VisualEchos

Every Friday and Saturday night I have these Camaro's and Firebirds trying to race me...I never bite. Last weekend the local Import scene was meeting at TCBY's and this guy comes up and asks me to race. I say, "sure, what do you have?". He points to this Z28 and I just laugh. I could see his face getting redder by the second. He says, "why not?". I said (without thinking), "American trash...junk, what's the point?". Needless to say, he didn't like this at all (why are Rednecks so quick to point out that a guy in a Ferrari is NOT his car, but get personally offended when someone disses theirs?). I told him not to take it so "personal" and it didn't help, he was still pissed. He made some off-handed remark while walking away that I was "scared", so I said back that I wasn't "scared" at all, just that the win provided no merit for me, and that I didn't care to win aginst his car because really, I already had...I have an S2000 and he has a dinosaur F-Body...fast or not.

This got me to thinking...

I remember reading an article in Car & Driver in the late 80's that detailed just how greedy the US automakers were. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be an American, but this article struck a cord in me that has made me pissed off ever since.

It basically stated how it was easily possible for Domestic automakers to make cars just as good as those coming from Japan, but not as profitable, so they wouldn't do it. It also detailed the "Badge engineering" scheme set up by several Domestic automakers to add some quality to their nameplates by "buying" the technology instead of developing it themselves because...you guessed it...it's cheaper. This is easily seen in the Chrysler Conquest Tsi, and the Mitsubishi Starion ESIR twins from the late 80's. These two cars are identical save for the badges. Many Domestic companies did this, and they got smarter over the years...ie...Ford Probe/Mazda MX-6...same car, different skin. Like, what the Hell is a GEO anyway? Don't get me started...

Anyway, I was further infuriated by the fact that the Domestic carmakers engineered certain parts to fail to make more money as well. Now, I'm not sure if this behavior still persists to this day, but I'm still pissed to the point that I would rather walk than own a Domestic automobile. Then again, how do we know it's really Domestic anyway? They've used so many sources to create said automobile by the time it gets to the dealer who knows what it is?

OK...off my soapbox.

Do you guys race Domestics?

P.S. I don't mean to offend anyone, but the facts are the facts, and as before stated...I'm proud to be an American, but I feel my standards are much better than the average Domestic car manufacurer.

Andrew

mfabry

You mean like the Isuzu Rodeo and the Honda Passport?

nova s2k

Racing should be about pitting your skills as a driver against someone else's ... that being said, there are plenty of domestics (very fast Mustangs and Cameros, very slow Corvettes, just about anything given the right mods) where ... against the s2000 ... a race comes down to driver skill ...

Yah yah, so that POS Escort "Sport" running NOS is sure to blow up tommorrow ... but if right now, the two cars are in range ... go for it ...

Have fun,
Derek

VisualEchos

Haha...good one.

Andrew

VisualEchos

Good point, but by that line of reasoning we should only race if the cars are evenly matched (which provides the best racing in the world in my opinion), and very few cars are evenly matched.

My point was that even if I beat the Camaro I wouldn't care, it's a...Camaro.

Andrew

Insomniak

actin kinda snobby in my opinion.. i like the looks of the new SS plus it runs low 13's stock.

i race domestics.. i look at beating a v8 domestic as an accomplishment.. maybe thats just me though.

integrate

Tariffs, nuff said.

VisualEchos

You're probably right. It may be a reaction to something else in my past. My first car was an '84 RX-7, then I had an '86 MR-2. The Muscle car guys didn't give me the time of day until I got my '87 Conquest Tsi, and then it was like..."wow, his taillights look awsome", cause I was burnin' em' down with my 300hp/300t 2,900lb car. Maybe I still hold a grudge.

Andrew

YoungS2K

i though the Z28 can smoke our bootay??

shizon'00

You are one of the snobiest I've seen on this board. Nothing against, the S2000, but stock for stock, I'll pick the f-body in a drag race.

Domestics are a POS... Come to Indiana, I'll show you a POS. Well, the taillights anyway. Any style you want (drag, autox, road course). Even if you can't/won't come to Indiana. I'm sure I could set something up with a corvette (domestic POS) in your area. Since Corvettes and Vipers fall into that category that kind of makes you like the little white boy in the ghetto messing with a gang of big black guys.

Of course, anyone can be fast behind a keyboard. Put some timeslips up that prove how much of a POS domestics. Since you feel you can dust and Z28, you shouldn't have a problem doing that.

You are definetly not one of the majority S2k owners I think. The guys here on this board have showed me and my POS a lot of respect. Hmmm..wonder if that's just coincidence???

As I said...go to a local track and I'll get a corvette there (or maybe even a camaro since they are sooooo much slower ). When you lose, you better come back here and tell everyone though.

You are incredibly close minded.