car

weight

stock
HP/TQ
@wheels

reliable street hp

MAX HP/
engine size
on 92 octane

engine
swaps

cost
used approx
----------------
maxxed

drive config

Wheels:
bolt pattern
rec. size

comments and overall
recommendation

performance/toughness engine
-------------------------
trans

chassis handling/
stiffness

body looks/rust resistance/
modability

Corvete
3rd gen
4th gen

3400

the american sportscar. first and second gens are too expensive, third gen looks the best of the affordable vettes, but the 4th gen is probably your best bargain. you CAN stuff a big block in any vette, however the 4th and 5th gen vettes have a great drivetrain and handle better than all the earlier gens. for 30 grand you can have an absolutely incredible car by all respects.

8/9
-------------------------
9/9

8/8

7/10/7

Camaro/Firebird
1st gen
2nd gen
5th gen
6th gen

2900
3000
3250
3100

SB n/a 520
BB n/a 700
SB SC
650

RWD
4/5/6sp
MAN

2/3/4sp
AUTO

5x120.7mm
(4.75 in)

the quintessential musclecar. stay away from the 3rd + 4th gen, they are laden with problems, emissions equip. and poor build quality, and the 305.all can be built to handle excellently, though 5th/6th gen do so better as they a rather large cars, also a downside..interior sucks on all.

6/8 350 gen1
7/8 350 gen2 (L98/LT1)
8/8 346 gen3 (LS1)
10/9 454 BB
10/10 396 BB
-------------------------
8/7 4L60/E
6/7 muncie/Saginaw
5/8 powerglide
7/7 TH350/400
7/6 700R4
8/7 T-56

6/7
6/7
7/7
7/7

7/5/4
8/6/3
7/9/6
8/9/5

Omni
Charger
Shadow
Daytona

2450
2530
2570
2650

140/160

2.0 l destroked
450 HP
2.2 l
380 HP
2.2 l Super60
(factory pkg.)
305 HP

2.2 turboI
2.2 turboII
2.2 turboIII
2.5 turbo I
Mopar RWD v8 kit

1500 engine
1500 trans
1000susp
1300 rubber

5sp FWD
520, 525, 555, 568

3sp AUTO 430
all open diff

5x100
15x7
15x8
16x7.5
16x8
17x8

fun FWD, super-cheap parts, crude suspension, torque-king motor, handles very well on smoother surfaces. hooligan machine for relatively cheap

6/7 (2.2 turboI)
7/9(2.2 turboII)
8/8(2.2 turboIII)
7/8(2.5 turbo I)
-------------------------
7/6 (525)
8/8 (555/460)
9/9 (568)

7/7

5/9/3

Neon
1st gen (DOHC)
2nd gen (SOHC)

cheapish, evolution on the P body(SHADOW) and the 2.2. easy to work on, easy to find, handle great on all surfaces, not a whole lot of susp. travel though, so don't rally! Mexican 2.4l turbo stratusR/T engine/trans bolts in w/ custom driveshafts. Earlier 2.0 liters have a headgasket leaking problem, fixable by replacing the headgasket. If you have a 2.2 it can be stuffed in these, but i recommend turboing the 2.0 mill or swapping in a 2.4.

8/7

7/9/5

AE-86 Corolla (4AGE)

2250

4AGE
3SGTE

RWD drift-machine. a longtime favorite of drifters, this thing can be made to handle very well and fit a lot of different engines. I've even seen turbo 3 rotor 20Bs in these! Lightweight on a medium wheelbase with RWD and good balance means a very fun and controllable car. This is why they are used for drifting in japan, and rallying all over.

9/7
-------------------------

7/6

7/5/5

MR2 1st gen
MR2 2nd gen
MR Spyder

4AGE
3SGTE

1st gen is ultra lightweight mid-engine handling machine. they are a LOT of fun to drive, and the bigger, more powerful 2nd gen brother is a more grown up and weighty, duller tool for the same job, the 3rd gen MRS goes back to lightweight roots and is a good bit more refined, but still doesn't come with a roof. they all handle great, can make good power, and readily available bigger brakes, these cars are more fun to drive than they are fast, but they can be VERY fast.

-------------------------

7/7

6/5/5
8/9/9
7/9/6

Celica
1st gen
2nd gen
3rd gen
4th gen
5th gen

240SX
S13
S14
S15

starting to get really inexpensive. handle well, big brakes are easy, sr20 swaps are common and simple. a great light, RWD modern car, with a roof and a nice interior.

-------------------------

7/6/6
8/7/6
7/8/6

944 Turbo

excellent balance and controllability, can be built to handle incredibly well, large wheelwells, spend however much you want or can. it's easy to get carried away! expensive driveline repairs and engine parts. They can make some pretty insane power though. Turbos have a habit of getting cooked on these.

-------------------------

8/8/7

911

very short wheelbase makes them twitchy, but that's half the draw. big power with a chevy v8 conversion. pick a year you like, make your 911 look like that easily.

8/6/9

69 valiant
A body Mopar
B body Mopar

3000
3400

A bodies : light, big displacement, good handling, unaerodynamic, street bruisers take lots of "big car" parts for DIRT CHEAP RWD v8 performance!
B bodies are the REAL street bruisers, not overly heavy, and tons of power and torque can fit in those huge engine bays. again, parts are pretty cheap, new body panels are available, as long as you don't care about restorations etc. all i have to say is "HemiCuda!"

7/7/4
7/7/4
9/7/4
(AAR Cuda)

Civic EG
Civic EK
Integra

2500
2450
2650

4x100

huge aftermarket- used and JDM parts relatively cheap. the B16/B18 series engines have been in production for quite some time, over a decade, and a used motor is easy to find, so swaps are VERY common. the double wishbone front suspension is probably the best FWD front suspension. too bad the RSX and new civic have regular Mcphersons..

-------------------------

7/8/8
8//9/8

Miata
1st gen
2nd gen

always fun, the miata 1.8l has more power but is heavier, the later gen is more stiff in the frame, but a bit heavier
go for the first gen - there's more to be done and they are cheap. problem is there's no roof, and the hardtops are
lousy, non-structural, and expensive.

7/8/8
7/9/6

RX-7
1st gen SA22C
2nd gen FC
3rd gen FD

ROTARY! makes these cars light and have a low center of mass, great weight distribution and leaves plenty of room for a good suspension sytem. 1st gens are rusty, light and are crude, but if you must, 84 GSL-SE go second gen turboII, or if you can afford it, 3rd gen. the Japanese market has tons of stuff for FD and FC RX, there, the FC is more popular than the FD. Note!: there's no storage space to be spoken of! can't take tires to the track in em!

6/4/8
7/8/9
9/9/6

Golf /GTI / A4
1st gen
2nd gen
3rd gen
4th gen
5th gen

4x100
5x100

the original FWD sportscar killer. these are always fun cars. as they get newer, they get heavier, and the HP doesn't really keep up. the good engines are the 2.0 16V and the 1.8t. vr6 cars are quick, but a bit too nose heavy and very expensive to get more HP. you CAN put an Audi Quatro driveline and floorpan in an A2 or later and get yourself a 4wd little hatch. very cool! the a5s a1 a2s are recommended, though a4s and a3s are getting bountiful and pretty cheap.

8/6/3
7/7/9
7/8/8
7/9/7

Supra
1st gen
2nd gen
3rd gen

Toyota's big gun;. the first gen's body styling is very eighties, the motors are all very durable, strut suspension up front and independent rear. big brakes, first gens are underpowered, second gen turbo is a very well balanced car, but heavy. the third gens are lighter, with more power, but basically the same car with a better wrapper. comparable in lineage to the corvette. a great car, very comfortable to drive very fast in.

6/4/3
7/7/6
8/9/8

Triumph TR
TR-7
TR-8

English sportster. You can be assured that every piece that falls off your triumph will be of the highest english quality! Well, in all seriousness, rust is the biggest problem in tese cars, the next biggest problem is with the lucas electronics. Get rid of them if you can. There are kits and rewiring

6/2/2
7/4/3

Impreza(US)
2.5RS(pre-02)
WRX

4WD, middleweight with a good stock suspension. the 2.5RS has taken a backseat to the WRX, both make better rally and off roaders than straight tarmac cars, but they are good at tarmac nonetheless. The single cammer 2.5s are lighter and put out more power, as well as more reliable. Fiting a Japanese spec engine into a US model requires all sorts of changes, even the crossmember, and then the steering gears get in the way. Major work.

7/9/6
7/9/6

240Z (260/280)

lightish, RWD, beautifull and underpowered. The factory made some "Scarabs", with a chevy 350 for power and blacked out body. You can put all sorts of engines in these, though the dual SU sidedraft 2.4 lasts a long time left to it's own. They are rusty and the dashes crack very frequently. Interior otherwise is great, but rather outdated.

8/4/6

BMW 2002

Light, fun, too cool, and practical. 320 parts swap in easily, and a bunch of later 3 series stuff fits too. there are tons of parts still in production for them. The early ones have prettier taillirghs and minimal bumpers, 73 on models are slightly heavier and laden with emmissions equipment. They all rust and usually come in pairs. You won't find a turbo 2002, but the early 2002tii is next best.

6/2/5

DeTomaso Pantera

Good looking, wedgy body, ford 351 power, ZF transaxle, big wheelwells, and a racing history. What else needs to be said? You can end up spending WAY too much on these. No really, like 300 grand is not too tough to spend!

8/5/2

lotus esprit (4cyl /turbo)

7/6/3

VOLVO RWD
any

Aircooled turbos are limited in power by reliability, the waterpumper turbos are bulletproof and begging for more boost, the chassis is ok, looks ok, but there are companies that make parts for even early volvos, and factory parts are still produced.

4/7/3

Mustang FOX 5.0

while the camaros sucked in the eighties and early nineties, the mustangs rocked. anything with a 5.0 is great. it was their fuel injection that made them so great too. well, that and the lightweight fox platform. though it in itself has it's own problems, like no panard bar and quad shocks, remedies are available for any qualms with the car, and you can build a car from scratch with aftermarket parts. You can also turn your 5.0 into a cobra with factoryfive.

Grand National
GM G-body

3.8 litres of turbo power! If you want it, get the GN or GNX!(also in the regal T type) if you like the v8, get a regal or caprice and swap in anythign you want or find. Made by the assload- people can't give these cars away fast enough, and you can take a pretty nice one from a grannie for a couple hundred. Though they really are nothing spectacular, they can house a v8 and all the driveline to use it, bodywise the bumper palstics are always gone, stay away from big hoodscoops and chrome rims and trim, and they don't look too bad. Did i say cheap yet?

Suzuki SwiftGTI

Impala SS/ Caprice

Fiero

VW BUG

Super lightweight, rear engine, rwd.

Datsun 510

BMW M couple

Some say it's ugly, some say it's good looking, it's faster and more aerodynamic than the convertible, and a good bit stiffer. I say looks follow function, and that makes it a beauty in my eyes. You can supercharge these bad boys and do a good bit of suspension work, though not a lot is necessary to make them awesome. They win autoXes. Nuff said.

Ford Lightning

El-Camino

Haul your parts or haul ass. Not as much load capacity as the lightning or any fullsize truck for that matter, but still cool. They made these by

AMX
Javelin
Gremlin

Mini
Mini Cooper
New Mini

Starion

turbo RWD action in an stylish package. like a scaled down supra with a gadgety interior. one of the first real import performance cars. these things have a lot of performance potential and make great streetcars. cylinder heads crack, but the engine is tough as nails and a real hemi. engines are all over the place and they can be bought dirt cheap. get the 89 ESI-R

rating

body looks
upon viewing the vehicle:

body rust resistance

body modability
you can easily get:

performance/toughness
Engine

Acceleration

chassis
Handling
**

chassis
Stiffness

rating

10

BRILLIANCE
men split their pants with a rager.
women wet themselves and collapse.

what's rust?

it's a WHAT originally? no way.
complete re-bodies are readily
available some even turn-key

makes all the power you can
use, and it's REALLY easy to
make more(300+% stock) with
the aftermarket
go ahead, try and break it
anything with a lifetime warranty

71+ mph slalom
1+G skidpad

either won last year's LeMans or was made
specifically for Chicago's potholes.

10

9

ROLLING SEX
you wish it was yours, you'd sell your
dog and the wife's wardrobe for this.

double galvanized panels.
you don't worry about rust

wide-body kits, fiberglass front ends
wind tunnel tested aerodynamics.
anything you could afford really.

makes awesome power, and there's
more where that came from
handles 250% stock power levels
with a little help.

70 mph slalom
.98G skidpad

doesn't need a thing. this baby's got
one integrated into the unibody, stock!

9

8

VERY SHARP
proportioned properly, the curves are
all in the right places. nothing is mis-
matched - it just looks RIGHT

you've seen rust on one of these
...on TV

at least two dozen mix-n-match
type body styling accessories including
new fenders etc. is available

tons of power, easy to get more
handles double stock power
levels, sometimes on the stock
components. could handle 100%
power increase w/ NOS

69 mph slalom
.95G skidpad

just needs subframe connectors or
chassis bracing to be as solid as granite
cage to mount your harnesses and
camera really.

8

7

COOL
Maybe the chrome rims are too much
or the window rake is wrong, quarter
panels have too much weight, you need
a moment to place the error, but it looks
good.

after 10 years, a bit of touchup is
gonna be necessary

there's a bunch of stuff out specifically
for this vehicle, from a couple
manufacturers.

good stock power, you'll need
to invest in some aftermarket
goods to make double the stock
power, but it'd be reliable on the
street @ 150% stock power

68 mph slalom
.93G skidpad

needs a 4 pt hoop or cage. maybe just
strut-firewall braces and some subframes.

7

6

NOT BAD
looks good but a casual eye can see
things that could be done better.

your uncle's hasn't rusted yet

you can get a couple different
body kits to fit, fifteen wheel
manufacturers, and interior panels.

motor can put out 125% more
power with some aftermarket parts
you can keep it internally stock with
a little more power, on the street.

66 mph slalom
.90G skidpad

needs a 6 pt cage for racing. serious street
duty can get away with bracing and extra
metal in subframes etc.

6

5

OK
doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look
good, something for everyone.

but your dad's only lasted 5 years

a handful of parts, the generic stuff
can be made to fit, stuff from a more
popular car can fit pretty easily..

average power output. nothing
special, but not a whole lot of extra
available without going to forced
induction. average reliability

64 mph slalom
.85G skidpad

you're going racing, you need a 6 pt cage
chassis bracing and some

5

4

TACKY
something is just completely wrong
on this thing, and you know it.
another form of birth control.

your on your second undercoating
...this year

the factory body-kit is the only thing
available. wheels are abundant.

better buy a turbo! you're not gonna
make much more power without
one. don't trust these components
without any upgrades, even for
your stock daily driver.

62 mph slalom
.75G skidpad

you NEED at least a 12 pt cage if
you're going racing

4

3

UGLY
you say "what were they thinking?"

XO-RUST
invest in it and live by it

there is one aerodynamics package
...on ebay, but you could make one
that looks way better with some
fiberglass and urethane foam.

you'll be spending an arm and a leg
to get more performance look into
swapping something else in.

60 mph slalom
.7G skidpad

use a 4pt cage if you're driving it with
good street tires

3

2

EYESORE
everyone squints and turns away.

XO-RUST is not enough,
invest in repair panels and
a body shop.

you COULD put on different wheels
but they'd need adaptors..

what is performance? airflow?
hand grenade without the pin.

57 mph slalom
.65G skidpad

make a tubular interior chassis. don't
rely on the stock one

2

1

INCOURAGEABLE
you become violently ill and some people
go into spasms, emitting ectoplasm from
all orifices. avoid at all costs.

*CLUNK* there goes the last
door, don't wash it or the dirt
holding the rust together will
make your car disappear.

it's a 1986 Yugo GV, there is no
body aftermarket.

powered by Ralph Nader
undamped nitroglycerin on a
wood-wheel wagon in New York.

55MPH slalom
.6G skidpad

floppy like a raw pita in SF. there is no
hope. custom make a frame, and set the
body on top of it.

1