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)

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)

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)

The Ultimate Showdown! Mustang Vs. Camaro Vs. Challenger

This battle has been in the making for over 50 years. It all started when car companies wanted to build fast, inexpensive cars. Once these cars started to gather fame they dubbed the nickname “Muscle Car’s” These Muscle cars where notorious for not having much grip (hence the burnouts) and they might as well have not installed a functioning steering wheel, because if you where to go into a corner at speed, the outcome would be in the guardrails. After all an American road has no curves.

Ever since muscle cars got rolling, There has been a fierce Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger rivalry. One always bragged about having more horsepower and torque, than the other. Since this is a showdown between the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, i will give you guys all you need to know about the three and I will let you have the final decision.

Well lets first start off with the iconic pony. The 2011 Ford Mustang Gt. For starters this Muscle car’s powerhouse is a 5.0 liter 4v Ti-VCT naturally aspirated V-8 engine. This V-8 produces 412 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 390 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 RPM. Out of the three muscle cars this engine has the weakest output(but not by much)but on the other hand this car weighs 3603 pounds(which is a few hundred pounds lighter that its competitors) which translates to 8.8 pounds per horse(which is the best ratio out of all) and as for handling the Mustang is at a disadvantage, that is because like every other mustang it houses a live rear axle, which in a straight line is helpfull it is pretty uneven on unpaved roads. But this Mustang has the most refined live rear axle you will drive. As for braking, this pony can be equipped with optional Brembo 4-piston front(14 inch) and 2-piston(10 inch) rear calipers.

The Next competitor is the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS. This iconic muscle car traces its roots all the way back to the corvette. After all  the Camaro will always be known as the Corvettes younger brother. The Camaro borrows its engine from a previous generation Corvette. The LS3 V-8. This 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V-8, produces 426 horsepower at 5,900 RPM and 420 Lb-Ft of torque at 4,600 RPM. This is a nice bump over the mustang but don’t forget to take into account that this vehicle ways 3860 that’s about 250 pounds heavier than its mustang counterpart(9.1 pounds per horse). It may seem insignificant but every pound counts when you discuss muscle cars. As for its suspension it is equipped with an independent suspension, which is quite modern in a muscle car. Brembo brakes are standard on the SS. The SS sport’s four piston fixed Brembo aluminum front and rear calipers both measuring about 14 inches in diameter.

Now the final contender: The SRT8 392 Dodge Challenger. It does not get more American than this. If you wan to sink in your seat and be shrouded by the orgasmic exhaust when you press down on the throttle than this is the car for you. But if you want to make a left hand turn at speed then you should not be reading this paragraph. The Challenger houses its iconic 392 Hemi engine. This engine is by far the most powerful out of the bunch. It produces a wild 470 horsepower and an identical 470 lb-ft of torque. Now one would say, “how is this even a competitor among the others?” Well the answer to that question is pretty unfortunate. like all Americans this American car needs to loose some weight. This car weighs a massive 4260 pounds, which does slow it down quite a bit. But like said earlier it does compensate for that weight with power. But the question is, does it compensate enough. As for braking it has the usual 4 piston front and 2 piston rear fixed Brembo brakes.

So, now the big question: which one is the winner? Which one should I get? A lot of people pick sides and bash on the other cars. That is not a muscle car enthusiast’s attitude. A true enthusiast would take a step back, have a look at these pieces of american art, and just simply admire them all. Yes, one may be faster than the other by about a second, but does that really matter? I guarantee you that if you sit behind the wheel of any of these cars you will be blown away by every one of them. So it all boils down to personal preference and your own opinion. But if you truly cant decide which one you should buy/abide by, then I say whats wrong with buying them all.
– Written by: Adir Hassid (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Writer)
– Edited by: Jordan Banafsheha (MuscleCarLegacy Senior-Web-Designer)