oldshurst442

Yup... Couldnt that also be technically called "noise tuning" ?

Nice to see you here. I always enjoyed your company.

I see what you are saying... Ill add this: Most cars are so well insulated with sound deadening materials and super duper mufflers that actually muffle and mute the idling and acceleration noises that "noise tuning" shouldnt really offend anybody in 2016 as engine sound personality is a thing of the past...

PS: Marchionne could think its heresy and obsene and whatever else he thinks about an electric motor Ferrari, but to me its clear, he is outta touch with reality if he thinks that the future is not electrics... Harley could see a future of electric motors, that deny the Harley sound of their motorcycles. And Harley is just about on the same playing field as Ferrari regarding name recognition and peddling stuff other than motor vehicles with their logo slapped on it and obviously iconic engine sound...therefore its a very good thing that Marchionne does not have a say in Ferrari no more... You always have to look to the future...not the past to survive the future... Its good to embrace your history, but sometimes re-inventing yourself is necessary... A balance of both is ideal...

I dont know about you people, but I find electric motor noises as appealing as elcctric guitar Rock-N-Roll and American V8 rumble... An electric 1970 Olds 442 could sound like a power drill and I wouldnt mind it one bit. And yeah, no "noise tuned" shtye necessary with a power drill motor sound...

Drew had mentioned he would love to electrify his Buick if memory serves me correct. Suave answered this for me as his post reflects 100% how I feel about Drew's Buick. Electrify EVERYTHING!!! OK..."Electrify All Da Tings!" is the way he said it...

How do you figure?? There is a incredible supply of engines to build, plus built aftermarket engines, plus OEM crate engines. One could weld new floors in a rotted Firebird in 2 days, vs. the months & months of trying to make a prius undercarriage fit into a hollowed out Firebird. It's fine if the goal is to spend countless hours 'making things fit' but beyond that, there's really no point to it. And a Pontiac should have a Pontiac (or GM at least) engine ONLY. With all kinds of EPA laws regarding old cars and their engines and emissions and all kinds of States and Provinces limiting this type of hobby to where only modern new crate engines are gonna be allowed from GM and Ford, the pickin's to engines are slim...let me explain, LS swaps are cool and all, but everybody does those in everything imaginable. Coyote engine swaps are less popular, but eventually, people will tire and be bored with LS swaps and will gravitate to the Coyote or Hemi...eventually, but that leaves only 3 choices: GM, Ford, Mopar....and lets be honest, most people put Mopar engines in Mopars, and Fprd engines in Fords....but LS swaps go everywhere, including Fords... Mopars are the only ones that stay pure... But LS engines go into Porsches....even Ferraris... That means that the Chevy Small Block is over saturated... That means that muscle car guys need to do something new... Toyota Supra Twin turbo inline Six in Camaros have been done at least once...but electric engines have been done a couple of times gaining more popularity...therefore... Culture Shock! ELECTRIC SHOCK! From the Cobra video Hot Rodding takes on many facets...engine swaps are one of those... 4 cylinder Model Ts swapped with Ford Flathead V8s... That is old school. New school equals big 'ol V8s swapped with Those Who Want To Rock with TnT, Its Dynomite, (Oi Oi Oi) and I salute them!!! AC/DC You mentioned hours on end trying to fit a muscle car body on some sport of electric platform... Like I said, Hot Rodding takes on many forms... Lead Sleds: Chopped, lowered, pinstripped, Many hours taken to accomplish this...sometimes botched and gaps were filled with lead hence the name... Hot Rodders have no concept of time. The only thing they understand of time as that it will take as long as it takes to finish the project. And I know I just stepped in a boundary that is YOUR expertise, and Im sorry if I sound condescending, I dont mean to be, because I respect you very very much, but I want to prove my point and this is the best way I could think of to prove my point about the worthiness of my opinion that electric motors are gonna be the next step for classic muscle cars to roam our streets as LS engine swaps are a dime a dozen now-a-days another Hot Rodding facet is uniqueness, and electric motors are unique at this stage...

Thanx for the thought and thread, CCAP. I have a feeling more of these projects will be coming... And like I said in the Random Thoughts Thread, classic muscle cars are gonna be the ones to benefit the most from these projects!

True, Surreal...but its still BLAH for that type of journalistic method. Actually, a piece of literature like that, and it just diminishes the credibility...for me at least. The Camaro has come a long way? I doubt anybody denies that... Motor Trend wants to convey that message? They could be less highschool boyish in their descriptions... If they want to cater to the highschool crowd, that is fine too...like I said though, their credibility is not very high on my list though...

And expect me to be still driving...me driving...as in me doing the steering and the braking and such in 2020, or 2030... I will only be 47-57 years old... Maybe at 70, 75, Ill be ready to give up my man card. Until then, I'll Keep on Truckin'!

I dont like hyperbolic journalism. Motor Trend did the same type of thing when they had Randy Pobst do the Ford Mustang GT350 and the Zeta Camaro Z/28 comparison a couple of months ago and Pobst did not like the ride in that comparison yet a year prior the ride in the Camaro was a non-issue... With this...ALL OF A SUDDEN...the I6 rumble is inferior? Funny, back in the 1990s, there was no problem...in fact, Motor Trend continually had multiple orgasms with BMW's I6 and were not as supportive of the Chevy V8... I learned waaaaaay back then that automotive journalists are paid courtesans...hookers to you and me...courtesans to the automobile execs. This time around, its in favor of what I love...as compared to the 1990s when it was ironically, the complete opposite... Yeah, I get it, BMW was pure focus back then and GM/Chevy, had lost its way and now the shoe is on the other foot... Not really though...for any decade concerning BMW or GM/Chevy. The M4 is still a formidable machine. The 1990s Camaro, if not for the interior quality and such, the powertrain was all business. BLAH for the journalistic method of trying to convey a message. There is no reason to kick BMW the way they did... And this coming from a guy that HATES BMW with a PASSION!

About the Firebird convertible body shell mated to the Prius platform: I dont have a problem with it. Restoration of classic muscle cars with modern electrification platforms is the next step of classic car survival for the 21st century. What I do have a problem with is the usage of a Toyota Prius powertrain. A Firebird deserves something like a Tesla platform and powertrain. A Corvair or a Nova might be a nicer Prius or Volt platformed electrified muscle car. A 1st generation Barracuda too. A Ford Falcon... All those would make nicer Prius or Volt platformed electrified muscle cars. A Firebird does not hum hum hum merrily along...... A Firebird, needs to be rising up from the ashes..like a bat outta hell... But I like the idea non-the-less.

Sled from MT plays with real guns and real live firepower. Not toy things such as yourself. Yeah...hello CCAP I thought I might drop you a line. PS: I dont do paintball. None of my friends ever got into it. A shame I think, because I dont doubt the fun part.

To continue on the same theme as CP's boiling lava hot post above...with a rock-n-roll touch Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire! Roll Over Beethoven, Tell Tchaikovsky The News: THIS IS ONE AWESOME RIDE! 'Nuff said. I dont have to go on on and on about how great your car is. How fantastic the colour fits your ride. I continue to envy you (in the good way). Not for the material objects you buy (the fantastic cars you own), but for the freedom that you enjoy to continually to be able to do that and for the putting your money where your mouth is. And especially that you are obviously doing well for yourself, which means that you are 1. a hard working soul 2. intelligent to continue on being financially successful. 3. And Im assuming, even with all these lavish expenditures, that you are good with money 4. because you have hinted on many occasions that you take care of the people around you that matter...ie FAMILY! THAT is what I respect about you.

Nice ride, Frisky. And its true, we do know each other for along time. I think I deserve a test drive of your car. Ill take good care of her Frisky. I wont make the tires squeal too many times.

@ Mr. DFELT, CASA, CCAP, FordCosworth, BLU and DREW. Thank you all for your support. Im actually quite good. Im at peace with her death and Im at peace with myself. I was very close to her and so was my wife and her 2 grand kids. Ive cried, and laughed thinking about her. We only have 1 mommy after all. The Wake is tomorrow and the funeral is Thursday. The security guard at the hospital, a black guy from the Congo told me one thing when I came to pick up her belongings. He told me, because he noticed I was fighting off the tears: "Cry my dear boy. Cry now, for when is time to bury her, STAND TALL AND BE PROUD OF YOUR MOMMA!" And THAT is what Ill do! Two songs for her that will be played in my head. Greek English The words to this one...some of them, hit close to home. A little tribute song to GMPartsGirl as this is her thread, I dont want to hijack her thread to end this post.

Wow! I wasnt gonna post anything for a couple of days or so..maybe as much as a week or two, until I saw this post. First of all, it is quite sad for anybody to leave this earth to go on to greener pastures. So...my condolences to GMPartsGirl's family and friends whoever and wherever they are and may she Rest In Peace. Secondly, and the reason why I wanted to take a small sabbatical from posting... I lost my momma yesterday. It was quite sudden, but very preventable. So...now that I posted this, I might take a week sabbatical or I might not. Im at peace with everything...so Ill just leave you folk with that and Ill talk to you guys soon.

You may have a point here... But I cant give you a decent rebuttal as my brain tonight aint working properly on a product planning level... Part of me wants to say that BMW SHOULD NOT be chasing Mercedes-Benz in all AMG trims in all kinds of niches...the "M" badge should not be diluted with non-sense...that would include the X6 and the M7... Yet...they do need the volume...they do need to move metal some how. Which makes me think of another thing...but my mind is all over the place tonight with product planning that I may not be thinking this out logically...here goes: Is it possible that the AMG line has become more in tune with what M-B wants it to be than BMW with the "M" line and because M-B is more focused with what the AMG line is and BMW has muddled its "M" line that the new benchmark is the AMG line? I mean...AMG driving dynamics remains constant in whatever model range its present but the "M" badge totally differs between its model range... I see confusion in BMW product planning as where I see laser focus with M-B. Aside from the fact that BMW, M-B and Audi want to infiltrate all possible niches, real or imagined...M-B's focus on every niche they are in...is very dialed in... Exemptions are the Smart division and the B Series... Even the Sprinter is honed in and where it has become, in my eyes, the best Euro van on the market. Yet...they need to offer a M7 as Cadillac will be offering a 4.2 liter V8 in the CT6... They need the X6M...as M-B's SUVs are kicking ass...and Cadillac will soon be working on its own V Series CUV.... Sure BMW will offer a fullsized SUV...but Cadillac mentioned that the Escalade will grow in luxury and sophistication.. Which makes BMW's life miserable as the M2 and M4 are totally different "M" animals than the X6M, X5M and M7. Even the M5 and M6 dont even know what direction they need to go... Do they go the AMG and V Series way? Or do they stick to their tried and true formula... Which leads us back to what you were saying before...about V8s and V12s. In which I agreed that the M5 needs to lose weight in order to dance better rather than just to push its way around the track...like a German muscle car...because BMW aint at all like a Muscle Car...but M-B and AMG sure are! Did I confuse you? Because Im sure as hell confused!

Therein lies the problem with the M5, SMK... 4400lbs... which you yourself, found a more viable solution for BMW rather than just dump a V8 under the hood like you originally suggested... Safety features and sensors aside, which is also mandated by governments...BMW also thinks that dumb technology is what makes BMW...like that stupid hand gesture recognition shyte they introduced in the 7 Series...which adds unnecessary weight to their cars... Hand gesture recognition shyte: in the air, make a gesture that resembles lowering the volume on the radio or temperature and the computer sensors will recognize it and do it for you! HOW STUPID IS THAT???!!! JUST PHYSICALLY DO IT YOURSELF!!!! YOU ARE ALREADY DOING THE DAMNED GESTURE BURNING THE DAMNED CALORIES ANYWAY!!! WHY THE NEED FOR THE COMPUTER GESTURING RECOGNITION SENSORS THEN???!!! JUST BRING BACK THE PHYSICAL BUTTONS...ITS EASIER TO ADJUST SHYTE THIS WAY, SAFER AND FASTER AND FORGET ABOUT THE IPHONE CRAP!!! Yes, I did say safer... Because as we all know, computers sometimes dont always recognize the inputs we input in them, an we rinse repeat all the time...FRUSTRATING the SHYTE out of us...and while we drive and this shyte happens, we not only get mad unnecessarily at the computer, then we put all our attention to it rather than focus are attention on the road...just to change a setting... With physical buttons, especially when its our car that has been in our possession for months and years, its a 2 second affair over and done with...if that.

And now...Im back in being one confused hombre again. But not really, because... Point very well understood, Suave. And Im swinging back to your side of the fence.

I read CP's post and I was like...DAMN RIGHT, CP!!! Bring on the Avista 4 door coupe!!!! Then I read Suave's post. and I was like...DAMNED RIGHT Suave! The Avista is not needed! But then I was like...Hey! Wait a minute! Didnt I just contradict myself???!!! So...right now, Im one confused hombre. Then I got the little light bulb working... Buick actually needs both. They need a flashy car. Because flashy cars always have somebody talk about the brand...whether it sells or not is not important. Flash gets you noticed. Its good to be noticed because you dont want to fall by the way side. But Buick also needs to vehicles that people actually buy and want to buy, because after all, what good does the flash do, get talked about, but have no desirable yet feasible and ATTAINABLE cars in the showroom for people to actually buy? SUVs/CUVs sell at this point in time. But everybody gots those in their showrooms. How does a brand distinguish these bland appliances from the next guy? BMW calls them SAVs, but they also have all sorts of other flashy cars in the show room that garner desirability which in turn garners the plebeian SUV called SAV desirable... How does Buick do that? Yes, by having a pretty face does not do any harm, but, Hyundai and Lincoln and Audi and everybody else also have SUVs with pretty mugs... There comes a time when Buick's pretty face does get lost in the crowd... So...a flashy car that instills lust in the brand helps people get their lazy asses in the Buick showroom. And if the right product is there for people to buy when they see the flashy car in person, they drive off in a brand new shiny Buick just the same, even if it aint the flashy car but the plebeian appliance SUV with that has the pretty face!

Isnt that the irony though, Suave? That the ones that like to instruct us about the injustices of others are them themselves not capable of seeing further than their nose...

It will be interesting to see how long they live considering that Europe after this diesel scandal is now considering raising the emissions hurdle. I could not find anything other than stories about discussions. Yet if they get their way, the life of the V8 and V12 could be shorter than it has been in the past. I will agree to the sentiment that V8s and certainly V12s have a limited life span going forward...but I did not want to discuss that. I wanna discuss BMW's I6. SMK...not only are V8s and V12s gonna be limited... BMWs...especially the 3 Series...and now the 2 Series and 4 Series...and the 5 Series...including the "M" versions of these...are known for the inline 6.... Why? You said it yourself SMK...BMW's I6...I6s in general, are smooth and well balanced. BMWs...whether regular or "M" version, are known to be very well balanced sportds sedans. Enough power, not over-whelming, mixed with just the right amount slalom handling and steering. The perfect balance. Engine, suspension and steering. Smooth and not over-powerful. Like an American muscle car or M-B AMG trim. The E39 M5 did indeed have a V8...but it was far from being a torque monster muscle car. It was smooth and well balanced. Have you noticed that every M5 since has not exactly been a purists favorite? The way you have philosophized this is BMW should "AMG", "SRT8", or "SS" itself with V8s in their "M" cars...but if they do that, then BMW truly has lost the war with its competition as THAT is NOT what BMW is all about. BMW, especially now that V8s are gonna be in limited use, should just continue in being what BMW always was...inline 6s and all... BMW kept up with the horsepower wars introducing twin turbos to their I6s without going to a V8... If anything, BMW has lost its way when they have introduced V8s, V10s and SAVs in their line-up. I feel that when BMW engineers introduced twin turbos to their I6s, the little light bulb went on again and they realized the wrong path they took when they decided to chase M-B in the horsepower, cylinder count war.

Nope. No Im not joking! And dont call me "Surely"!

If road-tripping at the absolute drop of a hat is a priority, maybe Tesla's not for you. Otherwise if you can spare five minutes out of your busy schedule on Google Maps and Tesla's website, you can plot out supercharger locations as well as nearby businesses and eateries that'd appreciate your half hour of patronage. But based on your 'road trip arguments,' you appear to always be in a super rush and your time is super-duper important and you haven't a moment at all to spare and your destination expects you immediately and your schedule is incredibly time sensitive. So Tesla isn't for a road warrin', wheelin'-dealin', pedal-to-the-metal, workin' overtime'n, string-pullin', mover-and-shaker like yourself. That was beautifully said! Thanks, Olds! Dont mention it. No really. Please dont mention it as I wasnt referring to you!