Wheels Mag: The Top 20 Aussie Muscle Cars

[b2tf]

Got my usual copy today and in it Wheels have put together a list of the Top 20 Aussie Muscle Cars. The list is (this is the same order it is in the mag but I dont think its in order of best to worst etc, more just 20 they picked).

XR GT
VG Valiant Pacer
Phase III HO
Phase II HO
E49 Charger
HT GTS 350 Monaro
A9X Torana
GTR XU-1
VK SS Group A
HDT VC Commodore
VS GTS-R
VN SS Group A
T3 TE50
EB XR6/XR8
VTII GTS 300
VT 1 GTS
FG F6
BA XR6T
HSV W427
VL SS Group A

7 out of 20 carry the blue oval - not too bad really. Some interesting choices there but I think overall they do represent the 'icons' of Aussie motoring, as well as the new era of muscle where a V8 isnt always the engine of choice (ie FG F6).
There are a few cars in that list that I didnt actually think of however the more you think about it they do make sense to be in there. I was surprised to see T3 in there, not because it doesnt deserve it but more because it tends to be one of the more "overlooked" models of the past few years.

Thoughts?

[Peuty]

Looks to be a pretty decent list. It's a good representation of Aussie muscle cars over the years.
As usual I haven't got my copy yet, even though I am a subscriber. Should be a good read.

[Ives]

My thoughts? I think you've just opened a can of worms. I'm waiting for someone to whine "Waaaaa, the Turbo sixes arent muscle cars."

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by Ives

My thoughts? I think you've just opened a can of worms. I'm waiting for someone to whine "Waaaaa, the Turbo sixes arent muscle cars."

I'm waiting for those who constantly bag Wheels for being in Holdens pocket for including seven Fords and demanding they retract at least four of them to keep the Holden bias theory going. ;)

Dan

[Escort_RPDriver]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

I'm waiting for those who constantly bag Wheels for being in Holdens pocket for including seven Fords and demanding they retract at least four of them to keep the Holden bias theory going. ;)

Dan

I agree the ford turbo six's are todays XU-1 and RT valiant chargers.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Escort_RPDriver

I agree the ford turbo six's are todays XU-1 and RT valiant chargers.

yep "contemporary Muscle" Considering the P3 was made to handle goes against some discriptions of muscle cars anyway.

Muscle car = A Large car that goes fast! Power, and boyracer looks!

[GTPete]

Swap the BAXR6 for a BFGTP and its all good.

Hows my timing lol....

[Melz]

I still have trouble picturing all these 'modern' cars as muscle cars..... Muscle to me is old school...but I must be the only one that still thinks that :

[4Vman]

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

Agreed, also your RPO point is a good one, it should be there.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Agreed, also your RPO point is a good one, it should be there.

Who comes up with these lists???!!!

[RAREV8]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Agreed, also your RPO point is a good one, it should be there.

Agreed. Bit of an omission but then again, it is not an actual "model" so to speak which all of the others are. RPO's probably didn't register on their radar sadly as it is a deserving candidate but then again, I couldn't really care on one persons opinion, which is what these lists really are.

[TUF_302]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

Here here!,

As for the EB XR's, although they are great falcons, i believe the EB GT and EL GT would have been better in that list

[Nikked]

XR GT
VG Valiant Pacer
Phase III HO
Phase II HO
E49 Charger
HT GTS 350 Monaro
A9X Torana
GTR XU-1
VK SS Group A
HDT VC Commodore
VS GTS-R
VN SS Group A
T3 TE50
EB XR6/XR8
VTII GTS 300
VT 1 GTS
FG F6
BA XR6T
HSV W427
VL SS Group a

What i think Green being understandable, orange a bit 'meh' and red, no.

Out of the EA-ED's the XR6 is understandable because it was quiker then the 8's and brought the 6 back into the performance spectrum, but i think the XR8 sprint should of been mentioned over this...


The VS GT-R is a bit of a mistake IMO...VT GTS, why?

Funnly enough a couple of cars that i think would have made the list are Fords...RP0 83 and the Cobra...they could have repalced the VS and VT...but we cant have more ford then holdens can we now...

[Escort_RPDriver]

Originally Posted by Nikked

XR GT
VG Valiant Pacer
Phase III HO
Phase II HO
E49 Charger
HT GTS 350 Monaro
A9X Torana
GTR XU-1
VK SS Group A
HDT VC Commodore
VS GTS-R
VN SS Group A
T3 TE50
EB XR6/XR8
VTII GTS 300
VT 1 GTS
FG F6
BA XR6T
HSV W427
VL SS Group a

What i think Green being understandable, orange a bit 'meh' and red, no.

Out of the EA-ED's the XR6 is understandable because it was quiker then the 8's and brought the 6 back into the performance spectrum, but i think the XR8 sprint should of been mentioned over this...


The VS GT-R is a bit of a mistake IMO...VT GTS, why?

Funnly enough a couple of cars that i think would have made the list are Fords...RP0 83 and the Cobra...they could have repalced the VS and VT...but we cant have more ford then holdens can we now...

the cobra has no place on that list all it was was a paint job and body kit to sell some shells that wern't selling and what makes the sprint so special wat becouse it had a bit more powerful V8 than a xr8 and they only did a few of them?
but i agree about the vt gts why have 2 technically there the same car

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

+1

.

[schnoods]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

+1
Completely agreed.

Others are great cars in their own right, but as said, muscle cars are definately a different era.

[Mark s]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Only the first 8 are REAL musclecars in my opinion!:

Agreed, I would maybe throw the VK Grp A in as well

EB XR8/XR6 wow I owned a muscle car and did not know it.
Wonder if it would be worth 900,000 in 30 years time.

[leighthebee]

Geez, we don't really have a lot to pick from do we?

I mean seriously an EB XR6!!

I love my Fords but thats just ridiculous. A muscle car should be a SERIOUS attack on a car with mods or raw grunt. A chip and some suspension parts and some cloth trim do not maketh a legend.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by leighthebee

Geez, we don't really have a lot to pick from do we?

I mean seriously an EB XR6!!

I love my Fords but thats just ridiculous. A muscle car should be a SERIOUS attack on a car with mods or raw grunt. A chip and some suspension parts and some cloth trim do not maketh a legend.

I see where you're coming from but I think the reason EB XR6 made it into the list is because it was the 'beginning' of performance 6's from Ford. It was the first model Tickford had a real hand in and from there they went on to develop a number of models and technology, some of which is still being used today.

Without the EB XR6, the XR6T would not exist today.

[SSbaby]

Originally Posted by b2tf

I see where you're coming from but I think the reason EB XR6 made it into the list is because it was the 'beginning' of performance 6's from Ford. It was the first model Tickford had a real hand in and from there they went on to develop a number of models and technology, some of which is still being used today.

Without the EB XR6, the XR6T would not exist today.

Well if that's the case, maybe the Toyota Aurion should be in the list too because it cracks 14s stock (considerably quicker than the XR6) and is the first FWD Aussie production car to do so!

EDIT: Aurion not Camry

[Serial_Fool]

Originally Posted by SSbaby

Well if that's the case, maybe the Toyota Aurion should be in the list too because it cracks 14s stock (considerably quicker than the XR6) and is the first FWD Aussie production car to do so!

EDIT: Aurion not Camry

But the problem for the Aurion is that is released in the 2000's and not the early 1990's. In the early 90's V8 automatic Commodores/Falcons could hardly crack the 16.0 second barrier while the XR6 came along for a significantly reduced price compared to the V8s and was on par if not better than most of them in terms of performance. Even compared to the HSVs or the Tickford EB GT it was close.

I also don't get it when people pay out the EB XR6 for not being a sports car/ muscle car. Its not like the standard GT was anything special in the 70's compared with the equivlant V8 Fairmont because most of the performance came from the GT-HOs and even the left over parts from the Phase 4.

So yeah, the EB XR6 deserves to be on there more than a XC Cobra (bascially a paintjob with a fancy no. plate) or a XD/XE ESP (standard, overweight, slow with no sporting pretensions).

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by SSbaby

Well if that's the case, maybe the Toyota Aurion should be in the list too because it cracks 14s stock (considerably quicker than the XR6) and is the first FWD Aussie production car to do so!

Ralliart Magna........

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by SSbaby

Well if that's the case, maybe the Toyota Aurion should be in the list too because it cracks 14s stock (considerably quicker than the XR6)

Good 1/4 mile time here for the humble NA I6 and a good read too:

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=44733

BTW dont leave this thread...i am enjoying the discussion (no i'm not being sarcastic)

It seems to me as though Wheels are using a "start of an era" type thinking. e.g. BAxr6t was the start of what we can buy today, same as has been discussed with the EB...not sure if this qualifies as being a candidate for a muscle car but if you ask me the publication and it's author have done its job...it's being discussed all over the place,

T

[GTPete]

Originally Posted by leighthebee

Geez, we don't really have a lot to pick from do we?

I mean seriously an EB XR6!!

I love my Fords but thats just ridiculous. A muscle car should be a SERIOUS attack on a car with mods or raw grunt. A chip and some suspension parts and some cloth trim do not maketh a legend.

Yep I would replace that EB with a 351 Bathurst Cobra.

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by leighthebee

I mean seriously an EB XR6!!

The XR6 could hand it's bigger brothers a*se on a plate. Yeah, I'd call it a muscle car.

As for what a muscle car is, there are so many differing opinions. To me, all those cars are muscle cars.

[DEVL-XR]

Originally Posted by leighthebee

Geez, we don't really have a lot to pick from do we?

I mean seriously an EB XR6!!

I love my Fords but thats just ridiculous. A muscle car should be a SERIOUS attack on a car with mods or raw grunt. A chip and some suspension parts and some cloth trim do not maketh a legend.

Picking on my car are you?! (By the way I'm only joking) I too am surprised to see it there but when you take into account it was a V8 beating N/A 6 cylinder I can see why it's in their list.

For me tho I only really see muscle cars from mid 80's back to 50's or 60's. Anything newer is really modern muscle and anything older nearly enters the hotrod or classic class's. Everyone is different tho.

[FTe342]

Only one I am uncertain about is the EB XR6/8. As good as they are I would have thought the EB GT would have got the nod over the XR's

[Sprint347]

Originally Posted by shaynet

Only one I am uncertain about is the EB XR6/8. As good as they are I would have thought the EB GT would have got the nod over the XR's

agreed, i would have swapped the EB XR's for the ED Sprint personally but each to their own

[Nickxb]

where is the x series????