Not a Daytona, but...

[Marco Falcone]

My new ride.  2018 Camaro 2SS convertible with all the go-fast/feel good options.

Special ordered it from the dealership a couple of months ago, picked it up last week.

I think everyone here knows exactly why I ordered the colors the way I did.

First song on the stereo off the lot?  Original Theme, of course!   Followed by Honeymoon Suite’s “Bad Attitude.”   Then “Crockett’s Theme” and so on through my 80’s Vice playlist.  I’ve put over 300 miles on it in less than a week.  Is it possible to “wear out” a Apple Music playlist?

And then a couple of nights ago, something was “in the air.”  So I went in search of the triangle box sandwich, out where the buses don’t run.

I think I might name her “Gina.”  

[AzVice]

well the Camaro has been my number 1 car since i was a kid so i give two thumbs up to this !

[Daytona74]

that's a pretty decent looking car... congratulations!!

Love the alloy rims. Great choice.

 

How about "Elvis" though for a name... that car does look like it's got some "bite" to it

Edited June 27, 2018 by Daytona74

[Marco Falcone]

Daytona74:  I like Elvis!   And yeah, it has bite.  It has the 6.2 V8, 8-speed paddle shift trans, FE3 performance suspension with Magna-ride, the upgraded 6-piston Brembo brakes, performance exhaust, Bose stereo and H.U.D., etc.  It’s a 4-second/1.0g-pulling 4 seater.

What is not in the picture is the booster seat for my 5 year old.   I was looking at 2013 Corvette Grand Sport convertibles, as the over-all look of that generation seems the most “Daytona-ish” to me of the newer sports/convertibles.  Especially the round tail tail lights.  (Well other than an actual newer Ferrari California/Portofino, but those are out of reach.)   But the wife hit me with the reality of having a 2-seater with a little one.  Hence the need for the 4-seater.  And the rear seats are only good for kids.  Very tight!

AzVice:  Thanks man!



 

[Daytona74]

vor 7 Stunden schrieb Marco Falcone:

 It has the 6.2 V8, 8-speed paddle shift trans, FE3 performance suspension with Magna-ride, the upgraded 6-piston Brembo brakes, performance exhaust, Bose stereo and H.U.D., etc.  It’s a 4-second/1.0g-pulling 4 seater.

 

You could probably outrun the Daytona from the show without a problem with those specs.

Probably even a real Ferrari Daytona...

(I just googled it... the real actual Ferrari Daytona apparently does 0-60 in some 5.6 seconds)

[Marco Falcone]

Daytona74:  It’s crazy how fast today’s American muscle cars are.   With the right options, the new Camaro/‘Vette/Mustang/Challenger are all high 3 second/low 4 second cars.  And all can pull a full G or better on the skid pad.

The Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40, the fastest/most exotic “road cars” from the mid-late ‘80’s, were just barely quicker.

But regardless of performance numbers, a Ferrari or a high-end Porsche is still something really special.  Just like a well-done McBurnie Daytona.  (Which set up correctly would also likely blow a real Ferrari Daytona off the road.)  There is such a vintage, extra-cool factor that those cars have, so evocative of another time and place.

For all their performance capabilities, the newer Camaro or Mustang will never be “exotic.”

But they are still fun, and allow more than just a gateway into the Vice Life!

[Daytona74]

@Marco Falcone:

I have a much more humble convertible. It's a 1998 MG F.

0-60 in 7.5 seconds (at least with the bigger throttle that I've installed ), top speed of 120 mph. 120hp, four-cylinder 16V DOHC mid-engine. That isn't going to get any real sports car enthusiasts hot under the collar, but it's a zippy little car that will still outrun most family sedans. And the mid engine means you can take it around curves at speeds where some other cars would just simply flip over.

They were never sold in North America because MG's finances were deteriorating greatly at the time and they didn't have the money or resources to apply for a U.S. DOT type approval or to market and distribute the car in the U.S.. Some are now being imported into Canada from Europe, because in Canada, you can import cars like that if they are 15 years or older.

The pictures are off a site called Cars For Movies... but this is still my actual car. They let you put your car in a database and if you're lucky, somebody will book it for a movie or photo shoot. For a car like mine, it can mean 200 bucks per signing. So far though, no takers...

It doesn't matter that it's the wrong color... (besides, what's more classy than tan seats with British Racing Green paint). When I zip down some empty city streets here at night with the top down, naturally In The Air Tonight is on the top of my playlist... one time, I had a guy about my age in a car next to me who noticed that that song was playing, and he did seem to get the joke... I got a nod and a knowing smile from him

Edited June 27, 2018 by Daytona74

[Marco Falcone]

Gorgeous car!  I LOVE BRG and tan together.  About as classic as it can get.  And the fun factor comes so much more from “feel” than from numbers.

A long time ago, I had a ‘73 Alfa Romeo Spider as my daily driver for a couple of years.  I LOVED that car.  White with a black interior and top, and the optional Pentastar alloys with 195/50 rubber.  Other than some custom exhaust work, it was pretty stock.   With the exhaust and a good tune, maybe 125 hp?  But when it was running well it felt more connected, more visceral, and more “sports car” than anything I have ever owned.    (I had an Ford Falcon Sprint and a couple of hot-rod 5.0 Mustangs before it.). It had the issues every 70’s vintage Alfa has, but it never stranded me and I woo’d my first wife in it.   (“Vice” soundtracks, along with Stan Getz and other classic Jazz artist CD’s lived on the full-chassis pull-out CD player.)

A few years later, I bought a brand-new Mazda Miata, in the hopes of re-capturing the magic of my Alfa, but with modern reliability.  I added a cold-air intake, exhaust, bumped the timing, custom wheels with 205 tires, etc.  Numbers-wise, it was faster than my Alfa in every direction/measure.  But the “feel” was sterile and cold in comparison.  It was bullet-proof reliable even when beat on, and was fun to drive, but it just didn’t have a soul like my Alfa.  

I had an all-black 93 ‘Vette convertible daily driver after that, with the 6-spd and again modded exhaust, intake, electronics.  Crazy-fast, (not as fast as the new Camaro though) and really fun, but still pretty soulless.   Sold it after a couple years and bought...

A 1969 Cadillac DeVille Convertible.  Pale yellow with a white interior and white top.  472 inch motor!  This was another one I LOVED.  So much personality and soul.  Handled like the boat it was, but so comfy.  Like driving your living room.  It had 5 separate ashtrays and lighters.  You could practically get up, walk to the back seat, make a martini, and walk back without leaving your lane.   I daily drove and commuted in it for another couple of years.  Gas and maintenance were crazy, but once you put the top down, and put on some Jimmy Buffett or one of the Vice CD’s, you didn’t care.  One year a bunch of us took it the local Jimmy Buffett show and did hot laps around the parking lot with the Vice Original theme on repeat.   Endless cheers and even made the pre-concert video.

Then the first kid came and all got “sensible.”  (Well, sensible in a black-out/modded ‘96 Impala SS and ‘98 Cadillac STS.). Then with new wife/kid came the ‘06 Toyota Tacoma crew cab 4x4.  Which in a weird way has more personality and soul than most of the cars I’ve owned.  Something about a reliable, comfy truck...  Like a really well-worn/perfectly broken in pair of boots.  Gonna keep her along with the Camaro.

Wow.  Sorry.  That was a ramble.  I just love vehicles, and how something mechanical and “dead” can have so much life and soul.  Like my Alfa and old Caddy.   As fun as the new Camaro is, we will see what kind of real personality she has.


Anyway, love that MG.  I’ll bet she has that special “soul” that only British and Italian sports car seem to possess.

[Daytona74]

That's a pretty nice write up though of your car history...

The MG definitely has its own character. I call him "Sir Henry" by the way. I wanted something classically British sounding, so Sir Henry it was, off the top of my head...

Despite MG's parent company Rover being in financial trouble at the time of development, they were able to put a lot of the classic MG pedigree into the model F. But because of the shoestring budget they were operating on, some of the parts used, especially the interior trim, are really quite cheap in quality, although they look gorgeous. That's something you'll have to get over in order to fall in love with this car.

The engine is a lot of fun and has most of its torque in the middle, up until about 3200 rpm, and there's not much point  going much above 4000. But I like cars better that have their thrust at lower revs. The MG F's natural habitat are curvy country roads across hills and valleys. That's where it really comes into its own as a mid engine car. And because the engine is directly behind the driver's back, separated only by a flat upright fuel tank, you just get a very raw, back to the basics driving experience.

If by some miracle you ever get to see an MG F in the U.S. (they still can't be registered inside the U.S., only in Canada), go and have a chat with the driver and ask him if he will take you for a drive in it for a few minutes... you won't regret it... MG owners are an approachable bunch, and a Canadian in particular will be proud as punch that he's managed to get an F across the Atlantic...

Edited June 29, 2018 by Daytona74

[Kavinsky]

Hmm not a bad piece of kit, their certainly better than the older ones, one thing to remember is that everything has a limit, the electronic control of modern cars is far beyond what was allowed back in the day, and mixed in with the new safety equipment has greatly weighed down cars far beyond what they were

so you kinda get the thing that yes a modern car has a huge amount of horsepower, but its like dropping an LS in a Cadillac eldorado with far better suspension and handling, or atleast I hope far better suspension and handling, you just cant escape the weight, as for every action their is an equal or opposite reaction

 

its why the guy who wrote the daytona dearest thing detuned the engine on his, too much power is too much power, as their was a reason why 380 was a crap ton of horsepower in those older cars, plus corvettes need bracing, much like any other older muscle car to handle said power limits, as when I look at it, it looks like general motors opted for the body to do the bracing with the older generations of corvette

 

while the C4 one had drastic changes, the sill was a strutural place hence the drop down and sit look and feel, the area around the trans tunnel was redone to have a brace on it, and the back end was redone to house larger tires.

although its nothing a modern set of shocks and a monte carlo bar and some stiffer anti roll bars cant fix, as its not about how old it is, its how you tune it, which is why no two muscle cars are the same.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Kavinsky