Mutate Now » muscle car

Rihanna – “Shut Up And Drive” [Video]

Molli Fire — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:42:10 +0000

yes ma’am!

2011 Speed By Spectre 341 Challenge

Molli Fire — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 05:10:03 +0000

Amateur and pro racers alike are invited to test their skills on the challenging uphill battle along Nevada’s Highway 341 in the 2nd Annual Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge. This year’s road race takes place June 17-19th near Virginia City Nevada:

The race, set for June 17-19, 2011, will pit supercars, muscle cars and imports against the clock in a full-throttle blast up the mountain road, which will be closed to the public for the event.

The Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge is a rare opportunity to drive flat-out on one of the most technical and aggressive stretch of mountain road in the country, without the worry of oncoming traffic or law enforcement. The paved course is 5.2 miles long with 22+ turns, a 1,216-foot rise in elevation, steep drop offs and no guardrails!

Vintage Car Ads [Photo Collection]

Molli Fire — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:31:15 +0000

This is an ongoing collection of vintage car ads. We’ll add more as we find them and you can add to the collection via the comments section!

American Muscle Cars Of The Economy-Minded Early 70′s [TV]

Molli Fire — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:10:11 +0000

Not all muscle cars are big as a boat. American automakers began production of smaller “economy” cars in the early 1970′s as a response to sudden changes in the market, including the oil embargo and long lines at the gas station. While some customers were drawn to the lower sticker prices, others were more excited about the new, lighter-weight body intended for improving gas-mileage. It didn’t take much to rod them out, some even came straight-from the factory with race packages built in. These little speed demons combined full-size power with a lighter, no-frills frame & interior which made them champs at the 1/4 mile race track. There’s still a handful of purists out there who don’t consider smaller cars to be worthy of the term “muscle car” and the technical definition doesn’t actually include ponies or grocery-getters. But watch these 2 videos and decide for yourself – can 100% genuine muscle come in small-block packages?

Click the play button to stream the video right here:

From: American Muscle Car: The Economy Movers on Hulu.com

This next video drops a cool little bit of wisdom about the Ford small-block V8 engines – apparently the 289 c.i. is the only V8 ever to win the FIA World Championship race. They weren’t big winners at the strip, so I’m stoked to hear they made a name in the global arena… (I’ve been unable to find more info on this point, so if ya have the details or know links with more info, please drop ‘em in the comments!)

From: Small-Block Screamers on Hulu.com

Muscle Cars & The Women Who Love Them

Molli Fire — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:38:10 +0000

You know my bias on this one – I’m 100% female and I love muscle cars with a passion. Of course, I’m not the only girl who likes the cars that go VROOM! Occasionally it warrants a full article, this time from an Aussie perspective:

“The women who are really into it tend to be more emotionally attached than men,” Harry Christian, of Australian Muscle Car Sales, says. “They tend to be abnormally fanatical about their muscle cars – it’s not typically a female thing but the ones who do sway that way get right into it.”

Comet Queen in SF

Hybrid Muscle Cars = Zero Emissions + V8 Power

Molli Fire — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:20:10 +0000

Soon, muscle car enthusiasts won’t have to choose between horsepower and clean air! Popular Mechanics (possibly the most resilient magazine ever published) goes into massive detail in this article about how they’ve combined new + old technologies side by side for a totally unique buildup. They start with a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T with a V8 Hemi and add hybrid engineering along with nitrous for added oomph!! I know what’s going into my next project car now…

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

Do you want muscular V8 performance on the highway and dragstrip, yet still produce zero emissions around town? If so, this article’s for YOU!

Most of today’s compact hybrids use a small electric motor to supplement the power of an equally small gasoline engine, sacrificing performance and driving fun for maximum fuel economy and minimal emissions.

But what if we use two parallel powertrains, gas and electric, either of which is powerful enough to drive a full-size car?

Full story: Eco + Muscle: 2009 Your Drive Makeover on Popular Mechanics site.

1973 Mercury Comet – A Girl’s Best Friend

Molli Fire — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:19:11 +0000

My latest obsession: muscle cars circa 1930-79

I’ve always been a tomboy, always will be. In high school, while most gals my age were obsessing over Seventeen Mag and picking out prom dresses, I was drooling over my neighbor’s GTO Judge and pulling parts out of my boyfriend’s Trans Am for rebuilding. My environmental awareness took root in college and I switched to diesels that I could modify to run on veggie oil and became a DIY tour bus mechanic. A decade later, I’m finally living out my teen fantasies of owning and restoring my very own muscle car – a 1973 Mercury Comet with Ford’s 5.0L 302 c.i. V8 engine. Everyone has different opinions on what makes one muscle car better than the other and everyone has their 1st loves as well as their daily drivers. I don’t think many people would place the Comet in their top 3 fave muscle cars, but I’m not most people. All I know is I LOVE this car!!! For me, personally, it’s perfect. Small enough for just me, big enough for double dating. Fast enough to get me in trouble, fast enough to get me out of trouble. And it may not look like a pageant queen right now, but someday it will be CANDY! With that in mind, I intend to enjoy/punish the body and engine until it dies. Then rebuild it from the frame up.

My friend Twelver came over on the 1st day I had the car at home and snapped some sweet “Before” pix: