[V8] The ultimate V8?

[Roger M. Woodbury]

A 4.2 litre five speed?  

Naaaah!  I doubt it sincerely.  About the only thing that a five speed does
is give the average driver or average enthusiast an opportunity to exercise
the muscles in the left leg.  

Considering the amount of time the vast majority spend in traffic, a five
speed manual transmission gets annoying over time.  I don't care if a five
speed is faster to "x" miles per hour, that magic "boy racer" feeling gets
really old after shifting up and down ten times in a half a mile in stop and
go driving.  

Since I parted ways with my '93 V8, I have been driving a 200 20Valve Avant,
which I have written about probably far too much on this list.  The car is
very fast, and the second owner did some stuff to the ecu and the waste
gate, I guess.  For me heavy traffic is ten cars waiting to make a left turn
onto The Downeast Highway opposite the (compared to most) the diminutive
Maine Coast Mall.  Otherwise, almost all of my driving is open, rural roads.
I have to shift the gears in the Avant relatively little compared to
commuting to work in, say, Boston, or Los Angeles.  

Nope.  Boy Racer illusion aside, I think the ultimate V8 is a late 4.2 litre
car that has had some help in the camshaft department and perhaps some help
in lower end breathing.  Someone on this list wrote once that 4.2 cars that
had been dynoed usually came out showing between 295 and 305 horsepower.  A
4.2 litre car with automatic transmission and a bit of top end help, and
some help breathing, should produce 325 or so, and still remain docile for
normal use.  

With that setup, anyone could win the race...to the Seven Eleven....

Big deal.

Roger

(Still misses the V8!).