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Thread: Where European cars feared to tread

  1. #1
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    Where European cars feared to tread

    Admittedly drag racing and NASCAR were an American invention. Europeans favored road racing and rallying. In truth, I am not so sure that many non-American cars could have successfully competed in these two arenas anyway. In its uniqueness, there have been many interesting and memorable cars produced for both venues through the years.

    Here is one of the earliest concepts to play successfully in both drag racing and NASCAR. Circa 1956, Dodge stepped up and entered the ‘big time.’ If left unhindered by Chrysler Corporation, without any internal politics Dodge might have cleaned house everywhere.

    If you have any contenders please come forwarded and be counted.
    Last edited by dog ear; 04-22-2012 at 08:33 PM.
    Terry
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    You know that you have it made, when you want for nothing, ask for everything, and receive exactly what you "deserve".

  2. #2
    Drag racing and NASCAR were really best!

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    Awesome And Nice Technologies And Designs Are Used In Drag Racing And NASCAR.
    These Are So Nice.

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevejhon View Post
    Awesome And Nice Technologies And Designs Are Used In Drag Racing And NASCAR.
    These Are So Nice.
    can you please be a bit more specific? examples of technologies, cars, etc?
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

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    Reviews

    What Kind Of Specifications Do You Want About This Car?

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevejhon View Post
    What Kind Of Specifications Do You Want About This Car?
    This car? What the hell are you talking about...
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

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    Quote Originally Posted by henk4 View Post
    This car? What the hell are you talking about...
    B-B-B-B-B-Banhammer!

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    Instaban done. Useless posts are just the beginning... source is Pakistan.

    http://www.stopforumspam.com/ipcheck/122.129.80.26
    Never own more cars than you can keep charged batteries in...

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevejhon View Post
    What Kind Of Specifications Do You Want About This Car?
    Well, for starters, I'd like a DOHC V-8 motor bolted to a 6-speed manual gearbox and fully-independent A-arms all around with massive Brembo discs.

    Not too picky about anything else.
    I'm dropping out to create a company that starts with motorcycles, then cars, and forty years later signs a legendary Brazilian driver who has a public and expensive feud with his French teammate.

  10. #10
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    Now the spammers are just trolling you mods. Are you gonna just sit there and take it? Eh?
    Life's too short to drive bad cars.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by pimento View Post
    Now the spammers are just trolling you mods. Are you gonna just sit there and take it? Eh?
    he would have been gone in the end anyway, just wanted to test what he would come up with....for fun
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  12. #12
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    Many of you may have wondered where this tread is / was going? Well, it is one theme that I have not forgotton about on this site. While my focus will center around decidedly 50s - 60s American iron, I invite your input and welcome your opinion. Hopefully, you will also inspire some controversry and post your own personal pictorials / articles / quotes / info on other cars that you feel should be included on this tread. They don't have to be American in origin. If you think that certain cars would have been competitive in both drag racing and stock car racing against American marques then please feel free to enlighten our readers with your selections.

    Now then, my next pick for 50s supremacy on drag strips and stock car tracks will be the 1957 Chevy ''Black Widow'' 150 Utility Sedan, or "Business Coupe." It was a special engineering model back-doored out of the Southern Engineering and Development Company; a NASCAR firm with close ties to Chevrolet. You can read all about it in the following links provided below.

    http://www.57chevyblackwidow.com/qanda.html
    http://1957chevyblackwidow.blogspot.ca/
    http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/b...uide/index.htm

    This model Chevy was raced with the infamous 283 in either duel-four barrel or fuel injected form. Both versions were very fast in their day. Street versions were few but the basic engine combo was widely available in other (heavier) models and they were soon to become iconic symbols of Americana.

    The engine itself would be modified and engineered by countless racers and capable of enormous feats. It was revered, respected and thrashed in various displacements, but the most well-known bully-boy was the 301. In 1967, Chevrolet designed a new engine that was already under development in the hot rod industry for ten years. It was market specific and introduced as the 302 in the newly developed Z/28 Camaro. It was the ''classic'' hot-rod 301 in bore and stroke, with a more rugged block cast in-house at Chevrolet. The bad-boy had thus become legitimized as a regular production option.

    The ‘’Black Widow’’ was capable of mid to high 15-second quarter miles and a top speed of 130 mph. That was heady stuff in 1957. Very few cars were as quick and nimble for the money. Fewer remained as competitive for so long after initial production.
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    Last edited by dog ear; 08-20-2013 at 02:26 PM.
    Terry
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    You know that you have it made, when you want for nothing, ask for everything, and receive exactly what you "deserve".

  13. #13
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    Sneak previews:
    56-57 T-Bird w 292 & 312 dual-four barrel & 312 supercharged Y-Block.
    57 Ford with E-Code 312 supercharged Y-Block. Rated at 300hp (street) 330HP (NASCAR)
    57-58 Plymouth w 318 & 350 V-8 power.
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    Terry
    _______________________________________________________________________
    You know that you have it made, when you want for nothing, ask for everything, and receive exactly what you "deserve".

  14. #14
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    eg Peerless 1957 top speed 140+mph, and from same stable the likes of the Keeble where they put the big American V8 iron into a small light chassis.
    What do you mean by "racing" ?
    Europe was a relatively quiet place post war decades due to lack of money, factories, resources, people and so roads and cars didn't get the kind of development that lead to the big powerful V8 in "ordinary mans cars" and racing continued on the smaller and tighter tracks from previous years.
    So there aren't really any custom drag car developments, but lots of nimble fast cars using smaller engines and also fitting the US iron into smaller, better handling bodies.
    Thus making comparisons difficult as the big heavy US metal suited drag and oval and thus growth in those. Europe had a tradition of street and tight circuit racing which bred a bias to those areas in development of fast cars and racing.
    Most of MG, Triumph and Austin sales to the US were on the back of continued race success at the road circuits of America and the ability for Joe Average to get faster lapo times and win with less power/weight.
    So, do we want to maybe separate out the differences so as we don't try comparing apples and oranges as a drag car wont do well at Laguna and an MG 1500 wont do well on a drag I think it makes sense for this to concetrate on drag and straight high speed run events . Whata bout ovals ? Just a thought before folks climb into respective corners !!!
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

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