Best Classic Australian Muscle Car?

[Pure Muscle]

There are alot to choose from but which do you think is the best? Not just performance but handling, style, design and comfort too.

[fpv_gtho]

it has to be the Phase 3.....nothing comes close for me. it had the ultimate looks and brilliant performance to boot. XU1's are probably better than what i give them credit for, same with old chargers, but the straight six powerplants are a bit of a turn off when considering sheer performance, but still they put up a good challenge on the track

[IBrake4Rainbows]

I'd have to agree with FPV here, the Phase III epitomises the Aussie Musclecar.

[motorsportnerd]

The Charger E49 R/Ts were capable of sub 15 second quarter mile times on the rubber of the day (faster with modern day tyres). They were the fastest accelerating Australian made 6-clyinder cars until the release of the current Falcon BA XR6T. So, I'm not sure what you mean by "a bit of a turn off considering straight line speed". Not in the acceleration department. Perhaps their top speed was below 200 km/h?

Choosing a best ever muscle car is hard. The Falcon GTHO Phase 3 does stand out though. Fastest four car in the world at the time. Wasn't beaten for acceleration times by any Aussie muscle car until the 1990s.

Other significant Australian muscle cars inlcuded the Charger E38 & E49 R/Ts, Torana XU1, '68 Monaro 350, Torana SLR5000, Torana A9X, Commodore VB Brock, Commodore VK Group A, Commodore VL Group A, Commodore VL 'Walkinshaw', Commodore VN Group A, Commodore VR Clubsport, Commodore VR GTS, Commodore VT GTS, Monaro CV8, 1967 Falcon XR GT, Falcon XA GT, Falcon XC Cobra, Falcon EB XR6, Falcon EB GT, Falcon EL GT, Falcon BA XR6T and Falcon BA GT.

Thats not a complete list of Aussie muscle cars, but they are some of the more significant of the breed.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Your just full of lists arent you!

[fpv_gtho]

what i meant was, people dont tend to want to drive 6 cylinder muscle cars, so get someone with bugger all automotive knowledge and they could very well pick a V8 over the I6.

the EB and darth vader werent really all that great in performance, alot of people considered them slower than an old XT GT but still for enthusiasts they were a great collectors item.

the XR6T's are quickly turning into the next australian cult car. it wasnt that long ago that someone (vic from C and V performance to be exact) took an XR6T into the 10 second barrier at eastern creek, now APS have taken one (a stock body shell mind you) past 300km/h and are aiming for 350km/h with some aero aids. 10 years time these could be death traps or as revered as XY's.

[Pure Muscle]

That is just because of the stereotype that muscle cars have. All of the great American muscle cars were V8s, all of the great American engines were V8s, but the V8 was just about the only type of engine you'd find in the USA in the 50s-70s. Don't get me wrong, I love V8s but a hemi slant or an XU1 202 is a pretty hard engine to beat, even 265s are really a few cubic inches of a tank.
All points considered I'd think an E49 Bathurst Charger would give a GTHO a damn good run for its money. Ford and Holden fans would of been so delighted to hear that the V8 Charger concept wasn't going to make production, it probably softened the reaction there would be no more GTHOs, but that is my opinion. I love Valiants because they are the underdogs, people who think they are no challenge because they have a 6 are bound to get a good wake up from a Valiant one day. The cancelled car I miss the most is the XU-2, would of been tougher then a Monaro I reckon

[fpv_gtho]

i dont think anything could have made the fact ford were getting rid of the GTHO any better. the only thing that would have made things better for ford fans over Valiant and Holden fans were the 4 XA GTHO's that actually did get built, and for those who really had their heads high up in the hierachy who knew about the RPO XA's

[Falcon500]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

The Charger E49 R/Ts were capable of sub 15 second quarter mile times on the rubber of the day (faster with modern day tyres). They were the fastest accelerating Australian made 6-clyinder cars until the release of the current Falcon BA XR6T. So, I'm not sure what you mean by "a bit of a turn off considering straight line speed". Not in the acceleration department. Perhaps their top speed was below 200 km/h? .

They where capeable of 14.1s....of course this test the times variedalot and ranged all the way back...thanks wheelsfor showing the chragers best time and averaging out the HOs (theyshowed 14.5 when it easilydone a 14.3) but on an up note the charger was actually the WROLDS fasted accelerating 6 cylender and was only beaten when porsche churned out a turbo charged model soon afterwards

.[/quote]Choosing a best ever muscle car is hard. The Falcon GTHO Phase 3 does stand out though. Fastest four car in the world at the time. Wasn't beaten for acceleration times by any Aussie muscle car until the 1990s. .[/quote] actually it was beaten in 98 by the VT GTS....

.[/quote]Other significant Australian muscle cars inlcuded the Charger E38 & E49 R/Ts, Torana XU1, '68 Monaro 350, Torana SLR5000, Torana A9X, .[/quote]
All them are worthy
Commodore VB Brock, Commodore VK Group A, Commodore VL Group A, Commodore VL 'Walkinshaw', Commodore VN Group A, Commodore VR Clubsport, Commodore VR GTS, Commodore VT GTS, Monaro CV8,.[/quote]
All of these are debateable for their actual lack of muscle,charictor,speed,plush ride etc etc..

.[/quote]Falcon EB XR6, Falcon EB GT, Falcon EL GT, Falcon BA XR6T and Falcon BA GT..[/quote] Also debatle probly best referd to as modern muscle or performance cars....

The E55 (v8 charger) did appear on the race track but was a bloated luxuary filled automatic version that on the race track made chrysler fans want to cover their faces in shame....so not only was their mild relif but humor (how ever cruel) to go with it....

[fpv_gtho]

well really, what would you consider a performance car to have over a muscle car? you could say a muscle car just had to have great straight line speed and better than average power, and that a performance car showed its best around a track. by that, a BA GT is a performance car whilst any GTHO is a muscle car

[Falcon500]

Well muscle cars here really died in about the time the VB and XD came along...the cars where european influenced (some more then others) stict pollution laws killed any real perforamnce and took till about 97 to get times that even resemble the stock 70s cars...( i rember the VP clubsport add proudly saying it got a 16 sec 1/4)....muscle cars can handel well...their easy tomod that way and very responsive the restis all up to how the driver uses it....modern cars are more complimentery to the bad driver makeing what to them is a chore much easier.....
Its a well docuumented fact that american muscle cars offically died in 74 and like mostother things we trod a similar path to them and really sufferd in about 78...

[fpv_gtho]

well we still had a 300hp GT in 76, but by 78 the Cobra was only 250hp and supposedly with a better engine. the V8's got hurt the most, but Ford never really made the 4.1 suffer and by the XF it had 125kw, which doesnt show a good kw/L figure but apparently it was alot better than what the holden V8 could achieve

[Falcon500]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

well we still had a 300hp GT in 76, but by 78 the Cobra was only 250hp and supposedly with a better engine. the V8's got hurt the most, but Ford never really made the 4.1 suffer and by the XF it had 125kw, which doesnt show a good kw/L figure but apparently it was alot better than what the holden V8 could achieve

Well the XCwas choked down good but they went suprsingly fast andsuprisglyfaster then an XB and also had some very ingenious handeling mods like a panhard rod and was well braced....
The ford 6 made more hp then a 253 but showed less torque they also wound out suprisngly hard espcially with the ingected models...they where suprsingly close but lacked image...ford should of backed up dick johnson with the turbo 6 idea....

[fpv_gtho]

well it surely wouldve put alot of VL turbo owners in their place, and possible made the XR6T come along alot sooner, but if it had been a blinding sucess like the XR6T, whats to say Ford Australia wouldve said no to the V8 in 1992?

[Falcon500]

Well there was a planned 190kw...and then there was the thrown concept of a twin turboed version with AWD....there was only one made it was an idea for a godzilla killa....there was even going to the be a fairlane model i have road tests on the cars that where made...the turbo system was built by an australian company call AIT or something...