[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

This is just my tangential 2 cents', but electric AWD cars are pretty much the end of drag racing as weekend fun. The pros will always compete of course in their 6/7/8-second cars, but lining up and running x time with 99.99% predictability by simply mashing the throttle on the last yellow gets boring very quickly, to participants, competitors and spectators alike.

Case in point, last time I went there was a Tesla Model X that ran within 0.1 seconds every single time, like clockwork, until the battery ran low. Driver did absolutely nothing, no prep, no drag tires, not even lowering tire pressures, just lined up and kept the pedal to the floor all the way. No need to actually compete, one can simply compare spec sheets. Yawn.

(Now I will say having an automatic trans like the one in my car takes a big chunk out of the fun already, so it's not like I'd be a hardcore drag racer, this is only a simple observation.)

From MY point of view, the Tesla highlights how drag racing's skill mostly revolved around how much money was invested into the car that made it easier to hook-up and simply go. The sooner you could do that, it was just a horsepower race and I think part of the "excitement" was wondering if some chump saved a couple bucks on his build and was going to blow his motor in the process.

It, frankly, highlights how boring it is and how once you eliminate the "skill" of hooking up applying the power to the ground, there ain't shit left for a driver to do other than steer.

Meanwhile, road course racing still calls for...the same skills, regardless if it's electric or ICE on the track...

Yeah, I know, different strokes for different folks, but I'll take a road course any day over boring-arse drag racing.

[TXCSSU]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

I think this speaks to the leverage and power of persuasion individual teams/divisions within the company have. The Camaro has obviously become the red headed stepchild, and it is also easy to see that there still are many performance enthusiasts and outstanding professionals at gm—it's just that the company as a whole is betting hard on the latest vogue they feel will succeed, as most large corporations do, yet sometimes these enthusiasts can punch through the ceiling, so to speak.

I wouldn't necessarily say that the Camaro is the red headed step child, but there's only so much GM can do as not to encroach on Corvette sales. I'd personally love to see a mid-engine Camaro, but there's no way I can see GM doing it and not pissing off the Corvette team. Hell, back when the Buick Grand National was king, Buick wasn't allowed to rate the engine at a number higher than the Corvette even though it was reported to be higher (didn't help that engines were relatively anemic back then).

Oh and here's an artist's rendition of what that mid-engine Camaro might look like.

[Silveradoss573]

Originally Posted by 1LEornothing

You owned the worst handling 6th gen camaro possible: a V8 2SS convertible. Additionally, it was a lemon. Had you had the opportunity to sample a much lighter and much better handling 1SS (hardtop) or 1LE, you would have immediately realized that they were in an entire different handling league. Compare your scat to the camaro you should have bought instead of the camaro you chose to buy.

Throttle house said the widebody scat handles like a truck.

[LT1ornothing]

Originally Posted by Silveradoss573

Throttle house said the widebody scat handles like a truck.

Tell that to farmer fran, apparently his wide scat runs circles around the SS and 1LE on the track AND the street.

[gpskinzhut]

Originally Posted by TXCSSU

Oh and here's an artist's rendition of what that mid-engine Camaro might look like.

Needs to be burned, buried, and never spoken of again.

[zxspeedspec]

Originally Posted by sactownbwoy

That's not really fair because a modern Lambo has all kinds of electronics for launching too. So, you could take pretty much any modern car with decent power and do the same thing against drag racers who didn't have electronics launching for them.

That is exactly my point. It's not a much of a skill if we're at the point where computers can beat humans. Our computers can't take us from work to the office without humans intervening. We can't program a car to lap COTA faster than a human. So it says something for how much skill is involved in mashing a pedal to the floor if a computer can handle it much better than any human.

[crysalis_01]

Originally Posted by zxspeedspec

That is exactly my point. It's not a much of a skill if we're at the point where computers can beat humans. Our computers can't take us from work to the office without humans intervening. We can't program a car to lap COTA faster than a human. So it says something for how much skill is involved in mashing a pedal to the floor if a computer can handle it much better than any human.

So, you're saying that when, not if, we are able to do so, because that time will be here sooner than you'd think, motorsport will be just done and over with?

I am asking seriously and not with any sort of "snark" or trying to be confrontational.

[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

So, you're saying that when, not if, we are able to do so, because that time will be here sooner than you'd think, motorsport will be just done and over with?

I am asking seriously and not with any sort of "snark" or trying to be confrontational.

Motorsport w/o human drivers could definitely be a "thing" eventually.

[TXCSSU]

Originally Posted by gpskinzhut

Needs to be burned, buried, and never spoken of again.

Other than the Matte Chrome finish, I kinda like it although it's obviously just a Camaro front end on a Corvette with massaged rear quarters.

[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by 1LEornothing

Tell that to farmer fran, apparently his wide scat runs circles around the SS and 1LE on the track AND the street.

Still scratching my head about this a bit btw. In no circumstances at all that I've seen - road course OR street driving comparisons - has anyone ever raved about this mysterious X-factor where the Challenger or Charger clearly just "feels" superior on public back roads...

They aren't even the same car for that task at all.

[zxspeedspec]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

So, you're saying that when, not if, we are able to do so, because that time will be here sooner than you'd think, motorsport will be just done and over with?

I am asking seriously and not with any sort of "snark" or trying to be confrontational.

I think it'll get to a point where we have an AI car mixed in the pack and see how well it can do alongside human drivers and/or how must faster it is than even the best human driver when we get to that point. It would be the "pace" car for the theoretical best lap times and then we can see how close the Lewis Hamilton of tomorrow can get to it.

I'm just arguing drag racing is barely a motorsport. The cool aspect of drag racing is seeing some of the awesome builds. The racing itself is low skill/pointless and 99% tech based instead of skill based.

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

Still scratching my head about this a bit btw. In no circumstances at all that I've seen - road course OR street driving comparisons - has anyone ever raved about this mysterious X-factor where the Challenger or Charger clearly just "feels" superior on public back roads...

They aren't even the same car for that task at all.

If you're a huge fan of drifting, the Challenger/Charger makes a more fun car because I've had rentals go into a drift for no ****ing reason at 40 MPH on those 270 degree onramps. If you enjoy actual time trialing or racing, then no, there's nothing about it that stands out.

[pauly1119]

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

Still scratching my head about this a bit btw. In no circumstances at all that I've seen - road course OR street driving comparisons - has anyone ever raved about this mysterious X-factor where the Challenger or Charger clearly just "feels" superior on public back roads...

They aren't even the same car for that task at all.

He probably meant it does donuts. I actually love when a Hellcat or Scat tries to stay with me on highway ramps.

[MightyBobo]

Originally Posted by zxspeedspec

If you're a huge fan of drifting, the Challenger/Charger makes a more fun car because I've had rentals go into a drift for no ****ing reason at 40 MPH on those 270 degree onramps. If you enjoy actual time trialing or racing, then no, there's nothing about it that stands out.

So they are perfect for the hoonigan crowd that loves spinning the rear wheels but not actually holding traction. Which is...precisely the kind of crowd I'd expect to love the Challenger and Chargers lol. Burnouts are Badass Boyz.

Originally Posted by pauly1119

He probably meant it does donuts. I actually love when a Hellcat or Scat tries to stay with me on highway ramps.

Ah, nothing is better than a 2-lane 270 on-ramp that has a slower lane for semi's and whatnot. This one near me to go from WB Craig to SB 15 is perfect to smoke around people who THINK they know what "fast" means...

[zxspeedspec]

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

Ah, nothing is better than a 2-lane 270 on-ramp that has a slower lane for semi's and whatnot. This one near me to go from WB Craig to SB 15 is perfect to smoke around people who THINK they know what "fast" means...

I'm JEALOUS!!!!!!!