March Muscle Car Madness: Round Two, Day Three

Yesterday was all about blowouts; none of the winners from yesterday got less than 70%! You folks were pretty decisive even if (in the case of the Rambler) sadly mistaken.

Here's the details of the carnage: for the Zombies, the '72 Roadrunner beat the noble SC/Rambler by 71.3%, the first of two winning Bosses, Rod Rager's Boss 302 took 80.5% to whip the SVT Cobra; for the Classics, the '68 Camaro beat the Wildcat (Camaro had 75.4%) in a match that surprised absolutely nobody, and finally, our last Boss, the 429, whipped (84%) the 20th Anniversary Trans Am, thoughtfully giving the traditional 20th anniversary gift of a silver ass-kicking.

On to today!

Zombies: 1967 Plymouth GTX vs. 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator. The GTX was the brute brother to the butler-named Belevedere, and differed from its sibling in grille treatment, fake scoops, a heavier-duty suspension, and, most importantly, the option of the massive 7 liter "Elephant" Hemi engine, good for 425 hp. The Mercury can be thought of as the Mustang's rich cousin, with the same basic platform but full of more plush, more sound deadening, and stretched wheelbase. It could be had with the 300 hp 351 cu "Cleveland" engine, but this one is interesting to consider for its luxo-barge comfort. That's a factor when you're not doing burnouts, right?

Rod Rage: 1970 Buick GSX vs. 2004 Roush Mustang GT. The GSX was the spiritual ancestor of the GNX, and was a pretty rare car– only about 400 or so were made. With the Stage 1 engine, a relatively lightweight 455, the important number isn't the HP, but the torque: 510 lb ft at only 2800 rpm. Think of the tires you could ruin! The Roush commemorates 40 years of Mustang production, and does so with a crapload of extra performance parts, making a 360-400 hp monster that they claimed could accelerate as well as a 911. So, against a GSX, modernity or nostalgia?

Classics: 1968 Pontiac GTO vs. 1971 Dodge Charger. Oh boy. This is a clash of the Titans. The Goat is about as iconic as muscle cars get, and the 1968 restyle with the color-keyed front bumper/facia and hidden light options gave the GTO a really menacing face. With 366 angry, horny ponies under the hood, we all know the Goat goes like stink. For the Charger, this one is a generation removed from the famed General Lee, so feel free to vote for it if you're, you know, not into the Confederacy. Also, '71 was the last year they'd cram a 426 "Elephant" engine in there, and those 425 hp monsters are always fun.

Drag Queens: 1970 Plymouth Superbird vs. 2010 Shelby Cobra GT500KR. It would be easy to cast this as another old-school vs. new-school battle, but I don't really think it's that. Both cars are impressive, technically– Superbird in a brute-force kind of way (the EPA used one in the 1970s to chase jets to collect exhaust samples!) and the Shelby in a supercharged, carbon-fiber'd 540 hp high-tech monster. This is not a Rocky Balboa vs. Ivan Drago thing– it's more like what people think when they see you drive up in one; arrive in the Shelby, and you're a well-heeled, discerning speed junkie. In the Superbird, you're a fucking loon who might do anything.

Alight; to compensate for the time this is posting, I'm keeping polls open till noon tomorrow. Vote!