Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Wrong.
Other than good slicks, very little was needed to get these cars into the 12's.
A little bigger turbo, a higher stall speed torque converter, bigger fuel pump & injectors, and a good free-flowing intake/exhaust systems (about $2000-$2500) would get you a car that ran in the high 10's!!
It takes $15,000+ to get a subi WRX or Mitsu Lancer EVO into the 10's
I think nostalgia may be warping your financials, among other things. One big thing is we're comparing something from 30 years ago, and in the meantime the Fed has been raping us every minute of every day since... for example, to achieve the equivalent of $10,000 1987 dollars, you'd need $21,444 in 2017 dollars.
Also, OP clearly stated that some of today's V6 sport sedans would give it a run for the money (and that's obviously only in a straight line, corners, comforts, etc. would never be a comparison)- and you choose to compare a 3.8L V6 (originally 245HP) with 2.0L four-cylinders. Another orange-to-apples comparison. I think you may be substituting the GNX in place of the GN's in the article. If compared on an engine size to HP output, it would take a highly modified GN to equal the 134HP/L of the current STOCK standard WRX, which would be over 500HP or more than double its original output. I haven't yet seen a stock GM transmission that will handle this; even the 200-4R needs quite a bit of TLC to do this reliably, GM's other autos of the time send bystanders ducking behind the safety walls when the shrapnel flies. I actually LOL'd at the $2-2.5k estimate to reliably get/keep a G-body in the 10s.
I guess I'm getting too fed up, my apologies. I have tons of respect for the GN's, FOR THEIR TIME, for their straight-line speed and handling. I have seen many killer GNs on the street race scene in the Chicago area. However, 30 years of engineering progress in things like driveability, NVH, and electronic driving aids makes this comparison similar to the buggy from Little House on the Prairie to well, a Tesla P100D in Ludicrous mode. If all you're looking for is stupid-cheap speed, any of the junkyard 5.3-6.2 LS variants with a small shot of nitrous jammed into Fox body will get deep into the 10s, for probably less than $4k if you're a resourceful individual. But it's still going to be a 30-year-old cracker jack box.
History like these cars IS very cool; it shows us where we were and who the trailblazers were of the time. But it should also make you very appreciative of the advances since those days.
While I agree with 100% of your post. Many BITOG members hearken to the days of old-where bias ply tires, spark plugs, points, and condensers, and "three on the tree" ruled the day. Major "new tech phobia" on this site.
