What's your Grassroots GT car?

friedgreencorrado wrote: Northern US: From Vermont & Connecticut to Atlantic City, NJ.

Yep, it did that, Except from LI to AC, this summer. Its what made me add it to the list.

friedgreencorrado wrote: If Bubba & Darlene, with a trash bag full of clean underwear in an ancient 2.2ltr turbo Daytona, bustin' ass for Mobile with all their might is a GT (and I claim it *is*), then your Eclipse most *emphatically* makes the grade.

I'm not sure if I should be laughing or offended at that one.

And earlier this week my Mopar club newsletter editor found a wrecked Shelby Daytona with the maroon leather enthusiast seats for my '87 'Tona. I'm taking next Friday off to go take a look at them and probably bring them home. Now I have to worry about Bubba & Darlene beating me to them!

If Wheels777 is reading this, I'll be out your way on the 2nd to look at those seats.

My GT themed Daytona is still under way. Hopefully getting painted in November. I'll take pics, etc.

Our '73 Challenger will have the similar GT influence, but more of a Jag XJS influence. Both of these cars are intended be distance runners but with slightly different style.

-Rob

Rob_Mopar wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: If Bubba & Darlene, with a trash bag full of clean underwear in an ancient 2.2ltr turbo Daytona, bustin' ass for Mobile with all their might is a GT (and I claim it *is*), then your Eclipse most *emphatically* makes the grade.

I'm not sure if I should be laughing or offended at that one.

I'm a Southern Boy..I've done the Starkville (MS) to Mobile run in a Camaro (that I borrowed because my grey market BMW 323i was broken again) with a girlfriend back in college. Gotta laugh at yerself sometimes, right?

Rob_Mopar wrote: And earlier this week my Mopar club newsletter editor found a wrecked Shelby Daytona with the maroon leather enthusiast seats for my '87 'Tona. I'm taking next Friday off to go take a look at them and probably bring them home. Now I have to worry about Bubba & Darlene beating me to them! If Wheels777 is reading this, I'll be out your way on the 2nd to look at those seats. My GT themed Daytona is still under way. Hopefully getting painted in November. I'll take pics, etc. Our '73 Challenger will have the similar GT influence, but more of a Jag XJS influence. Both of these cars are intended be distance runners but with slightly different style. -Rob

Don't sweat it. Bubba & Darlene got married, had a couple o' B&D Jrs., bought an 89 Caravan, and moved in next door to me. He talks about finding a Turbo II for it every once in awhile, but hasn't been raiding the pull-a-part yet..

I hope the seats work out OK..the one on the passenger side of the Alfa is trash. Of all the "essential" things to find in a build of an older car, I'm beginning to think the seats are the hardest thing to find. All I can find are ripped & torn originals, and period correct aftermarket ones that seem to have been the home for ten generations of mouse families.

Also, I never knew there was a Shelby Daytona! Did you tell me in the other thread that yours was? I remember the Shelby Chargers & Omnis..

All of the intercooled daytonas were shelbys. None of them were numbered like the shelby lancer, CSX, GLHS, etc but they had the same type of modfications.

I'm confused. Does anyone even know what Grand Turismo means, anyway?

I thought I did. but apparently I was mistaken.

Keith wrote: How about this: a GT is a legitimate alternative to a small plane? That was my initial reaction to driving an XJS.

And the plane probably does return a better mpg than the XJS, too .

I'm sure its been mentioned a few times, but one of my favorite GTs was the second 300Z.

NYG95GA wrote: I'm confused. Does anyone even know what Grand Turismo means, anyway? I thought I did. but apparently I was mistaken.

I think Wikipedia has it about right.

Wikipedia wrote: A grand tourer (Italian: gran turismo) (GT) is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement. The term derives from the Italian phrase gran turismo, homage to the tradition of the grand tour, used to represent automobiles regarded as grand tourers abilities to make long-distance, high-speed journeys in both comfort and style. The English translation is grand touring; the French is grand tourisme.

What you're observing here is that with the addition of "Grassroots," "luxury" becomes somewhat relative. I'm sure Bubba and Darlene were enjoying luxury relative to Bubba's pickup during their blast to the Redneck Rivera.

friedgreencorrado wrote: Gotta laugh at yerself sometimes, right?

I do all the time. I'm doing it now.

Also, I never knew there *was* a Shelby Daytona! Did you tell me in the other thread that yours was? I remember the Shelby Chargers & Omnis..

There weren't any "numbered" Shelby Daytonas. They were a regular production vehicle on the Dodge assembly line with Shelby's name on the car. Top dog model, but not a limited production car like the others.

He built Omnis, Chargers, Lancers, Shadows, and Dakotas in limited numbers in his facility. I don't think I missed any.

My Daytona is a Pacifica model with '89 Shelby Daytona TII drivetrain and suspension.

-Rob

Rob_Mopar wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: Gotta laugh at yerself sometimes, right?

I do all the time. I'm doing it now.

Also, I never knew there *was* a Shelby Daytona! Did you tell me in the other thread that yours was? I remember the Shelby Chargers & Omnis..

There weren't any "numbered" Shelby Daytonas. They were a regular production vehicle on the Dodge assembly line with Shelby's name on the car. Top dog model, but not a limited production car like the others. He built Omnis, Chargers, Lancers, Shadows, and Dakotas in limited numbers in his facility. I don't think I missed any. My Daytona is a Pacifica model with '89 Shelby Daytona TII drivetrain and suspension. -Rob

There were also Shelby Rampages.

Rob_Mopar wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: Gotta laugh at yerself sometimes, right?

I do all the time. I'm doing it now.

Also, I never knew there *was* a Shelby Daytona! Did you tell me in the other thread that yours was? I remember the Shelby Chargers & Omnis..

There weren't any "numbered" Shelby Daytonas. They were a regular production vehicle on the Dodge assembly line with Shelby's name on the car. Top dog model, but not a limited production car like the others. He built Omnis, Chargers, Lancers, Shadows, and Dakotas in limited numbers in his facility. I don't think I missed any. My Daytona is a Pacifica model with '89 Shelby Daytona TII drivetrain and suspension. -Rob

I always liked the Turbo II. Who was it that called the thing the "..Chevy smallblock of the 80s.."? One of my old Corner Worker buddies had one of the Chargers for a street car, back when they were the car to have in SCCA Showroom Stock. Dang shame turbos were never allowed in Improved Touring (or there wasn't a NASA around then), one of those to IT specs would have been a ton of fun on the cheap.

Having owned a turbo dodge (85 shelby charger) and ridden in my dads a long time ago before he sold it (86 GLHS that be bought new) I dont think id ever try to use one as a daily driver. The turbo II ones at least get better mileage, my charger (it was intentionally kept almost 100% stock) got about 16 mpg in town and 20 on the freeway.

Travis,

My Daytona knocks down 21-22 around town and will touch 30 on the highway if you keep the speeds below 80. It has the Turbo II in it, but the '88 Turbo I had had back in college did close to the same, but a little less on the highway since it was the 3-spped auto. The 2.5 Turbo I 5-speed had in a Spirit ES did mid 20's in mixed driving all the time.

Oh Rev Dex, I forgot about the Rampages, but if I remember correctly now there was some controversy around them. Like they were built by Shelby for some CA dealer but they didn't get the turbo motors or Shelby serial numbers. Or something like that. But that's taking us further away from the GT thread.

-Rob