Old car for sale. Can onlt do 254 MPH. Best offer.

[OldAirmail]

254 mph 1988 twin-turbo Callaway Corvette "Sledghammer" to hit the auction block

Better hurry up - CC-477432

[CrashII]

Goes very fast in a straight(ish) line. Will crash at the first attempt at cornering...

[OldAirmail]

Well...

You may be right. Just lower your offer.

And who knows, if can find a good price on discount/used tires it may corner better.

[expat]

It may well be able to do 254mph, but only in a straight line..................American cars are not well know for going around corners.....

Matt

[Speed of flight]

As much as I agree that American cars are typically out cornered by the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, and for that matter, most other exotic makes, this car was an exception to the rule.

The record was set at the Ohio Transportation Research Center: a 7-mile oval track. There were corners. When the original article in "Car and Driver" first told of this feat, it was included that the Callaway set this record with the air conditioner running!

In its day, the Corvette had been ousted from its seat as the sole American competitor in the exotic arena, as Chrysler Corp had a fresh offering in the Viper with its 488 HP V-10 that could corner like it was on rails.

I remember this car's heyday, and miss the 1990s sorely. Sadly, that was before the Internet, cellphones, the. B777, and many other things a few of us enjoy today. For those that remember, it was a quieter and simpler time.

[OldAirmail]

My awareness of cars started at the end of the hotrod era.

You could make something that looked like them, I guess. Looks and sound can mean a lot.

Of course the old timers would laugh at me for saying that.


Some kid around here has a copper colored Honda Fit with thrush mufflers. Almost every Friday/Saturday night you can hear him flooring the pedal.

Reminds me of a little kid with a toy car going VVVRRROOOMM VVVRRROOOMM as he pushes it around the floor.

[Speed of flight]

Another Honda with dual fart cannons!

What has happened?

My first car was a 1970 Chevelle Malibu. It ran terribly when I got it, but only looked that way before it got stolen. It was in the "multicolored primer" just before paint stage.

70s. American. Fast. V-8. Loud and proud!

Again I ask, what happened? Kids now look intentionally for cars with less than half the motor, small, and have allowed themselves to be tricked into thinking they're fast!

What happened? Even though there are a few (and I mean very few) fast Hondas out there, they're all being taken to a track on a trailer. The rest of them are all owned by some kid, with the obligatory body molding kit (glue on, unpainted) and coffee can mufflers. The engine computer has been messed with, but not by an experienced technician, nor was the service complete, indicated by the black sooty residue stuck to the car around forementioned coffee-can muffler. All different colors, lowered, scrapes the ground over speed bumps, gum wrappers, lane lines, anything slightly above the ground, and not to mention unrespectfully slow!

So, where I come from, any fast car has no less than 8 cylinders. I missed the boat on this one. Sadly, kids were doing this 20 years ago. I didn't see why then and I don't now.

Maybe it's the age talking...

Everyone has to have a hobby, I guess.

[CrashII]

As much as I agree that American cars are typically out cornered by the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, and for that matter, most other exotic makes, this car was an exception to the rule.

The record was set at the Ohio Transportation Research Center: a 7-mile oval track. There were corners.

I'm sorry? An oval has no corners. Because of the banking of the 'corners' every thing going into the bank will be thrown around the corner with very little input from the steering. You just need to keep it on a straight line. That's not steering, that's correcting. Your argument is invalid.

[Speed of flight]

Well way to kill the thread, captain snappy retort.

Tell that to a nascar driver. Are you a licensed IMSA or Formula 1 or NASCAR or even NHRA driver? Ever even seen racing on TV?

Granted, banked corners are designed to aid in cornering. It's still a dang corner.

Perhaps one should read the FAQs or forum guidelines before posting a comment in that fashion...

Just an observation.
254.6 MPH on an OVAL TRACK with TURNS, not necessarily "corners". Excuse my unforgivable mistake there, as important as it is to point out.

To those concerned: hope this makes you feel better.

[CrashII]

No, I'm not a NASCAR driver and yes, I've driven on oval testtracks with banked corners. There is no steering, just correcting to keep a straight line. But I'm truly sorry if I hurt your feelings. Next time I'll try to find a rule that opposes a mature discussion.

You know what, never mind.

[SG-19]

254 MPH nice. Who cares if it can take a corner or not, it will still be cheaper than a Bugatti Veyron.

[OldAirmail]

254 MPH nice. Who cares if it can take a corner or not, it will still be cheaper than a Bugatti Veyron.

That was my first thought.

The very first car that I bought, a Rambler Rebel, had a transition problem. After paying for it I had no money to have it towed home.

It did have first gear & reverse so I drove it home doing about 15 to 20 MPH.

[C]

OTRS - very definitely not corners. A high speed test track. Even calling it a turn is pushing it when it has a half mile radius! Gentle curve perhaps.

Either way, for it to be any good, the engine's at the wrong end!

[Steve M]

Now.. (pause) Comparing NORTH American muscle cars to Euro sport cars or formula cars is moot. Each serves a purpose. Maybe narrow winding roads are your situation, or as we have here, there isn't much of a need to turn for several hours. Stopping isn't always an issue either, as your flying past mother in laws house. I did drive a 68 Vette 427 CI with 4 on the floor and tri power carbs. When I got up around 125 MPH the cars front end felt like it was starting to float so I backed off. Two years later.. that Vette was found lodged in a tree about 10 feet up on a curve.

[Hawkeye07]

Back in 1968 my first car was my folks 1956 Pontiac stationwagon. A regular Titanic of the road. Wasn't great at cornering and it accelerated like a Niagara with elephant ears (U.S. railfans know what that is). BUT, one night my friends put a party together and I was in charge of transportation. I packed a keg of beer and twelve legal age, and cute, teenage girls in the old Titanic. Who needed fast and I had all the "curves" I could handle. The old Pontiac aka. "Poncho" and I had a few memorable days, not many but a few.