Which car best epitomises style over substance?
Discussion
300bhp/ton said:
Puddenchucker said:
Corvette C3 (1975)
165hp from a 5.7 V8
(Yes, other much more powerful engines were available earlier in its production span)
What British or European cars offered more though at the same time and for the same money?165hp from a 5.7 V8
(Yes, other much more powerful engines were available earlier in its production span)
Even in the lowest hp days of the Vette, there where always go faster options available from the factory. And of course the well established aftermarket.
[quote=poing]MX3 and MX6/Ford Probe since they are the same thing. Speaking of Ford, the Cougar was a bit of a letdown.
I can't be having this!! A V6 MX-3 was my first car! It made a great noise and revs were only limited at 8,500... This in itself is enough to exclude the MX-3 from this thread.
Also, a passive rear wheel steering system meant it handled. Not that I had much to compare it to at the time but it was certainly better than the competition which mostly include inline 4s. The little Mazda is already superior!
At 17 it made quite an impression on the girls too which I guess does mean that it has some style
I can't be having this!! A V6 MX-3 was my first car! It made a great noise and revs were only limited at 8,500... This in itself is enough to exclude the MX-3 from this thread.
Also, a passive rear wheel steering system meant it handled. Not that I had much to compare it to at the time but it was certainly better than the competition which mostly include inline 4s. The little Mazda is already superior!
At 17 it made quite an impression on the girls too which I guess does mean that it has some style
daemon said:
Jaguar X Type.
Probably had lots of show room and brochure appeal at the time, but plasticky trim, shiny hard leather and noisy diesel engines.
Was never developed the way the S Type was either.
I don't agree. I used a 3.0 for a few weeks and found it pretty good. Quick enough (around 200bhp I thought) and cornered well. I thought the inside was nice too. It was a manual which I gather are better than the autos where the box is a bit slow, but I thought it was a good car.Probably had lots of show room and brochure appeal at the time, but plasticky trim, shiny hard leather and noisy diesel engines.
Was never developed the way the S Type was either.
300bhp/ton said:
EuroFighter said:
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Available with a 6.4 litre 425bhp motor. Standard non Euro motor but optional is 5.7 V8 with 345bhp. How much 'substance' do you need??Edited by EuroFighter on Thursday 20th August 19:59
I actually disagree with him on the grounds they have no real style, the have presence but not style.
Johnny 89]oing said:
MX3 and MX6/Ford Probe since they are the same thing. Speaking of Ford, the Cougar was a bit of a letdown.
I can't be having this!! A V6 MX-3 was my first car! It made a great noise and revs were only limited at 8,500... This in itself is enough to exclude the MX-3 from this thread.
Also, a passive rear wheel steering system meant it handled. Not that I had much to compare it to at the time but it was certainly better than the competition which mostly include inline 4s. The little Mazda is already superior!
At 17 it made quite an impression on the girls too which I guess does mean that it has some style
These days, you'd do better with an Audi A3 TDi. Nothing says 'sexy' like high official mpg figures and soft touch plastics. I can't be having this!! A V6 MX-3 was my first car! It made a great noise and revs were only limited at 8,500... This in itself is enough to exclude the MX-3 from this thread.
Also, a passive rear wheel steering system meant it handled. Not that I had much to compare it to at the time but it was certainly better than the competition which mostly include inline 4s. The little Mazda is already superior!
At 17 it made quite an impression on the girls too which I guess does mean that it has some style
For me it’s going back to the 90’s when the Max Power was all the rage; many of the body kitted cars of the era were indeed the epitome of style over substance. Some of them had spent £50k on a 1.0L 3 cylinder Corsa, I remember reading about one lad who’d spent £1k on getting a set of Audi TT headlights in the front of his. The mods in these cars often weren’t badly done, they were often high quality, fitted by some of the best body shops in the business but despite the swooping lines, aggressive fronts, racy stance (lowered in a sporty manner rather than “Stance Yo”, with stretched tyres), underbody neon lights (remember those) and thumping many Watt stereo system the car was still a 1.0L Corsa underneath and five 5” exhausts and a K&N air filter were not going to change the fact that it was slower than when it left the factory.
Puddenchucker said:
300bhp/ton said:
Puddenchucker said:
Corvette C3 (1975)
165hp from a 5.7 V8
(Yes, other much more powerful engines were available earlier in its production span)
What British or European cars offered more though at the same time and for the same money?165hp from a 5.7 V8
(Yes, other much more powerful engines were available earlier in its production span)
Even in the lowest hp days of the Vette, there where always go faster options available from the factory. And of course the well established aftermarket.
St John Smythe said:
Shockingly bad power output for an engine that size. Saying that, a lot of the 70s American stuff was like that. Worst was the 'bandit' trans am.
Buy Bandit Trans Am you are probably meaning the 1977/78 T/A SE rather than the limited Edition vehicle from 1980/81.If so, then 1977/8 T/A SE had 220bhp and something like 350lb ft of torque. This would be SAE Net rated too. Pretty healthy power figures for the time, for a stock mass produced production car.
Cam, head & exhaust change would likely see 400hp. All easily done in the after market.
MikeT66 said:
Surely there is only one winner for this....
Yet in the US it was registered as a light truck. And has a clever interior, that allows all the seats, including the front passenger one to lay flat to create load area, so you can get long sections of wood in. The parcel shelf is also designed to be load bearing and can be positioned as a barrier or multi level floor.The 2.4 Turbo one had similar performance and power to a Mk2 Focus ST as well.
So logically if it can match the Focus on the performance front, yet offer more versatility, it must have more substance than the Focus.
And a nicely styled interior:
, anything with a coupe style body with less than 2.5L.......Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff