okay first off, I love both of the cars you mentioned, but being the Mustang fan that I am, I must ask, what is the torque of these two cars? Torque is a true number of power, horsepower is a formula. (RPM/torque*5252 = horsepower)

 

But there is a $80k one. Of course, its more at home with the lowly $40k corvette than a Viper, and thats on a road course. In a straight line it's better off facing a Mustang GT.

 

I know that the M3 is at 262, and I believe that the Cobra is at what, like 315ish?

 

Brock, you cant really compare that, the BMW motor was designed for RPM and HP, not torque. And torque is really a direct byproduct of displacement.

 

an '03 hardtop Cobra could be had brand new for $35K.... about $40 for a 'vert.

Then the SS/WS6 f-bodies and my MACh1 could be taken home for around $30K.

 

i think what he's saying is that there isn't proof that the Viper was "forced" to compete at the GT300 level as opposed to the GT500 level. Possibly, the team chose to compete in GT300.

 

okay, thats what I thought. Its easy to forget about torque and yet its really one of the most important numbers. A '01 Cobra had 318 torque and my car (very similair engine) has 335. Both engines are quite underrated. However, with this arguement, we really are comparing apples and oranges. An M3 is more along the lines with the 'vette in my opinion.

 

I thought that certain cars were classed into whatever class they have, but like I said, i dont actually follow the series so I dont really know.

 

My SRT4 has 250tq, does that mean its close to an M3's motor? Hell no, it doesnt compare at all.

 

i dont find anything shitty about the mustang's interior design. i think it looks pretty bad ass.

and as far as im concerned, america has the american performance car market in a box. like you said, japs dont have shit for the above $40,000 class. they dont have a performance truck in the US. they dont have anything that will hang with the 03 cobra in a straight line, let alone mod for mod. the GTO is whipping ass in its class. all japan has to offer is the evo and the sti. the 350z is overpriced, slow and heavy. the rx8 is a turd when its not on an autocross. the s2000? nope. civic SI? hahahaha

europe is doing an alright job at the game, japan has been crap since they stopped sending RX7s and supras to america. the end.