"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Monday, December 11, 2023
A short history of Chrysler's winged NASCAR wonders
From Steve Lehto - who, in addition to being a lawyer, is something of a car historian (not surprising, since he lives in Michigan).
tom: The county in which I live has a lot of retirees, and quite a few of the men have decided to live out their youthful fantasies by buying sporty cars - especially Chargers and Challengers. You can't hardly cross the street down here without some old coot running you over in his bright red or orange Charger.
Full disclosure: I wouldn't mind at all if Santa Claus left me a Dodge Hellcat in the driveway. Hell, I'll even drive to Wilmington to pick it up at the dealership if that would make Santa's logistics a little easier.
my neighbor bought one of the Jeeps with a hemi, he's always been a car guy, has a 67 GTO and a turbo Buick Regal, I live my youthful fantasies vicariously through him.
I've been watching Lehto's channel for several years. He has some interesting videos. He also has a Dodge Viper that he talks about from time to time, and occasionally shows in a video. He has written articles for Jalopnik in the past. A dedicated car guy, for sure.
I haven't liked Mopar since 1972. They took big blocks with a 6-pack and turned them into a 4-cyl turbo with complete POS package. GM and Ford had their issues (Mustang II... spit), but Chrysler destroyed their brand. Then they invented the minivan. It was CAFE standards, but they went the extra mile.
tom: I didn't know they made Jeeps with hemis, but I shouldn't be surprised, since Chrysler owns Jeep.
R-man: He's written several books, including one that specifically pertains to Daytonas and Superbirds. I'd love to have that one, but original hardcover editions are pretty expensive.
V: Yeah, it all went south in the 70s. Btw, I remember looking at a minivan back in the 80s, I think it was, and they were so popular at the time that the salesman on the lot arrogantly told me, "Incidentally, the sticker price is what you pay on these. There's no negotiating". I So I turned around and left. Based on what people who had owned them told me, they were junk.
the current Challengers are sweet looking cars, safer and more affordable than the classic ones, they even brought back the really bright green color.
ReplyDeleteswing by your local dodge dealership and pick one up.
tom: The county in which I live has a lot of retirees, and quite a few of the men have decided to live out their youthful fantasies by buying sporty cars - especially Chargers and Challengers. You can't hardly cross the street down here without some old coot running you over in his bright red or orange Charger.
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure: I wouldn't mind at all if Santa Claus left me a Dodge Hellcat in the driveway. Hell, I'll even drive to Wilmington to pick it up at the dealership if that would make Santa's logistics a little easier.
my neighbor bought one of the Jeeps with a hemi, he's always been a car guy, has a 67 GTO and a turbo Buick Regal, I live my youthful fantasies vicariously through him.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching Lehto's channel for several years. He has some interesting videos. He also has a Dodge Viper that he talks about from time to time, and occasionally shows in a video. He has written articles for Jalopnik in the past. A dedicated car guy, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI haven't liked Mopar since 1972.
ReplyDeleteThey took big blocks with a 6-pack and turned them into a 4-cyl turbo with complete POS package.
GM and Ford had their issues (Mustang II... spit), but Chrysler destroyed their brand.
Then they invented the minivan.
It was CAFE standards, but they went the extra mile.
tom: I didn't know they made Jeeps with hemis, but I shouldn't be surprised, since Chrysler owns Jeep.
ReplyDeleteR-man: He's written several books, including one that specifically pertains to Daytonas and Superbirds. I'd love to have that one, but original hardcover editions are pretty expensive.
V: Yeah, it all went south in the 70s. Btw, I remember looking at a minivan back in the 80s, I think it was, and they were so popular at the time that the salesman on the lot arrogantly told me, "Incidentally, the sticker price is what you pay on these. There's no negotiating". I So I turned around and left. Based on what people who had owned them told me, they were junk.