258 replies to this topic

[RallyRed]

Next time anyone is in the states just find some rev heads and ask them which Aussie cars are muscle cars?.
After they ask you where is Australia?. you'll probably get the drift that Aussie cars are not muscle cars and thus' either are Toranas.
We just latched onto the whole thing cause we thought it was cool. .. sort of like the Brady Bunch was.
Reckon "tough" is more what our cars are.
Its easier to get your head around and doesnt have a discrete definition.
My 2cents worth anyway

[eyepeeler]

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The above comments are crap,
Just like saying a Torana isn't a Muscle Car.

[wot179]

This subject seems to have polarised opinions.

Dunno what happened there.....

[S pack]

This subject seems to have polarised opinions.

Dunno what happened there.....

lol, ya shitstirrer.

[yel327]

Big engine dose not make sense. The only reason the yank cars had huge engines is that they were huge cars and weigh a lot more than our Aussie muscle cars did. Check the weight of a Buick GS stage 2 compared to a early 327/350 GTS. If a Torana with flairs and Spoiler, bonnet scoop and black outs is not a muscle car neither are most of the yank cars. Half the yank cars didn't have a tacho dose that mean that they are not a muscle car heaps were 3 speed with a bench seat even heaps of 426 Hemi powered cars and we know that they are muscle cars, cheers Aaron.

 

There are no Torana 2 doors with flares and spoilers with a decent engine.
 

[StephenSLR]

That is a problem over here we have all these Aussie Classic going to waste and we are still importing shit Mustang's and Camaro's that have no relevance over here because they saw them on a movie.

 

Not true; I know many on the Mustang forum who bought them because Toranas are so expensive, many of them previously owned Toranas too. I own one of each I like both cars. If they all wanted Toranas the demand would make Toranas would be even more expensive. Personally, I like to see variety at car shows, etc.

 

The only reason the yank cars had huge engines is that they were huge cars and weigh a lot more than our Aussie muscle cars did

 

Yes they did weigh more and had bigger engines however the car companies noticed there was a demand for more power by rev heads so they put even bigger engines, more carbs and tuned them for performance this was the 'muscle car' era. Petrol was always cheap in the USA until the oil crisis and that made consumers look for smaller cars thus ending that era; you'll notice many of their models went to crap in the mid 70's.

 

Muscle Car is only a US label; it doesn't mean your car isn't macho. We don't have to copy everything they do; what next, do we start calling petrol 'gas'?

 

s

Edited by StephenSLR, 17 December 2015 - 06:40 AM.

[StephenSLR]

So this is a Muscle Car... 

 

No, the muscle car era was over when that thing came out; the yanks wouldn't consider that muscle either.

 

s

[StephenSLR]

If you want muscle, go to the gym or date a bodybuilder.

Cars don't have muscles they're made out of steel.

 

 

s

[StephenSLR]

Muscle car is an American term

 

^ This!!

 

s

Edited by StephenSLR, 17 December 2015 - 07:28 AM.

[yel327]

Don't Americans have Xbox' with forza 6 don't car enthusiasts over there follow drag week? How do we in Australia know about all there cars? That is a problem over here we have all these Aussie Classic going to wast and we are still importing shit Mustang's and Camaro's that have no relevance over here because they saw them on a movie. Yeah I would like any but would I have a 65 Mustang over a Torana NO chance. Yeah there are good early Mustang's but most people buy povo packs and I get feeling that they would rather a GT Falcon or Hard Top but can not find a good one in there price range.

 

I'm with Stephen, people pay silly $ for lower spec Toranas. For the money people ask for GTR and SLR you'd buy a factory big block 4spd Camaro or even the pinnacle of Chevy small block performance - a 1970 Z28. I'd have a Monaro over a Camaro any day if they were $ for $, but would I pay $75k for what was originally a 161 3spd Monaro now with a 350 over a big block 1968 Camaro for under $60k. No way. Have a look at the black 1968 Camaro 396 4spd on Ebay at the moment from BILLUSCLASSICS. I have Monaros and love them but the asking price of good ones that were originally something special are just insane, and Toranas are even more silly in some cases in relative terms (like the $ people pay for rusted out hatchbacks). The Camaros i'm talking about are often not regarded as Musclecars in the US either, and are priced accordingly. The big coin is reserved for the best ones like the 427 Camaros and 302 Z28's.
 

[yel327]

Just a matter of choice I guess, and Torana's of all descriptions aren't at the prices they are at for the fun of it....  There are at there price because of demand ..

 

And personally, I would not swap a 69 Holden GTS 327, for a Chevrolet Camaro RS 327 .....   but that's just me ..  

 

I wouldn't either Ian. But if I had a 6cyl GTS or an SLR and someone offered to swap me for a big block SS Camaro in the same condition i'd do it.

[S pack]

That's not a Muscle Car, it's an Ocean Liner. Some people talk about the Commydore being a whale! pfffffffffffffffffft.

Edited by S pack, 17 December 2015 - 10:07 AM.

[yel327]

So this is a Muscle Car...  

 

WP_20151129_12_09_05_Pro (800x264).jpg

 

And this isn't ??? ... 

 

 

Then it must be a matter of definition ..........  

 

Neither look anything like the way the manufacturer built them, and I bet neither has an original driveline. Musclecars are as they left the assembly line or at least as they were sold as new. Anyone can build something aftermarket that would qualify in the US terms.

[StephenSLR]

It's funny that nobody is complaining that GTR's aren't called 2+2 or referred to as pony cars but go into a tizzy that our small block V8 equipped cars don't fall into the muscle car category. We also don't call our race cars Trans-Am or even bother to transpose it to Trans-Aus for that matter. 

 

Of course when you say 'Aussie muscle' it's obvious everyone here knows the type of car it refers to but I believe the OP is stating that Toranas aren't 'muscle cars' in the US sense.

 

s

[StephenSLR]

And personally, I would not swap a 69 Holden GTS 327, for a Chevrolet Camaro RS 327 .....   but that's just me ..  

 

No it's not just you; many feel the same way and that's exactly why they're commanding such high prices.

 

s

[yel327]

Then it becomes an argument about what is Aussie Muscle!

 

My opinion is anything built as a factory racer between EH S4/S5 through to XA 4V and L34 is, then there is a gap until you hit the GroupA stuff. The stuff in between like the HJ coupe, HX LE and XC Cobra aren't, nor is the homologation cars like A9X and HDT cars.

 

Just my take on an Aussie Muscle Car but others will disagree naturally.

[StephenSLR]

Then it becomes an argument about what is Aussie Muscle!

 

Just my take on an Aussie Muscle Car but others will disagree naturally.

 

There's two terms there; Aussie Muscle and Aussie Muscle Car.

 

You could colloquially use Aussie Muscle; as the magazines have been doing for years; to describe any Aus. car with a bit of grunt.

 

s

[yel327]

I suppose. But a HJ ute with a 308 has a bit of grunt and will be faster than the coupe or sedan version with the same driveline, but the ute isn't Muscle, at least I don't think it is? Hard one to nail I guess.