I agree with what you posted, but I'll take it even a step further and say that I don't have a problem with taking performance up a notch... IF you know what your doing. These are the guys on the cutting edge and we share a like-minded approach to modifications.
F.A.S.T. - Factory Appearing Stock Tire - Home -
No matter how you look at them, F.A.S.T. cars appear showroom stock, including the body, interior, engine and all its external components & manifolds, even the wheels and original 1960's style skinny bias ply tires. As a matter of fact, F.A.S.T cars place very well at shows for "restored" cars. But get a group of them on the drag strip, and LOOK OUT! You will see F.A.S.T. cars covering the 1/4 mile in 13, 12, 11, 10 and some even in the 9 second range, with the fastest cars posting trap speeds well over 130 MPH! You see, F.A.S.T. cars may look and sound stock, but internal engine modifications are not restricted.
(Personally, I don't even care that much about tires. They're a consumable, like gas and oil. Plus I'm way too cheap to shell out $300 for a good performance tire that looks like it's from 1970, but more power to these guys if they want 'em.)
Dave Dudek
1969 HEMI Roadrunner
9.98 @ 139 MPH
I also think it's pretty cool that GM/Ford/Mopar are all pretty well represented. Not because of "regulation", but because the owners are so passionate about eeking the most from their cars.
Things like aluminum heads that look original but allow timing to be bumped up along with a roller lifters setup and appropriate cam modifications that make use of today's gas more satisfying, would be fine with me. They are all out of sight and reasonable upgrades. But I personally wouldn't be striving for a fast quarter mile car, just something a little better than what you can get with today's gas - something that would mimic the past performance on good fuel better. I still try to replicate the original look as best I can and the original performance as well (but maybe a little bump up).
I am not sure what some guys are trying to prove in making these old cars really fast strip cars. And old cars with substantial upgrades to performance can usually still be beat by a 4 cylinder turbo Ford Focus that was bought off the showroom floor yesterday or a Model S Tesla P90D. But if that is what motivates and excites them, I am all for it. That way they are not on their smart phones all day sitting on a couch making time pass playing video games and such...............................
