First Generation Vipers

Back in 1989 the concept for the Viper was debuted at the Detroit Auto Show by Carroll Shelby & Bob Lutz.  They presented an insane V-10 roadster & suggested that it may be built as a Dodge.  There were a lot of skeptics who figured that this insane car would never happen.

But in 1991, it was born.  One of the most incredible supercars.  The Dodge Viper. 

Lamborghini was responsible for the 8.0 liter pushrod cast-iron V-10 engine.  This engine has 400 horsepower with 450 ft. lbs of torque under its long fiberglass hood.  It was able to go 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and completed the ¼ mile in 13.1 seconds.  And the top speed was 164 mph.  Very impressive.

What made it all the more impressive was that it was a very basic car, a driver’s car.  No ABS, no electronic aids.  And the radio, not really worth mentioning since you can’t really hear it above the roar of the engine.  What the Viper is great at, is pure & simple, go as fast as you dare fun.

The first generation Viper RT/10 is from 1991-1995.  The second generation started in 1996 when they added the GTS coupe to the line up.  And the second generation had 415 horsepower with 488 ft. lbs of torque in its V-10 engine.  It went 0-60 in 4.0 seconds with a top speed of 185 mph.  The Viper was proving to be quite a car.

But the creators of the Viper knew that it had to be raced.  It was what it had been born to do.  And race it did.  The Viper won the GT class of the FIA GT championship in Europe from 1997-1999, 2001 & 2002.

The third generation Viper, 2003-2008, came out with a new body style, thanks in part to SRT (Street & Racing Technology).  It lost the roundness & huge one piece hood for a more conventional hood.  The engine also went through some changes.  It was beefed up to a 8.3 liter V-10 that produced an incredible 504 horsepower with 525 ft. lbs of torque.  It could now go 0-60 in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 190 mph.  And there was still no electronic aids other than ABS.

The fourth generation Viper, 2008-2010,  increased the engine to an 8.4 liter V-10 that produced in insane 600 horsepower with 560 ft. lbs of torque.  It could go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 202 mph.  And once again, no electronic aids.

After 2010, the Viper went out of production.  Was that to be the end of what was an incredible supercar?  Nope.  The Viper has returned in 2012. 

The Viper that we own is a 1994, first generation Viper.  And it is just incredible.  There is so much power in the first generation Viper that it is hard to imagine how driving one of the newer Vipers feel.  Will there ever be another car like the first generations of Vipers?  No, never again.  The main reason is that they were very simple.  No drivers aids, just hit the gas & go.  You have to really drive one of these cars.  I’m sure that the new Viper is just as incredible but it has the electronic aids due to changes in the laws.

 

I think that in describing the Viper from 1991-2010, Tanner Foust said it best on Top Gear.  “It feels like it’s trying to kill you.”  But if you love just pure speed, then the Viper is the car for you.

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Reflections

Sitting here listening to the weather tell us about the possibility of snow this weekend & next week.  Bummer!  Had been hoping to get the cars out to one final car cruise this Saturday.  But I don’t think that it will be happening.  Time to winterize the cars & put them away until next spring.

 

 



So I will take a look back on one of our most fun years with cars.  I think one of the main reasons it was so much fun was we did it as a family.  The kids enjoyed it as much as we do.  And they are learning their cars.  Now they will point out cars they see on the road & tell us what they are.  But I also think the other reason was because of the Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang we purchased last year.  We were finally able to go to some of the cruises all together in the same car. 

 

But let’s take a look back at some of the cruises we attended & the fun we had, shall we?  The most memorable cruise & moment this past summer had to be at the All Ford National show in Carlisle, PA were we took 1^st place in our division.  First time there & we do hope to be back.  We had a lot of fun at the show & winning just made it all the more special.  At that moment, I was beginning to realize what a special car we truly had.

The other cruises we attended were just as fun.  We spent time talking to other car enthusiasts & began to truly introduce our kids to the car crazy world.  Our son began his picture taking career by taking his camera with him to every car cruise. 

We ended to car crazy season with a fabulous Pony Trail with our Mustang club.  It was a great way to end the season with our Mustang.

 

But now we must winterize our cars & put them away in the garage until next spring.  The thought makes me very sad.  Number one, I am not a fan of winter or snow.  And number two, I truly enjoy driving my Mustang.  Now all I will be able to do is to go down to our garage & look at it.  L 

We will be back cruising with our cars the first nice spring day in 2013. 

 

 

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PONY TRAIL DRIVE FALL 2012

Sitting here & I can not believe how cold & damp it is.  This past weekend was gorgeous!  The perfect weekend for a cruise looking at the leaves changing colors.  And that is exactly what our Mustang Club did.  Several Mustangs & their owners got together for an 85 mile drive.

After a little bit of a rough start at home, our General Lee which was blocking the Mustang didn't want to start, we headed out to meet our Mustang Club for the Pony Trail.  It was an absolutely wonderful time.  We took our Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang & my dad drove his Saleen Mustang.  There were about 14 Mustangs in all.  It must have been quit a sight to see all these Mustangs cruising along together.  We saw several people stop & stare as we all drove by. 

As we drove along though, I couldn't help but wish that my dad had his co-pilot with him.  My mom, who passed away a little over a year ago, would have loved the cruise & the beautiful weather.  She loved that Saleen Mustang. 

We had left around 10 in the morning for the cruise & finished around 1ish that afternoon.  We made one pit stop along the way, which was good since we had the kids with us.  We also stopped along the roads a few times to make sure that we didn't lose anyone.  After the wonderful cruise, we had a great lunch at a restaurant called Pizzazz.  The service was a little slow because they only had one waitress but she was great.  She really did the best that she could.  And the food was excellent.

So as I sit here watching the changing weather, I wonder if that will be the last time that we have the Mustang out.  I certainly hope not.  I would love to take it out a few more times before old man winter comes. 

To see more pictures from our Mustang club's Pony Trail, please go to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/2FastCars?ref=hl

My (Dawn) Dream Cars

So my husband and I were talking the other day about cars.  Big surprise there.  LOL!  We were discussing what cars we would want if we were to ever come into lots of money.  So I started to wonder what other people would want.  And  I decided to actually sit down & make my own list.

Before I begin with my list, I do want to state that I would not get rid of any of the cars that we currently own.  There would be no reason to & they are just too much fun to drive.  The Viper is considered to be a collectors car because it is the first generation.  The Parnelli Jones Saleen is 1 of 500 so another collector car.  And the General Lee just because it is the General Lee, though we would get the car redone.

The first car that I would go out & purchase is the new 2013 SRT Viper.  Not sure really why, but I really love the car.  Of course, having 600 HorsePower could have something to do with it.  LOL!

The next car on my list is the Lamborghini Aventador.  This car was really just put on my radar after watching Tanner Foust drive it on Top Gear.  What an incredible car!  I was so impressed with it.  It is 0-62 MPH in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of  217 MP.

The third car on my wish list would be the Porsche GT2.  This would be a car that I would love to just take out on the track.  It has 450 HP at 6000RPM.  Not the fastest car out there, but would still be fun to take out & run at the track.

The fourth car on my wish list is a rare car.  In fact, one of our dogs was named after it.  The Lamborghini Miura.  I just think that this is a cool car.  It was the first Lamborghini built & the first real super car.  It is the car that started it all for the super cars.

And the last car on my list would be an original 1967 Shelby Eleanor.  I fell in love with that car in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds.  Just a gorgeous car!  And one I would not mind having in my garage.

That is my list & it is of course subject to change as the new cars start to make their debuts at the car shows.  I think it is always fun to think about what cars you would love to own.  Who knows?  Maybe one day one or more of my dream cars will be sitting in our garage.  But in the meantime, it’s fun to dream.

General Lee Buzz

This past weekend was beautiful so we decided to take our Parnelli Jones Saleen & General Lee to a local park to get pictures taken of them.  We have a lot of great pictures of the Saleen, but none that were really nice of the General Lee. 

I am continually amazed at the response the General Lee receives.  We pulled into the park & parked both cars together on a grassy area.  As soon as we pulled in, people began to flock over to the cars.  Most of them were drawn to the General Lee.  But how cool is it to see both of these cars together!

Everyone started taking pictures of our General Lee & of course, they all wanted their pictures taken with the General Lee.  Everyone was great as they looked at the cars.  They all asked if they could get pictures with the cars.  The people around here are great!  It was a while before we could actually take the pictures that we wanted, but we did finally get some great pictures of the General Lee by itself & with both cars together.

To see more pictures, please go to our Facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/#!/2FastCars

As always I am amazed at how much people love the General Lee.  It is an iconic car & will forever remind people of their youth.

Now we just need to find a way to get the Saleen, General Lee, & the Viper to this park so we can get some great pictures of all three of them.  Any volunteers to drive one?  LOL!

Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang

As you know, we own a 2007 Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang & we love it.  It is an incredibly fun car to drive & own.  It gets a lot of attention at car shows.  Some people know exactly what it is & others think that it is just a Boss 302.  But what is it exactly?  We decided to share with you our knowledge on a rare & fun car that is part of our garage.

Steve Saleen & Parnelli Jones teamed up to build the 2007 Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang.  Parnelli Jones is a very accomplished race driver who won the 1963 Indy 500 along with many more races in different styles.  He piloted a Boss 302 to the 1970 SCCA Trans-Am title & this Mustang is a replica of his winning 1970 Boss 302.

Steve Saleen, President & CEO of Saleen, said, "Parnelli Jones is an American racing icon. In the fifties, sixties, and seventies Parnelli won just about every race that he appeared in, including the Indy 500. 1970 was the year that the SCCA Trans Am Series boasted the most competitive field ever, and Parnelli Jones and his Boss 302 Mustang competed against the likes of Mark Donahue and Dan Gurney, and there he captured the championship. Our relationship began in 1987 when Parnelli raced for me on the Saleen team, and helped us win our first SCCA Manufacturer's Championship at Sebring, Florida. I can't think of any other individual that brings with him the unique connection between championship winning Mustangs and Saleen."

Parnelli Jones commented, "It's a true honor to have a special edition Saleen wearing my name. This impressive car takes me back in time -- it makes me want to take it for a run around the track. I'm sure that this car will be an adrenaline-pumping experience for anyone who has the chance to own or drive one. I think that this car is going to evoke nostalgia not only for Steve Saleen and myself, but for everyone that lays their eyes on it."

The 2007 Saleen Mustang comes with only the best from Saleen.  It has a new Saleen 302 cid V-8, 3-valve engine that produces 400HP at 6000 RPM with a 390 ft-lb torque at 4700 RPM.  It is an extremely fun ride with all that power at your beck & call.  It is also equipped with a high compression, high revving valve train.  And adding additional high performance capabilities is the new exhaust system that has a low-resonating sound that is a legacy of Saleen.  (Love the sound of our PJ!)

The Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang comes only in one color, Grabber Orange.  It has a black striped “shaker” hood, race-style hood pins, black trunk deck, 302 side stripes, rear 1970 replica wing, & a racing-style billet gas cap.  They also came with removable #15 static cling race decals just like the one on Parnelli Jones racing 1970 Boss 302.  (However, ours were made into real decals for the car & are not removable.) 

The interior of the Saleen has black with Grabber Orange inserts leather seats in both the front & back seats.  And also inside are both Steve Saleen & Parnelli Jones signatures.

The Parnelli Jones Saleen uses Saleen’s own precision suspension, Watts-Link, and it offers the car the purest in race-type handling.  The superior springs, shocks, & swaybars provide greater handling capabilities.

Parnelli Jones is an extraordinary example of a legend maker. Even after nearly four decades, his abilities and visions for the sport have very few equals. I anticipate that Parnelli's racing spirit will come alive in every Saleen / Parnelli Jones Limited Edition that we manufacture. Capping on our motto, 'Power in the Hands of a Few,' we will produce a limited number -- up to only 500 -- in honor of Parnelli winning the Indy 500 in 1963," said Steve Saleen.

The 2007 Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang may have been made as a replica of Parnelli Jones 1970 Boss 302, but it is making its own mark on the automobile industry as it one of the most incredible Mustangs on the road today.

Last Cruise at Wexford Starlite for 2012

We went to the last Cruise at the Wexford Starlite for 2012.  We weren't able to leave early to get there like we usually do so we ended up parking in their upper lot.  They had at least 3000 cars show up this past Friday night to end the season.  Great turn out.  But because we got there late, we didn't walk around.  Instead we had a great place to watch the cars as they left the cruise.  So we sat in front of our Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang & watched the cars as they drove by.

There have been a lot of rumors floating around this year about this cruise for next year.  Last night those rumors were put to rest.  The cruise will continue exactly the same next year.  What a huge relief!  This is a great car cruise.  Great cars here every Friday night.  And the people that show up are wonderful too.  Never had a problem at this cruise with people.  They are all very respectful of the cars & I have never seen anyone touching any cars.  Very happy that the cruise will be back next year.

It is very sad though to see the end of the cruises for the year.  Summer is coming to an end.  It will soon be time to keep the cars in the garage.  This has been a great summer for us at the car cruises.  We are able to go to the cruises as a family & enjoy time spent together.  Our kids are learning to love cars also.  There are still a few more cruises left this season & hopefully the weather will be nice for them.  But for the Wexford Starlite Car Cruise....the season has come to an end.  So farewell for now, but we will see you again at the Wexford Starlite Car Cruise next year....May 24, 2013.

To see more photos from the car cruise, please view our Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/#!/2FastCars

Moon Township Volunteer Fire Department Car Cruise

Every year around the end of August is one of the largest car cruises in our area.  This year there was easily over a thousand cars that were there this year.  This cruise also offers a burn-out pit for the ones that would like to do burn-outs with their cars.  But I don't believe it was too popular this year as we didn't hear or see any burn-outs.

 We arrived early to the cruise so that we could get a spot along the road & in the shade.  We arrived with the General Lee, our Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang, & my Dad's Saleen Mustang.  The cruise was to begin at 11am, but they open the gates at 6am & there is a line to get into the park at that time.  We arrived at 7am & there was still a line, but we managed to find the perfect spot for us.  We parked in the shade & right next to the road.  We were able to watch the cars drive by.  So many beautiful cars.

We did walk around a little bit, but the park is huge & with there being so many cars, we didn't walk around the whole park.  Instead, we decided to sit by the road & watch as the cars drove by.  We did take a break to go to the food vendors & to the playground (to let the kids loose).  The hamburgers they had were huge & excellent.  And the other food that we always recommend when there is the corn on the cob.  They have a nice selection of food to choose from.  Hot dogs for kids, hamburgers, hot sausage sandwiches, french fries, cabbage & noodles, & more.

 All in all, it was a wonderful day.  The only downside was getting up early in order to get a good spot for three cars.  I feel that more & more at the car cruises, it's a competition to get the good spots.  I would like to see them keeping the cruises closed until it actually starts.  But, it was still a great day even though we were all very tired that evening.

To see more pictures, of the car cruise, please go to our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/2FastCars

Talk to you all soon!

Beaver Car Cruise

This past Saturday was one of the nicest car cruises in the area.  It's held in the town of Beaver, PA.  They close down main street & the cars park along the street & in their park.  This year was packed!  A friend of ours let us know that the park was full & that the street was getting filled at 10am.  The cruise officially started at 3pm.  My dad arrived at our house around 2 & we left.  Drove around before we parked on the street quite a ways down as there was no other place to park.  Guess that's what we get for trying to get some neglect yard work done.  LOL!

We took the Parnelli Jones Saleen, the Viper, & my dad drove his Saleen down. This is one of our favorite cruises of the year.  Lots of great people, wonderful food, & lots of great cars!  This year they had around 2,000 cars.  I'm thinking that is a record high for them. The only thing that we wish was different was how they parked the cars on the street.  At the Beaver Falls cruise, they park the cars side by side.  At the Beaver cruise, they parallel park.  They would get more cars into the cruise if they did that. 

After we arrived, we went to get something to eat.  On our way up to the vendors, we ran into Rosco's (Dukes of Hazzard) cop car.  (Never did manage to get a picture of it.)  Made us wish that we had brought the General Lee so we could have gotten the two cars together to get a picture of them together. After we had a nice dinner, we walked around.  This cruise is really nice.  They allow you to pull your cars up into their park & park under the trees & by a gazebo.  Very pretty setting for all these nice cars.

As we sat down by our cars, we watched as people drove their cars up & down the street.  Got to see a '37 Packard & still upset that we did not manage to get a picture of it.  But we did manage to get a picture of two rare cars together.  A Porsche Carrera GT & a Ferrari 458 Italia.  Just absolutely gorgeous cars!

Once again to see more pictures from this great car cruise, please go to our Facebook page,
http://www.facebook.com/dawn.hluben#!/2FastCars

The only other bad thing about this cruise is that means that summer is getting closer to an end.  But until then, we do have a few more great cruises that we are planning to attend.  However, we will be taking a vacation & heading to the beach in a few days.  So until we get back, keep on cruising!