New Buick won't race

[sailbrd]

Seein how we are all waiting for Raven to get the next chapter up I think this little encounter might be entertaining.

I was on my way down to the Dream Cruise last year in my GSx. The X is a 70 lark cloned out in the Yellow/Black combo. Its a 462 with headers, 3" X pipe exhaust, SP-1, and a nice lumpy TA 413 cam. I have on the race wheels with Nitto 555r's on the back.

I am driving in on M-59 through Pontiac and catch a red. Just sittin there with the windows down, George Thourogood coming out the speakers. Just happen to be playin "Bad to the Bone." (OK I have a CD that plays nothing but Bad to the Bone) When a big black 4 door with portholes on the front fender slides up. NO ONE slide up next to the X without looking over (sometimes just making sure the big block Buick isn't going to reach over and bite one of their tires off.) I catch the guys eye and signal for him to lower his window, he obliges. Over the sound of the motor and George I shout the question "Is that the new Buick?"

For some reason the guy goes all porky on me. Zips his window up and grabs his wheel with both hands, stares straight ahead. Me, I'm just enjoying the fine Michigan summer evening and the back massage from the big block at idle. Light turns and I just stay next to the big 4 door. Doing the 2500 rpm thing with the Buick. For you hair blower guys that have not ridden in a big block car you have to realize you have at least 400 ft pounds of torgue at 2500 and the converter will be really tight at light excelleration. The net result is the car is just lazing along but it pops a hard shift into second and chirps the tires. I use just enough throttle to stay next to the guy.

New light coming up and I hope for a little go with him. No way, the guy throws on his left turn signal and switches into the turn lane. Slinks off with his tail between his legs. Hard to believe this behavior from a Buick guy. I did find a picture of the new Buick and attached it.

I know it's not a kill but it sure was a beating.

[Black Power]

what a jerk, he should have some respect for a fellow Buick.

[Buickracer]

Doug, I hope that's an early April Fools story cause that ain't a Buick you posted.

[Black Car]

Hi Sailbrd,
Many of us do know and appreciate the Buick big block car torque.
I am sure you meant no disrespect when you said " For you hair blower guys that have not ridden in a big block car you have to realize you have at least 400 ft pounds of torgue at 2500 and the converter will be really tight at light excelleration".
It sounds like you haven't ridden in one of our kind of Buick.

In case you don't know about our hairblower, from the factory stock we had 245 HP @ 4400 RPM and 355 ft-lbs of torque at 2000 RPM .Now if you look at say 20 our cars, maybe you will find one stock, just maybe.
Most are over 400 ft-lbs of torque with a loose converter (3000 to 3500) with lockup. Most don't know what turbo lag means any more.
To make matters worse, you can't tell by our engine/exhaust noise weather the car is basic stock are 9/10 sec quarter mile car.
That is what I like about them.
Regards,
Gary

[buickbert]

thats a masarati that is in the pic you posted

[Dewey]

No wonder he got all snippy when somebody thought his car was a Buick...

[sailbrd]

I have a GN and love it. But it drives completly different than the big block. My GN will not chirp the tires at 2500 part throttle (I know some of them will.) So no disrespect was intended. Part of the fun of having both Buicks is to enjoy the differences in the cars.

Roberta, yeah, it was a Masaratti and the guy just about had a cow when I asked if it was the new Buick. What was he going to do, I'm in a car that is a backroom street brawler and he was in no way willing to get shut down by it. I liked that he turned left, must have taken him a few extra minutes to get headed back to Birmingham.

No one ever wants to take a shot at the X on the steet. It's not that fast but it is really intimidating. Working on making it faster.

[Gabriel]

how did you search for images for "buick" and find a maserati?

[henschman]

rofl, that's worse than what people do when you call their lexus a toyota or their acura a honda! heh, that maserati does look an awful lot like an 04+ park avenue or that new lucerne though. i find most guys with cars that expensive don't race, even though their cars were made to haul balls. cars like that are wasted on their intended demographic! what a shame.

[Ttype83]

I've had a few BB, nothing like that lopey idle sitting at a light. Last was in 1978-79 in a 69 camaro, 396..I could only hear the radio while sitting at a light

[sailbrd]

Originally Posted by Gabriel

how did you search for images for "buick" and find a maserati?

Actually I did a search for "ugly Buick" and came up with the Masaratti.

You do see a lot of exotics when you go to the dream cruise. Some of the people that drive them are OK. A lot of them are @$$ho!e$, look at me I have a _______ that I don't know how to drive. I love the smell of burned Ferrarri clutch in a trafic jam.

[Blackcar]

This Maserati Quattroporte is available in a sport configuration with over 400hp Just because the pilot was probably regally offended at your misidentification, doesn't imply his ride is slow or he's intimdated. This vehicle has a Ferrari designed V8, (so you should enjoy the ethereal soundtrack) and is nothing to blow your nose at; OEM specs, 395hp, 0-60@5.1, 1/4 in 13.2@109.2mph, 171 mph, 60-0 109ft., .88g, 65.8 slalom and this is the base, non-sport modelo! By comparision a OEM 70 GSX: 360hp, 5.5, 13.3@105.7mph, the rest isn't even close! So hopefully the "Lucerne" will play, just be ready, especially if it's a sport, much less modified.
As far as the Turbo V6 vs. 455 thing goes I like and own both, and I'd say the Buick forte is torque.
Another amusing Maserati tale; I used to own an 84 Zamal Biturbo. I went to a car dealership as I'd spotted a GN there, (I'd always wanted a Turbo Buick). The salesman was overbearing and arrogant claiming he'd personally tuned the GN and it was the fastest production car of it year of manufacture! I was not impressed and I took a visibly shook saleshark for a joyride. Scott
87 GN
84 T-type
70 455 GS

[sailbrd]

I knew exactly what it was and just wanted to jerk his chain. Worked pretty good. If he was a real car guy he would have gotten the joke. It is a great looking car to tell the truth. Would have been nice to hear the Ferrari motor at work but no such luck. Then again if I light up the X I would not have heard it anyway.

[Daniel Jost]

I dont know where you are getting your remarks from with the "Hair blower" guys? i take effence to that so i say this, my hair blower engine theoretically displaces as much as your big block at only 15PSI, let alone 24 PSI. Oh and at the same time my car idles with a nice quiet very smooth idleing purr, until called upon with the open exhaust dump, while still getting 18-20 in town and in excess of 28MPG on the highway, how is yours? and torque im not shy on that, how about on the bottle?

,Dan

[SVORay]

Interrestingly...


Now I can't remember for sure but I seem to recall our motors with only 15psi pushes the same cfm as a 472 BB. I'll edit this or repost it if I fine where that was written.

[sailbrd]

Dan,
You guys are too sensitive. I love my "hair dryer" 87 GN. All I was trying to get across is that the big block car has a much different feel than the turbo car does. There are many people today that have never been in an old V-8 muscle car. The charm is their raw uncivilized nature. A big cammed v-8 with minimal mufflers can be intimidating just setting at idle. A GN, even a 10 second car, is much more refined car. I get a lot more people wanting to take a shot at the GN than the GSX.

In my case it was the exact opposite experience. Two years ago I was going from the dream cruise up to a local car show. We pulled into the A&W and saw a really nice GN setting in the parking lot accross the street (to new to be in the "official" area.) My daughter had been bugging me to get a GN, we looked and it had a "for sale" sign on it. She went over to take a look. Next thing you know she was taking it for a test drive. Came back and said "Dad you have to take that for a drive." I always thought the GN looked good but I did have a little of that it's only a V6 attitude. Well I took it for a drive. Just driving it around it seemed like a really nice car. It only had 38,000 miles on it and spent the last 13 years in a collection of 7 cars. Basically it was just like new. Drove nice and tight, but it sure was quiet. It wasn't my car and I was way gentle with the throttle. Was stopped at an intersection and the owner said it was OK to stand on it. Light changed, let my foor off the brake and floored it (no spool up), was not impressed, then half way across the intersection all he!! broke loose. Bought the car 10 minutes later!

Now I think that the family car show is looking pretty good. Family Photo

[Daniel Jost]

Dayum those are some nice cars there!

[denn454]

thats funny. i work with a guy with an older prosche, thinks its the greatest thing ever. I'll have to comment about his VW next time i see him...

was it actually a masaratti or did you know what it was?

they do look a lot alike when looking at the front fender.

[sailbrd]

It was a real Masarati. The guy was probably on his way back home to Birmingham. There are lots of bucks in Birmingham, guys like Roger Penske live there.

I live south of Flint and seeing a Ferrari or Masarati is pretty rare. Go to the dream cruise and see a bunch of exotics.