Chevrolet bodies and Steely Dan tee-shirts

[BigH]

In order to cope better with the rigours of Le Mans this year, I've decided to become an athlete.
So last night at about 7:30, I got all dressed up in my best tee shirt and ventured out for a run.
I was tooling along nicely and happily anticipating the overwhelming sense of well being and euphoria that you hear these types talk about, when I was passed by a rather fetching cove, clad head to toe in Lycra. In hindsight, the speed differential should have alerted me, we've all seen GT's expire behind prototypes. Anyway, it was a fantastic sweat soaked sight from behind and I couldn't take my eyes off it, the behind, that is; and I was trapped in the slipstream, like a dog chasing a string of sausages hanging out the back door of a butchers van. Slowing down wasn't an option, that would have involved thinking about it, and at that moment most of my blood had been diverted from my brain and to be honest, I don't think there was much cerebral activity going on.
The limiting factor though, was my heart and lungs, and my central nervous system wasn't going to let go of those suckers without a fight. After what seemed like two or three hundred miles, pretty well everything seized up and stopped working. The flickering eyelids and plunging blood pressure should have alerted me, miraculously I'd managed to stagger home, I can only imagine it must have been part of the route, most of it's now a blank. With extreme dilation of the pupils and worsening symptoms of disorientation it seemed obvious that just about all I could look forward to was an extended dose of flat-lining. Fortunately the products of Fullers Brewery were at hand, but it was a close shave, I can tell you. I'm not sure where my training schedule takes me next, but I think maybe I should scale it down a little, or perhaps a lot.
Now when I started this, I had a connection, but I'm buggered if I can remember it now...
Anyway what I was getting around to Mr Harper, was I've just seen a little of the C6, and it looks a corker. My PC time is pretty limited at the mo', so apologies if this has been asked before, but have you got one on order? I wish I had. Are they on the streets yet over there?
H

[jpchenet]

I'm not sure where my training schedule takes me next, but I think maybe I should scale it down a little, or perhaps a lot.

I'd suggest you get a bike and ensure you are at the same piece of road at the same time next Saturday!!!  Just hope that she is too!!!

[smokie]

Worryingly,  doesn't actually say whether it's a he or a she...

[Andy Zarse]

H, I had taken you to be a fellow of at least average intelligence, but this cannot be the case based upon your decision to take up this appalling passtime. Yes, of course I can understand why you were lured in by the prospect of skin-tight running shorts, Vaselined upper thighs and sore nipples. That much is obvious, as is your desire to re-live the delights of school cross-country runs, which I'm sure we'd all agree were always great fun and the happiest days of our lives.

But nobody will ever, ever convince me long distance road running is good for the health. I'm not saying don't become an athlete or don't get fit. Personally, I've recently bought a mountain bike and I'm to be seen regularly pumping away like a demon between home and the pub. I feel much better for it and it's low impact on the joints too. As you know, Chris has his own solitary method of staying fit, which involves pumping his arms, although to be fair he does look a bit sallow these days. But for a man of your age road running is a receipe for skeltal degeneration and muscle strain, to say nothing of the mental health problems you alude to caused by lithe young things striding past you in a blur of bulging gluteus maximii and bare ankles.

One of our regular Le Manners has been off work for seven weeks with a prolapsed disc in his back sustained in yet another foolish attempt on the London Marathon. He's bringing a wheel chair this year, though if he thinks we're going to be pushing him about like Brian Potter he can think again. QED.

No, I reckon you should consider stopping before it's too late. So throw away those plimsoles and sports bra and buy a rowing macine. Have you ever tried ping-pong?

[Matt Harper]

Hello Harry - indeed the C6 Corvette is pounding the pavement here and very popular it is too. 400 hp for the price of a 3 series Bimmer says it all really.
Cautious soul that I am, I'm waiting for the bugs to get ironed out of the new design. As with the C5, there will undoubtedly be a few glitches that need to be re-worked.
What I'm really holding out for is the ZO6 - not due out for another 12 months. I covet the 427ci 500bhp LS7, which red-lines at 7000rpm and lays down a thumping 475lb/ft of torque.
I think it may well be capable of spanking an SRT10 - or even a Ford GT - all for the UK equivilant of 36 grand. That's my plan.
As stated by Andy Zee, I'd venture that you'd suit a recumbant cycle far more than an upright miocardial infarction......

[Andy Zarse]

Genius Matt, I hadn't thought of one of those to get Harry of the streets and on the roads, though I'm not sure he'd really approve.

Appropos of this, I recall staying with a mate near Newcastle last summer. We'd been enjoying refreshment at the Grey Horse and were on our way to a BBQ at the cricket club. Some bloke came weaving down the High St on a recumbent cycle. My mate, usually a master of the pithy comment and witty repartie, stood there slack-jawed and motionless, as if welded to the pavement. I don't think they'd ever seen anything like it  before in East Boldon. Eventually regaining a degree of composure, he said "What a f**cking c**nt".

[BigH]

H, I had taken you to be a fellow of at least average intelligence, but this cannot be the case based upon your decision to take up this appalling passtime. Yes, of course I can understand why you were lured in by the prospect of skin-tight running shorts, Vaselined upper thighs and sore nipples. That much is obvious, as is your desire to re-live the delights of school cross-country runs, which I'm sure we'd all agree were always great fun and the happiest days of our lives.

I've retired. I'm staying with the lycra bodysuit, tittilated nipples and vaselined thighs though, it's just that I'll be watching the telly instead of running.

This ZO6 vette sound amazing, almost worth a flight over just for a test drive. I was reading a report on the C6 in one of last weeks Sunday papers, and the source, trying to make it sound attractive to Europeans, reckoned it was smaller than the current 911. Surely this can't be true? Mind you, the 'source' was Jay Leno, so it could easily have been bollocks, there was even a picture of him sitting in the topless version. Either the Vette is a good deal longer than a 911 or Mr Leno has an enormous head on a tiny body. (Raoul!!!!!)
475 lb/ft - bloody hell!
H

[Matt Harper]

There probably isn't much in it, when doing the numbers (dimension-wise) on the C6 and the Porsche 996. The vette has become much more compact - and it needed to. As stated before, the C5 is unnecessarily large - so squishing the wheelbase and widening the track and reducing both overhangs (the front by a big margin) has created an even more "European" stance and handling profile.
The cars isn't as pretty in my view, but has an additional 50 hp with a corresponding improvement in torque.
The ZO6 is a real monster and will be worth the wait (..ing list) - but I suspect they will be in short supply for the first 12 months or so.
There will always be refusal by many to acknowledge that this car is as good as it is, from a performance and value stand-point. Chevrolet does not carry the cache of Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati or even TVR, but the hardware delivers. No 'vette will ooze class like your Jaguar, Harry - as 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' in Car magazine once opined of the C4, "As flash as a rat with a gold tooth."
If cars were boxers, the Corvette would be Rocky Marciano, rather than Sugar Ray Leonard.  

[Snoring Rhino]

Saw a new Mustang GT today, very retro and cool in met red. It had just been unloaded off of a trailer on the A505 near Royston, no plates, either being shaken down or the bloke was just too impatient to wait for his new toy!!

[Matt Harper]

Saw a new Mustang GT today, very retro and cool in met red.

I really don't understand why FoMoCo don't offer this car in Europe. They are extremely popular over here (mainly V6 of course) but still a cool car - although the interior and the Dickensian rear axle does let it down a little.

The six-banger is the equivilant of 11,000 quid and with a set of wider rims and a magna-flow, most folks wouldn't know the difference between it and the GT - all for the price of a Focus.

The GT is $28,000 here (GBP $15.5k) and has a sweet OHC V8 that sounds lovely and is eminently tuneable.

Boss GT will have supercharged V8 currently lurking in SVT Cobra and is due out any minute now. The new Cobra will have a detuned version of the Roush motor - currently propelling the Ford GT (40).

Tune-up companies are knocking out more hi-po bits for this Pony than soft mick - so there will be some ferocious modded cars around now - and Saleen, Roush and Vortek have yet to unveil their varients of this car.

It's the best Muzzie in years - and I'm a vette man.

[Steve Pyro]

Matt, I went to look at a LS1 engined Trans Am last weekend.  The seller is personally importing a new V8 Mustang he ordered whilst in Las Vegas.  He's spec'ed up the car and did a good deal with the Ford dealer.
Including shipping, import duty, VAT, SVA mods etc, he reckons he'll have it on the road and UK legal for £23,000.

A bargain for bit of retro muscle.

Any news your end of the rumoured next F-body Matt?

[Matt Harper]

Killer deal on a GT Steve - we're still working on shipping a GT, a Hummer H2 and a Chevy SST pick-up.

Don't know nuffink about the next Transmaro yet - but I'll keep my ear to the ground.

Did all your Summit bits fit?
Regards
Matt

[Steve Pyro]

Cheers Matt, yes all Summit parts were correct.  The Ford 302 is still awaiting fitment of it's new distributor at the moment though (to be done before LM).

I may be shopping with Summit for some LS1 F-body speed parts soon!  Alternatively, I'll bring home a C6 race motor from LM.

[jpchenet]

Cheers Matt, yes all Summit parts were correct.  The Ford 302 is still awaiting fitment of it's new distributor at the moment though (to be done before LM).

I may be shopping with Summit for some LS1 F-body speed parts soon!  Alternatively, I'll bring home a C6 race motor from LM.

Well we got the Viper hood out of the paddock because we had Aston hats on and English accents, what's to say we can't get an engine!!  

[Snoring Rhino]

There’s a 455 manual Vette for sale just up the road from me (Steve, it’s at Edmonds Exhausts opposite the Pheasant pub towards Sainsbury’s from your gaf). I haven’t seen it close up but it looks the biz in yellow. Apparently the bloke wants £15k for it and is thinking of re exporting it to the US. Shame about our ballistic fuel prices - as was pointed out to me when I suggested to the wife that we give the MG away and buy it!
Alternativly I could just go a blow half my severence payment on it and the the other half on fuel to get to LM.