the next Supercar??

[Hotrodpaul]

What about the 1989 Trans Am Pontiac Turbo coupe? I saw one of these click off consistent 12.80's at Houston Raceway Park back in 1990 or 1991 with nothing more that a flowmaster muffler and computer chip. Same engine as a grand national but in a sleeker body. I believe they only made a limited number, something like 2000 or so. White with Beige interior and Gold spoke wheels, it really was a good looking car.

I also had a 1986 Mustang LX which I purchased in 1986 with 2000 miles. Finally modded it up to the point of building a 347 stroker, 5 speed Tremec, Cobra R's, etc. That car was a blast!


Paul

[king_midas]

Paul,

You're correct-- The Turbo T/A is also way under the radar. By the way, that's a great looking Mustang. You do know that that particular car is very rare...

I guess the only problem (well, some may consider it a problem...) is that all performance offerings from GM w/a turbo were automatics. Now, turbos are better in automatics because they constantly stay spooled up and under boost, but the fun-to-drive, and possible track-day events (if you're into turning rather than straight-lines) are constrained by not having a manual.

Hooray the GM turbos...

[Hotrodpaul]

I only saw about three other 86 coupes like mine the whole 17 years I owned it. Sold it in 2003 to make room for a low mile 98 Cobra.

Paul

[x Baldwin Motion]

actually, a 66 coronet with a 440 sounds like a cool ride.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I agree that $3-4k would be a bargain!!

My pic has always been the '89 TT/A - it's only got Lesabre heads on it, nothing to worry the GNX guys (BTW, the GNX is my #2 pic of next supercar)

[Hotrodpaul]

Here is a nice 89 Turbo TA one on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-Pont...1QQcmdZViewItem

Paul

[AutoInsane]

Hey the Syclone is pretty damn hot!!:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GMC-Sonom...emZ200083545167

Not sure if it the collectable of tomorrow though.....

[tom406]

First off, I have to apologize for dismissing the '86 Mustangs King Midas went to the trouble of recommending with such a cursory excuse. Though I bristled when told I don't know Mustangs, I realized later that I brushed off his advice to the poster without much tact or explanation. So here's what I SHOULD have said about Fox Mustangs:

I like '85 5.0/5sp cars. They were the first ones to really make me take notice (I was 16, and I read the Car & Driver article over and over...). They're the last hurrah of carb musclecars, and are probably the easiest ones for "old school" guys to get into, if only because they look nice under the hood. The dual snorkel air cleaner and finned valve covers are just neat looking, even with all of the smog stuff. I liked the new styling, and they had real 60 series tires (no more goofy TRX wheels and tires).

'87/'88 was really when 5.0 stuff started catching on, and you start seeing a lot more articles, especially in the East Coast magazines with Tony DeFeo and Steve Collison's LX's (among others) doing impressive stuff. This seemed to be the time when you could order a truly stripped down model, with basic seats, roll up windows, and no radios showing up on car lots. I'm pretty sure Ford started upping the options into packages later, so you don't find '90-93 cars that stripped down.

I've had two '90 LX 5.0 hatches, a '93 Cobra, and an '85 GT 5sp convert that I bought from the original lady owner with 50K miles on it. I don't like '87-'93 GT's with their hokey taillights and their unnecessary ground effects. I'd put up with them if there weren't LX's, but thankfully I never had to make that choice.

My anti '86 bias mostly comes from that late'80's/early '90's mindset. Those flattop pistons with no valve reliefs meant that you were going to have to buy pistons and really get into the motor if you were going to build it up at all. This seemed a waste, since '87-'92 HO 5.0's had forged pistons that could take a lifetime of abuse, and had the valve reliefs. I only wanted to deal in bolt-ons. Here in 2007 its less of a factor, especially if you're planning on rebuilding the engine anyway.

But I would argue that '86 5.0's are always going to be the middle child, a 'tweener like '64 Vettes. They're not the first of that body style, and '87 is really when that engine got embraced by the masses in its 225hp tune. And rightly or wrongly, the heads/pistons issue is what dogged them then, and they carry that stigma whether deserved or not. So value-wise, I don't think they're ever going to break out, at least compared to the '87-'93 cars. You can call them the best of both worlds now, but they never had that rep "back in the day".

(Wow, I'm finally old enough to have car "back in the day" stories )

I've never had an '86, so correct me if I'm wrong, but the piston deal precludes you from doing an E303 cam or even 1.7 rockers, even with aftermarket heads, does it not?

Obviously I know what you can build 5.0's into, but if collectibility is kept in mind, you really don't want run a bunch of aftermarket hardware on the car. There's a lot of modified cars out there, that's why stock ones are gaining in value!

The stripped '87/'88 LX cars are the epitome of 5.0 story (going fast for cheap), and the '93 Cobra is the ultimate development of the concept by Ford. The '85's are a sentimental favorite of mine, and could be a good fit for traditionalists (weak rearend be damned).

Respectfully,
TOM BRESKE

[Hotrodpaul]

The stock Swirl Port heads were quite restrictive. Back in 86, I ran the car basically stock with a 3.27 gear and clicked off 15.0's @ 90 mph. A year later, installed the hot "Truck heads" with some mild porting and it was like a night and day difference. With those heads and 3.73 gear, the car was running low 14's at 100 mph, everything else stock. I still have the stock short block with flat top pistons since I used another block to build the 347 stroker.

Out of all the musclecars and other assorted vehicles I have had over the years, that 86 LX Mustang 5.0 was the best bang for the buck, most enjoyable to drive, easy to work on, best car I ever owned. The parts available for these cars in the used and aftermarket segments is staggering. I would love to own another one, preferably a low mile 87-91 LX Coupe, unmolested, and in stock form (Good Luck).


Paul

[GRB]

I've always thought the best looking Mustang was the '00-04 model. Not sure about the years but around that time. The SVT Cobra are beautiful but I'd really like to have a Cobra R....'03 or so.