powerplant. All Hurst/Olds models built in 1968-69,and 1971-72,1973,and 74 all had 455s. Some 1975 models may have 350s, but I have never seen one. Every H/O I have ever encountered has 455 cubes under the hood. 3,527 Rallye 350 models were built with the base 350 4bbl engine, a Super loud Sebring Yellow paint job and body-colored bumpers. The only involvment Hurst performance had with these cars is four-speed models had a Hurst shifter! Rumors persist that at least 10 of these were built with the nasty "W31" 350 V8, but I have never seen one, or the window sticker or the build sheet on one. It was basically an appearance package on a Base-model Cutlass, not anything super-special.  Mastermind

"Area 51" Cars Again...... And the reasons why their not real!

Recently I've had a lot of people telling me about their ultra-rare cars that they or a friend or a relative now owns or once owned. They also say they can't find any factory documentation that these cars exist. That's because they don't. But wait, you say, the guy's driving the car, or restoring it in his garage, how can you say it doesn't exist? Here's how. If I miss a few, I'm sorry, but here's the list of mythical cars that don't exist, and the reasons they don't, in no particular order of importance. I'll start with GM, and then do Mopar and Ford. #1. There are no Tri-Power 1967 GTOs. Enthusiasts were pissed when this option was dropped at the end of 1966. All the parts could be ordered from dealership parts departments, and the system would bolt right on the 400 engines. Some dealers,like Royal Pontiac, would even install the system for you for extra cost. However there was never a factory-built version. #2. There were no factory-built Ram Air V GTOs or Firebirds. Drag racers like Arnie Beswick and Doug Nash got the engines or parts from Pontiac and put them in their race cars, but they never made production. Royal Pontiac's Milt Schornack even built an RAV Judge that he raced with some success, but the bottom line is Pontiac wouldn't warranty any solid-lifter engine, so DeLorean wouldn't allow them to make production. # 3. There are no 1970 LS6 Corvettes. Originally the LS6 454 was slated to be available in the Camaro SS,and the Nova SS as well as the Chevelle. The low hoodline of the Camaro and Nova is why LS6's had the flat intake manifold that cost about 20 hp compared to the old 427 aluminum 4bbl manifold. However, GM brass wanted to cut down on proliferation of options, so ultimately the LS6 was only installed in Chevelles and a few El Caminos. Zora-Arkus Duntov expected the even more radical LS7 to make production as the Vette's top engine option, so the LS6 wasn't offered. The brass killed the LS7 at the last minute. Thus any 1970 Corvette with a 454 is the hydraulic-cammed 360 hp version. Roughly 1,000 or so 1971 Corvettes were built with 9.0:1 compression LS6's rated at 425 hp. #4. I am 99.99% sure that there are no 440 Six-Pack 1972 Chargers or Road Runners. The option was listed in early 1972 sales literature, and the horsepower rating was 330 hp, down substantially from the 385 hp rating of 1971. However, the engines had trouble passing the stiffer 1972 emissions standards, and the option was dropped. Rumors persist that "A few" i.e.- less than 10-"Slipped through"-but I have never seen one, seen the window sticker or build sheet for one, or seen one documented by a Chrysler engineer, or a magazine like Hot Rod or Musclecar Review. #5. The Challenger T/A and 'Cuda AAR models were only produced in 1970. Again, very early 1971 sales literature listed the option, and I have even seen a picture of a Challenger T/A which a Chrysler Executive said was a 1970 model with a 1971 grille airbrushed in. However, the option never made production, and the 340 Six-Pack wasn't offered after 1970. #6. There are no Boss 429 Cougars. Kar Kraft in Michigan, which helped Ford build the Boss 429 Mustangs, built one or two "One-off" Boss-Nine Cougars for Drag Racer "Dyno" Don Nicholson. However these were 428 Eliminator models that had the 429s swapped in. There was never a production version offered to the public. #7 The Boss 351 was produced for one year-1971. It had 11.3:1 compression, a solid lifter cam,was rated at 330 hp, and was only available with a 4-speed and 3.91 or 4.30 gears.  In 1972 the name was changed to 351 HO, and the compression was dropped to 8.8:1. It was still only availble with a 4-speed and 3.91 gears, and the horsepowe rating dropped to 285. These are quite rare. The majority of 1972 Mach 1 Mustangs have the 351CJ, which has a hydraulic cam, an 8.0:1 compression ratio, is rated at 266 hp,and was avalable with a stick or automatic. Hope this clears a few things up Mastermind      

Loud Doesn't equal fast!!

You'd be amazed at the number of people that think just because something sounds nasty, and smokes the tires, that it's really fast. Here's a couple of funny stories proving the opposite. I had an auto repair shop for years, and it was located, of course, near other auto shops. I got to know a few of the guys who owned and worked in these other shops. One guy had a 1968 Nova that had a warmed over 350 and a 4-speed in it. He had a Tunnel Ram with dual 465 Holley 4bbls sticking through the hood, and it sounded like a NASCAR stocker. He was always spinning the wheels and bragging about how fast it was. A buddy of mine had a nicely restored 1971 Plymouth Road Runner with a 440 4bbl in it. He had rebuilt the engine, but to stock specs-i.e.- a replacement Mopar Performance 440 Magnum cam, new rings and bearings, etc. It didn't even have headers on it-he was running stock exhaust manifolds and a stock-type replacement dual exhaust system. He did have an Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold and matching Thunder AVS carb, but it was otherwise dead stock. The trans was a rebuilt 727 Torqueflite, and he had 3.55 rear end gears. The guy in the Nova challenged him to a drag race one day, and we all adjourned to a local side street that was a little more than a 1/4 mile, never had any traffic, and that the cops rarely, if ever patrolled. Every mechanic in town used it to make full-throttle runs in anything we were working on. To the utter surprise of the Nova driver and all his friends, the Road Runner beat the Nova off the line, and then completely walked away. It wasn't even a race. Here's why. The Road Runner may have been stock, but it was in perfect tune, and had the right combination of parts. The Nova had way too much cam and carburation, and instead of the 4.56:1 gears it needed to go with the over-cammed and over-carburated engine, it had 3.08:1 gears!  Another guy in this group had a 1972 Mach 1 Mustang with a 351 Cleveland that he thought was fast. Again, it was the wrong combination. He had an Old-style Edelbrock Torker intake-the ones that are dogs below 4 grand, not the late-model Torker II that are decent from 2500 on-and a 750 Double-Pumper Holley carb. It to had a big cam,and headers. It also had an automatic and 3.25:1 gears. Now we all know that 351C-4V engines are notorioulsy down on low-end torque because of the huge head ports. Ford fans agree that the 2V heads are better for street use. Now add a hot cam and a single-plane intake that also kills bottom-end, a stock torque converter, and high ( low numeric ) gearing, and you have a recipe for disaster. This Mustang was probably faster in stock trim, although it did sound mean as hell. He challenged me and my Hurst / Olds. At that time, my car had 4.10:1 gears in it, a 2,400 rpm Hurst "Shotgun" torque converter, ( this was after I grenaded the 455 for the 4th time, but that's another story ) and a Brand-New, 355 hp 10:1 compression, aluminum-headed, roller cammed, GMPP ZZ4 / 350 Chevy Crate motor in it. Blasphemy, I know, but that's what was in the car at the time. Anyone who's driven a GM car with a ZZ4 knows how strong they are. They make 405 lbs of torque at 3,500 rpm, but what makes them awesome is they also make 350 lbs ft or MORE of torque from 2000-5200 rpm. Perfect for a heavy car like a Cutlass. Needless to say, I blew his doors off, and he was shocked. I also flabbergasted a friend who had a warmed-over 454 Monte Carlo. He couldn't believe he'd gotten beat by a "Small-block" Cutlass. I tried to console him with the facts that my "small-block" wasn exactly stock, and that my 4.10 gears gave me quite an advantage off the line over the 2.73s his car was packing. He was still crushed.  Anyhow, just because a car is loud and smokes the tires, doesn't mean it's fast.  Mastermind