Bill Pemberton
0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
Let's look back at the realities of 60s and 70s " Muscle Cars " and remember where the actual meaning of the term came about. The term has morphed into something different , yet initially it meant you needed muscles to drive the machines, with no Power Steering, power brakes , and bone crunching shifters. In later years it came to emphasize the power of the engines , and this is the generalized consensus today. We have romanticized the era and those of us who grew up then still enjoy telling tales of those cars, but frankly though I like looking those cars, as a Trackrat I have virtually no lust for them because they did not stop, they did not turn, and they sure as heck were no where near as quick as " Fisherman Tales " tend to express. A 14 second quarter was rocking , just google old Motor Trend or Car and Driver magazines to see the speed demons of old can be whipped up on by Civic Type Rs.
Contrary to some comments the " Automotive Industry " never died it in fact became the single largest business in the US and the World, with so many off shoots ( smaller industries ) supporting the Manufacturers it enabled growth that was unattendable when Ford, Chrysler and GM did everything in house. We learned , the hard way, from the Japanese and their form of parts and reliance on other companies to perform specialized components that has allowed the Manufacturers to support so many others it can boggle your mind if you stop and think about how many other small businesses are directly influenced by the Manufacturers in the US.
The Insurance Industry killed the Performance Cars in the 60s and 70s for the simple reasons we love our Mustangs and other vehicles today -- we now have machines that will stop, turn and go insanely fast , but they have belts and air bags along with nanny devices that help keep the Insurance Industry happier than back then.
I have owned over 120+ cars, and having been in the automotive industry ( on and off ) for over 31 years, it was so interesting when we took in a " Muscle Car " all the younger salesmen would beg to take it out for a drive. Some would come back saying something was wrong with the car as it would not stop and the brake pedal was super hard , but the most common remark was , " This SS396 ( substitute what you may ) is slow, we need to get it in the shop."
We have vehicles today, many of you own them on this site, that will destroy Trans Am cars or others from only a decade or two back, we have a zillion aftermarket companies to support us for racing and track parts, we may be able to hit close to 200mph, yet under normal highway driving we are getting 20-25 mpg not 8-9 mpg that was normal in those so called " Glory years."
Anyone who tracks their machines has to thank changes in brakes, rack and pinion steering, 6 piston calipers, ABS, wider wheels and tires, airbags, crumple zones, three point inertial reel belts, built in door beams and roof supports, electronic shocks and driving modes, etc. Back in the day we did walk to school in the snow for 3 miles, but the cars back in those days can not hold a candle to what we have today. Nostalgia is simply a time to remember, and though those memories are fun, I am having 3 times more fun making memories now.
I tend not to get too worked up about Government mandates because they seldom work out ( heck the current concern in this thread was finally approved but was modified for an even longer start date than original ) and the Automotive Industry is the single most powerful one in our Country so changes always end up getting made. All we have to do is consider all the MPG mandates of a decade or more back and realize how they have come into play ---- we are all driving Pickups, ha,ha.
Toyota got it right with focusing more on hybrids and Ford has had their hand in it for years, though now it appears the American Public is ready and this should not be any surprise. All the concerns we have had over the years have been changed modified or even delayed because the consumer is the one who will make the final decision. We will soon have a Ram 1500 with a Twin Turbo inline 6, with regenerative power doer the batteries and a range of close to 700 miles. Please tell me that those of us who trailer to tracks aren't interested because I know I am.
I remember reading Popular Mechanics in the 60s and 70s talking about water vapor injection and miracle gasoline innovations that would get us unreal fuel mileage, and better power. Those of us who grew up then soaked up all the futuristic concepts but now they happen constantly.
Logic says battery technology will improve, hybrids will likely become the norm, but with the tortoise speed of Infrastructure Worldwide ( think of Africa and Third World Nations ) the ICE engine will take a very long time to disappear. We get all excited even when many projections state that there will be no ICEs by 2050 ------ stop for 2 seconds and ask yourself , honestly, when did we ever meet projections.
I hope I am around to drive a Hybrid with 1000 HP , and even more suspension dynamics that I can routinely hit 2 gs on a road course....who ever thought we would commonly have cars with over 300-400 HP with only 3 or 4 cylinders. Plenty more I could mention from chatting with some Engineers ( Manufacturer employees ) who are friends for years but there are more and more exciting things to come and innovation often comes about from outside pressure. Think about China and their lead, do we want to sit around and let them dominate the industry Worldwide or do we want to grow in all areas while their main focus is just EV ------ hybrids, EV, and ICE all have growth in the years ahead.
Contrary to some comments the " Automotive Industry " never died it in fact became the single largest business in the US and the World, with so many off shoots ( smaller industries ) supporting the Manufacturers it enabled growth that was unattendable when Ford, Chrysler and GM did everything in house. We learned , the hard way, from the Japanese and their form of parts and reliance on other companies to perform specialized components that has allowed the Manufacturers to support so many others it can boggle your mind if you stop and think about how many other small businesses are directly influenced by the Manufacturers in the US.
The Insurance Industry killed the Performance Cars in the 60s and 70s for the simple reasons we love our Mustangs and other vehicles today -- we now have machines that will stop, turn and go insanely fast , but they have belts and air bags along with nanny devices that help keep the Insurance Industry happier than back then.
I have owned over 120+ cars, and having been in the automotive industry ( on and off ) for over 31 years, it was so interesting when we took in a " Muscle Car " all the younger salesmen would beg to take it out for a drive. Some would come back saying something was wrong with the car as it would not stop and the brake pedal was super hard , but the most common remark was , " This SS396 ( substitute what you may ) is slow, we need to get it in the shop."
We have vehicles today, many of you own them on this site, that will destroy Trans Am cars or others from only a decade or two back, we have a zillion aftermarket companies to support us for racing and track parts, we may be able to hit close to 200mph, yet under normal highway driving we are getting 20-25 mpg not 8-9 mpg that was normal in those so called " Glory years."
Anyone who tracks their machines has to thank changes in brakes, rack and pinion steering, 6 piston calipers, ABS, wider wheels and tires, airbags, crumple zones, three point inertial reel belts, built in door beams and roof supports, electronic shocks and driving modes, etc. Back in the day we did walk to school in the snow for 3 miles, but the cars back in those days can not hold a candle to what we have today. Nostalgia is simply a time to remember, and though those memories are fun, I am having 3 times more fun making memories now.
I tend not to get too worked up about Government mandates because they seldom work out ( heck the current concern in this thread was finally approved but was modified for an even longer start date than original ) and the Automotive Industry is the single most powerful one in our Country so changes always end up getting made. All we have to do is consider all the MPG mandates of a decade or more back and realize how they have come into play ---- we are all driving Pickups, ha,ha.
Toyota got it right with focusing more on hybrids and Ford has had their hand in it for years, though now it appears the American Public is ready and this should not be any surprise. All the concerns we have had over the years have been changed modified or even delayed because the consumer is the one who will make the final decision. We will soon have a Ram 1500 with a Twin Turbo inline 6, with regenerative power doer the batteries and a range of close to 700 miles. Please tell me that those of us who trailer to tracks aren't interested because I know I am.
I remember reading Popular Mechanics in the 60s and 70s talking about water vapor injection and miracle gasoline innovations that would get us unreal fuel mileage, and better power. Those of us who grew up then soaked up all the futuristic concepts but now they happen constantly.
Logic says battery technology will improve, hybrids will likely become the norm, but with the tortoise speed of Infrastructure Worldwide ( think of Africa and Third World Nations ) the ICE engine will take a very long time to disappear. We get all excited even when many projections state that there will be no ICEs by 2050 ------ stop for 2 seconds and ask yourself , honestly, when did we ever meet projections.
I hope I am around to drive a Hybrid with 1000 HP , and even more suspension dynamics that I can routinely hit 2 gs on a road course....who ever thought we would commonly have cars with over 300-400 HP with only 3 or 4 cylinders. Plenty more I could mention from chatting with some Engineers ( Manufacturer employees ) who are friends for years but there are more and more exciting things to come and innovation often comes about from outside pressure. Think about China and their lead, do we want to sit around and let them dominate the industry Worldwide or do we want to grow in all areas while their main focus is just EV ------ hybrids, EV, and ICE all have growth in the years ahead.
