Is the Type 86 the New Supra?

Is the new Type 86 the modern interpretation of the notorious Supra? In order to juxtapose the two vehicles lets dig a bit deeper into what the supra was, and what it has become. Toyota was always known for producing cars that get you from point A to point B with as little finesse as possible. Toyota made cars that worked, their cars wouldn’t be jaw dropping on looks or neither would they be exhilarating to drive. They got the job done and that’s about it.

So what was the supra? Circa 1987 Toyota’s main competitor was Nissan, and Nissan had something that Toyota didn’t. A “fun” car. Nissan had the (then Datsun) Z series. The Z series was a 2+2 sports coupe with a stick that suited the young teenagers of the late 80’s, so just like any competitor would do, Toyota tried to out do the competition, and there reply was the supra. The Supra was just like the Z, its was a 2+2 sports coupe with a stick. The supra that really caught on was the 4^th generation Supra (Mark IV) the mark IV was born in 1992 and lasted in production for another decade. This generation came with a choice of either a N/A 2.9 liter inline 6 or a twin turbocharged variant. While the N/A models got a 5 speed the turbos would get a 6 speed. And of course a 4 speed automatic was also offered. The N/A output was 200 hp @ 5800 RPM and 210 lb-ft of torque at 4800 RPM. And as for the turbo version (American/European variant) that produced 320 healthy horses @ 5600 rpm and 315 lb-ft of torque @ 4000 RPM. Now that’s pretty powerful for a car from the 90’s. Now before we go on a bit further and see why the Supra was so famous, lets look back at the Type 86. The Type 86/Scion Fr-S/Subaru Brz is a joint production of Toyota and Subaru. Subaru’s side of the deal was to take care of the performance, and Toyota’s side of the deal was to take care of reliability, safety, and practicality. The main contribution that Subaru did was give the type 86 its famed boxer engine. This engine was just under 2 liters and has a boxer type (H type) configuration. This engine produces a weak 197 HP at a very high 7000 RPM and just enough torque to whiz past a Prius, 151 Lb-Ft at a once again high (which isn’t to great) 6600 RPM. But the one thing about this engine is that you can push it to its limits, and then a little bit more and your face will keep on grinning. The boxer engine is also world renowned for its very low center of gravity which drastically helps with the cars driving physics (handling and so on). Why would they sell such a weak car? One may ask, well that is because Toyota did not have a muscle car in mind, what they had in mind was a canyon carver and that is what they produced. So how would I dare compare the famous and comparably powerful Supra to this sheep in wolf’s clothing. Well that’s because I didn’t tell you guys what was the supra was known for. Well the Supra was the perfect starting line for tuners. It had a very strong and well built chassis, and it had a dream of an engine. It is not uncommon to find supra cranking out at least 500 horsepower. Lets compare between the Supra and Type 86. Both are engineered by Toyota. One check. Both have one heck of an engine. Two checks. Both have incredibly strong chassis. Three checks. Now that’s a good amount of checks. One may now look at the Type 86 a bit differently. Even though it is a bit of a slouch that just means that there is more room for after market turbos, brakes, and suspension components. And most of all there is room for tuners to dedicate their time to put into what they love most. Making cars go fast.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)

Ps. Yes I know this website is for muscle cars. But hey its good to have a change once in a while. lets learn about something on the other side of the fence for once 🙂 (also me writing this article does not state that I like imports, American muscle over rice any day!!!!)

Old School Vs. New School

Your walking down a street, and then all of a sudden you hear a loud escalating rumble, but by the time you turn your head, a menacing blur whizzes past you, at what seemed to be the speed of light. A day later you walk down the same street, but this time you hear a low, constant, thundering rumble, from experience, you turn your head fast so you can catch a glimpse of whatever is headed toward’s you, but this time you don’t see a blur, what you see is a pristine muscle car from the 60’s, but you cant put a name to it because your mind is still processing the beauty of the vehicle. But wait, what was that blur that whizzed past you the day before. Well that was the modern day interpretation of the old muscle car. Muscle cars have come a long way from just being good looks, and loud noise makers. The modern day muscle car is now the car that is crakning out colossal amount’s of horsepower, but can still race around a track in civility (or terror depending on how you look at it).

Mustangs

When the Mustangs first came out in 1964 they where an instant hit. By there first year anniversary, Ford sold nearly half a million cars. (418,812 to be exact) What was special about this car was that is was a first of its kind, there was no other vehicle on the market that had bucket seats and it was fun to drive. It was truly a pioneer in sport car history. Back in its old school day’s Mustangs maxed out at no more than 320 horsepower, and making all that power (or lack of, compared to nowadays) reach the rear wheels, the driver would choose between a 3 speed manual or 4 speed manual/automatic transmission. Now how does this all relate to the modern day muscle car we call the mustang. It doesn’t. Other than the live rear axle that is still being used in modern day mustangs, every single thing has changed in mustangs, from safety, to looks, to performance. Nowadays the smallest displacement engine (the 3.7 liter V-6) produces just over 300 horsepower. That is only about 20 horsepower down from the most power-full mustang from back in the day. But forget about horsepower for a moment. So much modern day technology helps us put the power down to the ground. Whether it is a six speed transmission, or an advance traction control system. We can better use every single horsepower that is being outputted from the engine. Now how much power is, being outputted from these modern day engines? Well lets just say its a bit north of 550 horsepower and we are looking at a 100 unit jump in engine output in the coming years.

When the decision of Old School or New School arises, the question of how fast can you really go, also comes to mind. Yes, some may say that the classics are better looking, and some may say that the modern day interpretations are better to live with and are quicker around a track. So yes, it does all boil down to. Hey, how fast can you really go?

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)

How fast can you really go?

A Bugatti Veyron 16.4 SuperSport can take you up to 267 mph, and an Ariel Atom V8 can launch you to 60 mph in the sub 2.5 second range. But to answer the question “how fast can you really go?” all of the latter information is non-applicable. The speed limit is 60 mph on the freeway and you can probably get away with going 80 mph, and accelerating to highway speed in less than the time it takes for a Prius to get moving, would just be considered reckless driving by local law enforcement. So how fast can you really go? What is the most practical car that you can drive, that might not be the fastest , but looks and and drives comfortably. If you take the word’s practicality, good looks, and comfort, you with get two letters in return: GT.  Gran turismo (italian) which translates to Grand Touring. A grand tourour is a car that you can take on a long cross-country road trip and be in complete comfort throughout the road trip. But don’t forget, aside from the touring part a GT is a sport’s car that will have you grinning every time you throw the car into a corner and will throw you into the back seat every time you step on the pedal. Some cars that deserve the name  Gran turismo are cars like the the 392 Challenger, the the Maserati MC Stradale GT, and the Bentley Continental GT. All of these cars are well endowed with at least 450+ units of horsepower and torque. And the best part is that everyone that drives a Civic can drive these cars with ease and comfort. So to answer the question “of how fast can you really go?” the answer is really infinite, you just need the tools to get you there. But if you want a car that is comfortable, practical, and will let the you un-tap every drivable horsepower, than a GT is the right car for you.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)

The 2012 Srt8 Charger SuperBee

When you add the term SuperBee to the already elite line of vehicles (the Charger and Challenger) you would expect something epic. But is that really the case here? When you add the SuperBee package to an SRT8 Charger and Challenger you actually get rid of things, opposed to adding performance parts. In exchange for nicely trimmed leather seats, you will get cloth seats with a yellow stitching. Dodge also got rid of heated/cooled seats, and don’t forget the cup holders! those where also removed. For some reason Dodge deemed it necessary to remove the cooled cup holders in exchange of a weight reduction of about 5 pounds, Also an 18 speaker sound system is removed for the same reason of weight reduction. The navigation system will be removed in exchange for a 4 inch screen, for your media center. But Wait! What will be the reason for all these luxuries being removed, if you do not get anything in return? But you do get something in return, you will get a yellow paint job and a really, really cool, flat black paint stripe across the trunk lid. So yea that is it. The power train is the same, the interior is downgraded (all to save about 200 pounds which is irrelevant in such a heavy and powerful car), and the sticker price is a bit higher. So if you want to drive just as fast, but be boring, then get a normal SRT8 Charger. But if you want to seem like you are going fast, and look good while you are pretending to be going fast, then the SuperBee is the muscle car for you.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)

Feeling Offroady?

Have you ever wanted enough torque and traction that you could make the world spin in the opposite direction? Then dream no longer and let me introduce you to the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. This is the car you want if you need a tall ride , plenty of space, and gut wrenching power. The new Grand Cherokee is powered by the same brand new engine that powers the rest of the of the SRT8 fleet: the 6.4 liter naturally aspirated V-8. This surpassing engine delivers an enormous 470 horsepower and a deep 465 lb-ft of torque. It transfers that power to all 4 wheels,(65% of that power is usually sent to the rear wheels, but the all wheel drive differential is constantly altering power distribution to better enhance performance.) This power is being sent via a dated 5 speed automatic transmission ( Chrysler is promising that a new 8 speed automatic and 6 speed manual will be released in the coming years).  Some people may notice that the Cherokee is 5 lb-ft short of torque compared to other 6.4 equipped models. Well those 5 lb-ft get lost due to  engine tuning (for the much heavier body). The Grand Cherokee weighs in at a heavyweight,with 5200 pounds. But the Cherokee makes up for it with an all wheel drive system, and sticky Italian tires. This traction control system launches the 5200 pound Cherokee from a stand still to sixty miles per hour in a quick 4.6 seconds, and it continues on to do a quarter mile in the low 13’s at 103 Mph. As for stopping power the Grand Cherokee houses massive 15 inch rotors clamped with six piston calipers in the front and as well as 13.8 inch rear rotors being clamped with four piston calipers.  Some may ask ,what is the point of an SUV like this? It is a known fact that a majority of the engine’s power is only pushing the 5200 pound body through the huge amount of air resistance it has to overcome. Yes the idea of this muscle SUV is silly, because you can go much faster for the same price and style (look at the rest of the SRT8 fleet), but hey how fast can you actually go. But one thing that is guarantied is that you will be looking forward to your daily commutes with this 5200 pound monster. This car will give you a real presence on the road.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)

Background of the week

Haha, to all those ricers out there.

Real cars are muscle cars not rice cars!

The 2012 BMW M5

The BMW M5 has been the pinnacle of  BMW’s M  series of cars for quite some time now. It is powered by BMW’s Bavarian V-10 engine that produced about 500 HP and around 390 Lb-Ft of torque. The Previous generations of M5’s were the best of both worlds. You would get the comfort of a luxurious sedan, but the moment you step on it to make that yellow light, you will notice that you are going well above the speed limit without even trying. So why the update one may ask? Well, why not make the good better, BMW answered.  B.M.W. has released the new and updated 2012 M5, like its previous generation, the M5 is based on the 535 series. But the body is the only relevance between the the five series and the M5. Everything else is completely changed. As for the power-train the BMW has released a spanking new 4.4 liter twin-turbo V-8. As for its output this new V-8 produces 560 hp, raised 60 horses from the previous generation,and the torque has been brought up from a mere 390 Lb-Ft to a massive 500 Lb-Ft of torque. BMW claims that this torque will be available throughout the whole power-band of the engine. The previous generation of M5’s were always mocked for there plethora of settings for ride control and traction management. Suspension management now has 3 modes S1 (normal) S2 (Sport) and S3 (sport+), the higher the number, the stiffer the suspension. Traction manegement is either normal, M Dynamic Mode, or  off. So all in all if you want a luxurious sedan that seats four and hauls ass then this is the car for you.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)

Background of the Week

American SUPERcars!

Every country has its own supercar. Italy has the Ferrari FXX, Germany has the Gumpert Apollo , Britain has The Mclaren F1, Sweden has the Konigsegg CCX-R, and yes even the Russians(though not really) have a super car, the TVR line. But wait! What about America? The land of the free and the home of the brave. Well America Has 3 supercars to choose from. Some say that the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are the mere offspring’s of these vehicular behemoths.These cars are the Ford GT, The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and The Dodge Viper ACR. But a problem arises when you try to compare these cars. The only car that that is still in production (for now) is the Corvette ZR1. The reason why it is hard to compare these cars is because in these modern time’s, three or four years in the automotive/technological industry can mean alot. Back in the day the fastest muscle car had no more that 300 horsepower, now in modern times an entry level V6 Mustang has 302 horsepower. So now back to our discussion about the Corvette, Viper, And Gt (abbreviation C.V.G.). The latest model of the Ford GT is from 2006, and the latest model of the Viper is from 2010 and the Vette is the the only make with a 2012 production model. So by now you see how the Corvette is at an advantage and the Viper(not as much) and GT are at a disadvantage.

Well lets first start of with the Ford GT. “The worlds fastest pickup truck”. This GT is a remake of the famous GT40 from the late 60’s. The Gt40 was world renown for being the only car ever to win the le-mans more than once (a total of four times). The modern Ford Gt derived its engine from a 2001 Ford SVT F-150, a lightning pickup truck (hence the title “the world’s fastest truck”). All they did was rework the engine so it would rev higher and produce more power. When they mounted the engine into the Ford GT, Ford did something revolutionary they didn’t mount the engine in the front, nor did they mount the engine in the back, but they mounted it in the middle. This made the weight (only 3400 pounds) distribution almost perfect. The 5.4 liter supercharged V-8 engine that was revised produces 550 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 500 Lb-Ft of torque at a very low (which is good) 3,750 RPM. At the end it boils down to hp (horsepower) per Pound which is a 6.3 for the ford. As for its suspension it has the usual supercar independent suspension in all four corners supported by anti-roll bars and adjacent dampers in the rear. As for stopping power the Ford is equipped with 14 inch vented disks in the front, and 13.2 inch rotors in the rear.

Now let me share a story with you. A father once showed a son a burnout on his brand new car. The son said “wow, daddy that was amazing” the father said “why, thank you son” the son then begged, ” but daddy, daddy, please teach me how to do that. Is it hard?” The father replied “Son this is a Corvette, you tap the pedal.” The Corvette ZR1 is powered by a 6.2 liter LS9 supercharged V-8. Unlike the Ford this engine is mounted up front. As you may know, since the Vette has the advantage of modernity, it has the highest output. A mind-blowing 638 horsepower is being produced at 6,500 RPM and this car has enough torque to spin the world in the other direction. It produces 606 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 RPM. All this power is being sent to the rear wheels via a 6 speed transmission. The ZR1 weighs in at a feathery 3366 pounds. The carbon-ceramic brakes equiped on this car will rip your face off as it grinds to a halt from 60 MPH in 97 feet.

The Dodge viper is the most menacing of the three. It has the biggest displacement of the three. The 2010 Dodge Viper ACR has one of the biggest engines that America has ever produced. It houses a 8.4 litre V-10. Yes I said V-10!!!  This power-plant produces a mad 600 horsepower at  6100 RPM and an intense 560 Lb-Ft of torque at 5000 RPM . That is enough power to launch this feathery 3,408 pound all aluminum track tuned chassis from 0-60 in under four seconds and it blazes through the quarter mile in about 11 seconds. All this power is sent to a 6 speed short throw transmission, and then off it goes to the rear wheels. The stopping power for this ACR comes from both front and rear, 14 inch vented brake disc’s and calipers made by Brembo. The 2010 Viper ACR also hold the world record for having the fastest lap time around the Nurburg’ring. A blazing fast 7 minutes and 11 seconds flat. That is faster than any European sports car out there (until 2011).

You car buffs may have realized that when the Corvette and the Viper were brought up in this article their base models were not mentioned. That’s because this article is about the best of the best, these are the cars that represent America. These vehicles have to fight & defend against cars that are 5 times their prices. These are the cars that will make Enzo Ferrari, Herechio Pagani, and Feruccio Lamborghini quvier in their sleep, thinking some Americans are better and faster than them. Even without all that passion bull-shit European car makers claim to have.

– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)