This site is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of 1960's and '70's Musclecars. I will answer any and all questions about what is original, and what are "Period Correct" modifications. I will also post my personal opinion about what is and is not proper. People are encouraged to debate me or share their own opinions or experiences.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
"Subjective" is Bullshit....We need to be Objective.....
I'm sorry to deride magazine writers because I sometimes write for magazines-but I just have to vent this. We have to stop the Calvin ( Of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame peeing on a Ford or Chevy emblem ) pissing shit. I love how magazine writers can rank one car ahead of another because they personally like it better-even though the numbers show otherwise. Here's a couple examples. I work in a Subaru dealership so this one really pisses me off. Car and Driver had a "Sport Sedan" showdown comparing the base model WRX ( not the STI ) against the VW Jetta Hot rod, the Mazda Speed 3, the Honda Civic SI,and the Ford Focus ST. The WRX was the fastest 0-60, the fastest in the 1/4 mile,had the highest top speed,the shortest stopping distance from 70 mph, the fastest lap time around Willow Springs Raceway,and the highest "G" rating on the skidpad. Basically it was #1 in every performance category, and except for the Honda, had the lowest price!!!. Yet the writers rated it #2 behind the Volkswagen!!! Huh? How does that work? What math are they doing? This is not an isolated example. A couple years ago Motor Trend compared a Mustang GT against a BMW M3. They even titled the article "America's M3". The Mustang had 412 hp, the BMW 414. The Mustang was equal or better in every performance category-0-60, 1/4 mile, 70-0 braking, lap time around the track etc-and the Mustang cost $29,000 versus the M3's $64,000 price tag nd they still rated the BMW #1. Excuse me? The Mustang was equal or better in every performance category and was half the price, and you still rate the Bimmer #1?? How does that work? I remember a "Crate Motor Shootout" that Hot Rod did back in the '90's same thing. The Chevy was a '69 Camaro with a ZZ3 350 crate engine and 4 speed, the Ford was a '92 Mustang with a 345 hp SVO 302 and a 5-speed, and the Mopar was a '73 Duster with a 360 MP Performance crate engine with a Torqueflite. Even though it was an automatic and the other two were sticks, and they all had basically the same hp rating-The Chevy and Ford were both rated at 345 hp and the Mopar was rated at 360-when the Duster blew their doors off by by a wide margin-more than half a second-which in a drag race-is about 5 car lengths-the editors said that the Mopar had a "rough idle" and only had 10 inches of vacuum at idle!! Excuse me? Is your Magazine not called "Hot Rod?" We weren't comparing a Toyota Camry and a Honda Accord and a Ford Taurus in a "Family Sedan Showdown". I fail to see how "Idle Quality" factors into a "Hot Rod Crate Motor Shootout". But of course-even though it was the slowest-they said they liked the Chevy best. Shocker!!! Anyhow-numbers don't lie-we need to remember that and grade accordingly in "Fair" comparisons. Mastermind
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