So I drove a 67 Camaro
 

I drove a red '67 (forget if that's right) Camaro.
I want a muscle car.
They are cool.

Hi,

I owned a '68 Z28 (sticker option only in '68 - RS color scheme) in the early '70's. All that torque, and they're just so raw and unrefined. Gives them a wonderful quality all their own...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

well the last time I actually sat in one of these types was about 30 years ago!
This one I just drove had racing seats and harness belts and a cluctch from a C5.
The first thing I noted was how good visibility was, clear views all around.
The second was how tight the steering was. I thought it would be like steering a tug boat with one of those giant wheels you would see on cruise ship.
Pulling out onto the road the car's rumble gave me a feeling like I was a cool guy with a pack of cigarettes rolled into my t-shirt.
The ride was very comfortable! So loud at cruising speeds. And it felt very well planted in turns. Would I love to take this for an autocross lap...

Driving a boring, predictable, over engineered, compact/low sitting German roadster made this very refreshing. Great resales on some of these car too.
I rented a hardtop 05 mustang a few months back and driving a nearly 40 year old car makes me want to put that 05 mustang in a trash compactor. I wonder if the new Challenger will do better at giving you that muscle car experience.


http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.c...3405699373.jpg

I know *exactly* what you're talking about. My brother had (as his first car, no less) a '68 Mustang California Special. That car had a lot of undesirable qualities, but even with just a 289 2BB flowmaster exhaust, turning out into traffic and laying the hammer always brought at least one small moment of automotive bliss.

In the Subaru world there is something very similar. Everyone knows the equal-length headers offer a performance improvement, yet so many people refuse to install them because they eliminate the "boxer rumble." Even after 3.5 years I still get goosebumps turning the key and hearing the engine bark to life and settle into its baritone rumble.

Stephen

---------------------------------

I hear you. One of my favortie tv shows now is American Hot Rod and Monster Garage. Sometimes I just wonder about owning one of those old classics. . . .

to be honest I've never really had an interest(in possibly owning) Muscle cars.
A big huge lumbering car sitting on leaf springs has never appealed to me. Always made me think of NASCAR (the ole NASCAR not this new slick version). Low tech power assited-nothing,no r&p steering, carbeurated evil on big huge rear tires.

Former Indy 500 Juan Montoya chose NASCAR instead of following a different road course formula for his post-F1 career. After driving this Camaro I can see the logic/apppeal. I felt bored driving home in my uber refined BoxsterS afterwards, never thought that would happen as consequence of driving a 'Made in the USA'.

The early Camaros were fun. Cheap to buy, quick out of the gate, decent handling for what they were. They looked good, relatively light etc etc.

Good stuff.

I've had my 68 ss 396 camaro for 5 years now and when ever I need the
horsepower rush I jump in and drop the clutch on the Muncie 4 speed and grab rubber in all gears. I'm lucky to appreciate both worlds the rawnessof the Camaro and the precision of my Box S. I just wish the box was appreciating like my other cars!!!!!!!

:dance:

I had one of my musclecars out yesterday. They're great fun but they don't make me bored of the Boxster. They have very different purposes. You have to view them each for what they are and understand that it's not an either/or proposition. A musclecar is a loud, obnoxious, attention grabbing pig. My Mach 1 has waaay too much horsepower (most of which is wasted because of traction limitations), gets about 11 miles to the gallon, and sounds like an earthquake...But, if you're looking to draw a crowd, get horn honks, thumbs ups, and scare the kids in their stupid fart cars, there's nothing like it. The nice thing about having a later musclecar is that there is air conditioning, power steering, power disc brakes, etc. There was no rack and pinion in '72, but they are reasonably precise if the box is tight. The drawbacks are that they don't go around corners, you're not having an intimate conversation in one (at least not mine), your date is not going to enjoy smelling like spent fossil fuel all night and they're tempermental as hell.

The Boxster, on the other hand, is docile and civilized. It's as comfortable at the yacht club as it is at the autocross. It is exclusive, but still pedestrian enough that you can arrive in relative anonymity. It is quiet enough to enjoy your George Winston CDs, romantic on a starry night, and comfortable enough to drive to work everyday.

If you have the storage space, I strongly recommend one of each! :cheers:

In '68 I had a decision to make ... a Z28 Camaro, an SS396 Chevelle, or a Plymouth Road Runner (the 383 variety; the Hemi was, as I recall, $900 extra). I picked the Chevelle, 350hp, 4spd, no power steering, no AC.
After two years of more or less constant valve guide problems on the big block 396, I regretted not getting the Z28.

I can remember riding home in my Dad's new '67 Cougar in the fall of '66. It came equiped with a 390, 4 bbl, 4 spd, AM only radio, no P/S, no P/B, no A/C.

I bought it from my Mother when Dad died. It never fails to put a smile on my face when I drive it. It has a smooth ride, is quiet inside at highway speeds, handles better that most Muscle cars of the era, and is very quick.

I can, and do, perform the maintainance needed to keep it on the road for around 20% of what the boxster costs.

It gets around 17 on the highway, I don't bother to check city mileage, polutes more than it should, has those aforementioned hydrocarbon smells from time to time inside, has poor performing drum brakes all around (one of my soon to happen up-grades), needs a paint job and some other TLC.

It will be in the driveway when the Boxster gets replaced with our next "modern" car.

It has style, it has charm and it has grace. It is a nasty beast when provoked and I love it.

The Boxster has a whole set of values, attributes and acolades that are totally different and every bit as enjoyable.

The only thing the two have in common (other than four wheels and a drive train) is the joy to drive them as often as possible.

In 1966, I was looking at either a new Mustage or Camaro. Spend most of my Junior Year in HS thinking about this. Perhaps I should have been studying?

Bought a '63 Stingray.

Man, what a car for the summer of '66!

Hi,

Well, it's a beautiful early Fall day here in Minneapolis, 75°, not a cloud in the sky - perfect driving weather.

I just got back from having lunch with a friend who wanted to show me his new car - a 1965 Ferrari 275GTS Spider! One of 200 produced.

It is truly beautiful, Red with Black leather interior and Black top, Magnesium Campagnolo Wire Wheels. Under the hood lives a 3.3L V-12 w/ 6 dual Webers on top (mounted front mid-engine), capable of 383HP. Owen actually bought the car 2 years ago and just got it back from a full concours restoration.

Owen nonchalantly tossed me the keys after lunch and off we went. Started instantly, with a throaty rumble only a Ferrari V-12 is capable of (I don't know what Marranello is paying the guy who invented this, but it ain't enough). The clutch is a little heavy, but the gated 5-speed was butter smooth, a little long in throw, but from a time when these were built for Men to drive.

At Owen's insistance we went to a suburb where the State Highway Patrol maintains a driving course and I got to use the WOW pedal - WOW!! The distinct mechanical sounds coming from the engine and valvetrain are truly amazing. The torque is impressive and the car eagerly runs to redline between shifts. 0-60 in under 6 and tops out at 155, same as my Esprit, but not really the same at all!

It was truly a priveledge to drive one of the best cars of all time from one of the world's greatest manufacturers, much better than anything coming from the Scuderia of late, they're great too, but not really in the same league.

I told him that Mrs. MNBoxster is gonna fall in love with it and he has insisted that I come over this weekend and take her for a drive. He's going out of town so he said he'd leave the keys with the neighbor for me. It's her birthday this weekend, so I'm planning on taking her on a drive along the mississippi in it.

Boy I wish I'd studied as hard as Owen did in school so I could park one of these in my garage. As it is, Owen parks it next to his 1966 Fiat Dino Cabriolet - Ferrari 2.0 L V-6 Dino Engine (2nd Place at the Concorso d'Italiano at Pebble Beach in '04 - http://www.concorso.com/website%20updates/images/big/winner_fiatdino.jpg ), 1964 Fiat 124 (pristine, 8k original mi.), '05 Catherham Seven (which we built together) and '96 1st Gen Grey Market (SUN Conversion) Elise (w/ Honda V-TEC engine). But, I guess it's good enough to just have a friend as good as Owen.

I've tried to post some pics I took of it, but the attachment function doesn't want to work. I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but it is a '65 and from the same genre...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Nice write up, Jim. Two questions :

1. Is that the same car featured in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off " ?

2. Any idea what that car is worth ?

Sounds like you have some very cool and generous friends !

Thanks,

Nick

Hi,

I think it may be the same model car, but I'm not absolutely certain. Nope, I just looked it up and the car in Ferris Bueller was a Ferrari 250GT California Spider, also a wonderful car, the 275GTS was it's successor.

I know Owen is a very astute buyer (this is the 8th vintage Ferrari he's owned, wish he'd never sold his Daytona Spyder, one of the 12 Factory cars, not the conversions). He bought this 275GTS 2 years ago as a solid #2 (older restoration) for somewhere north of $225k and the restoration was most likely $75k or more. But, this was in a depressed market. I bet the car tops $1million in the next 5 years...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

PS I can't upload the pics I took of Owen's car, but this link is an image of an identical one: http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%3 Fp%3DImage%2BFerrari%2B275GTS%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fp_ip%3DUS&h=357&w=750&imgcurl=www.motorsnippe ts.com%2Fcars%2FMarket_Analysis%2Fgraphics%2FRM196 6_ferrari_275gts.jpg&imgurl=www.motorsnippets.com% 2Fcars%2FMarket_Analysis%2Fgraphics%2FRM1966_ferra ri_275gts.jpg&size=40.2kB&name=RM1966_ferrari_275g ts.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.motorsnippets.com%2F cars%2FMarket_Analysis%2FRM_Ferrari275GTS.asp&rurl =http%3A%2F%2Fwww.motorsnippets.com%2Fcars%2FMarke t_Analysis%2FRM_Ferrari275GTS.asp&p=ferrari+275gts &type=jpeg&no=1&tt=54&fr=yfp-t-417

I think the Ferris Beuller car was a 50's 250 GT. The 275's took over for the 250 in 1964 (I think). Then everyone and their sister made 250 look alikes. Whatever...
those cars, all of them, make me salivate rabidly.
SpeedTV did a Ferrari roundup where they showed Alain DeCadenet in cockpit footage of one of these tasty tin tops that made curse life for not being born a zillionaire. The v12 is musica, musica, musica...

Hi,

I agree. But this is the 275GTS Spider which is a cabriolet and the only 275 series designed by Pininfarina, the fewest produced of any 275 variant. BTW, I'm still waiting to be claimed as the Bastard child of an Arabian Oil Shiek, the Sultan of Brunei would do nicely... ;) Check him out at: http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3200.asp?id=10495

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

The Beuller car was reputed to have been a kit car. At least the one that went through the back of the garage at the end.
I hated that movie when I first saw it, and still do ... for what those two ****************************s did to that Ferrari.

you are missing the big picture. The car was sacrificed to bring the insecure friend to terms with his father.
Now if it were a Ford GT40.... :mad:

"Big picture" my furry butt. That was sacrilege.