RideLust

Thumbs Up: Drives a thousand pounds lighter than it is

Thumbs Down: Transmission is still just a five speed

Buy This Car If: You’re looking for America’s best blue-collar muscle sedan

Let’s say you enjoy road trips, the kind of which occasionally take you to a different time zone, just for a weekend getaway. You probably want a car that’s roomy, with enough space for four adults plus luggage. You want a car that’s fast, since the faster you get from point A to point B, the sooner you can enjoy some downtime. You want a car that’s good on gas, since time spent refueling is time not spent driving. Finally, you want a car with some entertainment value, just in case you decide to occasionally take the scenic route. Read More…

Let me be the first to say that putting a muscle car on a road course is an exercise in futility. They’re big, heavy and at days end, where never meant to endure the rigors of road course duty. Sure there were raced back in the 1960′s and ’70′s in the Trans Am series, but those were purpose built race cars, not street cars. Matt Farah of Youtube’s DRIVE Network recently had the chance to flog two muscle cars of different eras; one a 1970 Dodge Challenger built by Hotchkis Suspension Systems and the other being a 2011 Ford Mustang GT with every bolt-on part imaginable. Want to know what he thought? Click through for the video and find out.

Source: Youtube.com/DRIVE

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The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, the Lamborghini Countach and the 1969 Dodge Daytona. Three cars that exhibit characters that are completely outlandish for any automobile of any era. The Trans Am for example, with its big screaming chicken on the hood and t-topped roof is reminiscent of the 1970′s disco scene. The Countach simply screams “I LOVE COCAINE” and the Dodge Daytona, well that was a car designed to go fast when go fast technology didn’t even exist. My point is this; you can still, if you have the means go out and pick-up any one of these cars and drive them all the time.

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Remember back in 2005 when the redesigned Dodge Charger came out? Mopar purists went completely bat-shit because Chrysler decided to give it four doors instead of two, which for some, was shear blasphemy. But what if back in the day the original Charger came with 4-doors? I mean that would have relegated it to family truckster status right from the get go and thus there wouldn’t have been any controversy. The same can be said for the Plymouth Barracuda, a car that is arguably one of the most iconic muscle cars ever built. They’re styling is timeless, their reputations at the drag strips are legendary, and way back when you could order one up with everything from a slant-6 to a fire breathing 426 HEMI. I found this rendering online of a four-door version and figured I’d post it up to get some opinions. So, whatcha’ think – good, bad or indifferent?

As an automotive journalist I’m simply not the biggest fan of new cars. I appreciate them, drive them and marvel at the technology that’s incorporated into them, but at days end they simply don’t excite me the way the old stuff does. I was thinking about this yesterday as I was tooling around in my 44 year-old Dodge, a car that for all intents and purposes, is more like a Conestoga wagon then a modern automobile. It’s a simple machine that was built in a time when things were still predominantly mechanical. An open hood for instance reveals recognizable components such as a power steering pump, brake master and hell, even an engine. You can see the cylinder heads, headers and spark plug wires, how they’re installed and how they work. Basically it’s not rocket science under there, it’s just mechanical simplicity in its rawest form.

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I always find it amusing when the racing drivers of today climb behind the wheel of vintage automobiles as their comments range from the amusing to the absurd. Justin Bell for example has won the 24 Hours of LeMans and was a GT 2 World Champion, so seeing him behind the wheel of a vintage Dodge Charger was well, kind of interesting. Understand that this is a guy who has no problem slinging a modern race car into a turn at 130 mph, however once behind the wheel of a 44 year-old Dodge Charger he seems to get all flustered. Granted, these cars are not for the faint of heart, but jeeze, I figured he’d be more comfortable then this video portrays. Yes the stock steering sucks, and yes drum brakes aren’t in fashion anymore, but hell man… just relax and enjoy what is arguably one of the coolest muscle cars ever created.

Source: Youtube.com

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It would’ve been so much easier if I was just into video games or something because there are times when being a car guy totally sucks. You see I don’t just like cars, I love them. In fact every aspect of my life revolves around them. I write about them, build them, race them, film them… hell, they encompass everything I do. Who knew that back in the day when I was playing with Matchbox and remote control cars that it would turn into an obsession that has taken over my life. The problem is this; I want everything, but the fatal combination of a writers salary and lack of space prevent this from happening. Sure being in the industry helps, as we get to drive press cars and go to different automotive related events, but still, that doesn’t change the fact that I jones for something different in the garage on a daily basis. Take this near perfect 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 that I spied recently on eBay. Folks, if I had the money this sucker would be in my garage tomorrow. Sure it’s big and cumbersome, but it’s a classic piece of American iron that I would love to use as a daily driver. Maybe it’s because it’s different, or maybe its because cars like this remind me of my childhood growing up in the 1970′s. Whatever the reason though, road yachts like this always get my blood pumping.

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Here in California customized cars are a dime a dozen and as usual they fall into three distinct categories; the good, the bad and the ugly. Regardless though, everyone who customizes a car does so to interject their own personal taste into what they consider and otherwise bland ride. For some the extent of their customization doesn’t go beyond a set of wheels, for others though, well, let’s just say that they take it above and beyond what some would consider to be good taste. Being the owner of a few custom cars I can tell you from experience that not everyone is going to share your vision which means you’d better be prepared for those negative comments when they start flying at you. My matte black 1969 Dodge Daytona for example is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea and believe me, people let me know it. For everyone that hates it though there are those, like me, that dig it and think it’s cool. So, for those of you out there who have put your own unique stamps on your ride, I’m curious as to what types of comments you hear on a regular basis.

You’ve got to wonder if Dodge is doing the right thing by bringing back the “Dart” nameplate. I mean back in the day the Dart was nothing more then a cheap everyday driver that was completely devoid of all bells and whistles. Granted there were a few that slipped under the radar like the Swinger and Demon, but for the most part these were simple compact rides that were beloved by Grandmas everywhere. The new 2013 Dodge Dart promises to be something different, and by the looks of these newly released interior photos, they’re throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this thing. A double stitched dash, in-dash turn-by-turn navigation and an integrated touch-screen media stack that includes hands-free phone, satellite radio and climate controls give the Dart a very upscale look and feel. This is obviously going to be a far cry from what the old Dart represented. One has to ask the question though, why would you label it with a name that will simply get people thinking “cheap” right from the get-go… it just doesn’t make sense.

Click through for more photos.

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For those of you living under a box, let me introduce you to Chad Vader, the day-shift manager at the Empire Market supermarket. Chad originally showed his face on Youtube back in 2006 and since then he’s been racking up hordes of fans on a daily basis. Generally his day consists of trying to dominate other food retailers in the area, keeping customers in line and throwing his Empire style attitude around, but when Chad gets a call from Champion J. Pepper and a chance to drive the greatest car in television history, well, he simply can’t resist.

Source: Blame Society Films

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