I hope the “real” 700 Club initiates legal action because I used the term. It would be consistent with narrow-minded self-righteousness to go after me and my little blog that, as of now, has not put a single penny in my pocket. Have I ever mentioned that I loathe blind adherence to any ideology? <end sarcasm> In any event, my blog and I could use the publicity.
What I am talking about is my 2016 Corvette Z06 now has 700+ HP and 700+ LB/FT of torque after having had intake and exhaust modifications. I want to thank Josh at HPA for taking care of me and my car. I wish I could say I had the same pleasant experience dealing with the creator and publisher of Action! PC Football.
So, how much did I pay for the work? Well, let me say that at the midpoint of the range in expected horsepower gain I paid about $28 for each added HP. For torque that number is about $24 for each added LB-FT. I think the effort is well worth that expense. The car does sound a little meaner and louder as well, not that it was a shrinking violet before.
Of course, it’s been less than 24 hours since the work has been completed and I don’t want to declare victory lest I damage my karma, not that I really believe in such a thing. I do believe that I am not blessed with good luck on a day-to-day basis as I described here. I guess being the child of Holocaust survivors makes it impossible to expect the best.
Obviously, that’s a picture of my car which now belongs to the 700 Club. I hope my car doesn’t actually belong to THAT 700 Club at any point in the future.
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Does anyone reading have any thoughts to offer on the new Toyota Supra? From Classic Cars a picture:
I saw one in person at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in January of 2019. To me, the car has a multiple-personality look in that it looks good from some angles and not so good from others. From the same article a picture that is less than flattering, in my opinion.
Of course, this generation Supra is basically a BMW. This car and the new BMW Z4 share the same architecture and are built on the same assembly line in Graz, Austria. The engine, designed and built by BMW, is a turbocharged inline-six of 3 liters in displacement (182 cubic inches) that produces 335 HP/365 LB-FT of torque, allegedly. The only available transmission is an 8-speed, dual-clutch ZF automatic. I wrote “allegedly” about the engine output because many stories have appeared on the Internet claiming that Toyota is really understating the power of this car.
At between $50,000 and $55,000–depending on options, of course–the Supra is a relatively inexpensive way to get in a performance car. From the Classic Cars article referenced above, here is a brief passage about driving the car in Sport mode:
“…Once under way again in Sport, I immediately noticed a change in the exhaust tone. The throttle and steering responses were sharper, and the suspension stiffened. It was as if the car had gotten a shot of adrenaline, a gulp of Red Bull or a double espresso. It became a hunting dog on scent. Buckle up, Buttercup, now we’re going for a drive!”
“Suddenly, the Supra felt lighter, more eager, and except for the engine out front instead of mid-ship, the dynamics reminded me of the Cayman S.”
“Particularly impressive was the way that, in Sport mode, the 8-speed gearbox handled the descent off Mount Charleston, knowing how to hold gears, shifting as you would with a manual, so you could actually drive rather than ride brakes down the hill and around the curves.”
One of these is not in my future, but Toyota deserves praise for selling a non-boring performance car. Once again, I welcome thoughtful comments about the Supra or about almost any topic. Thanks.
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Disaffected Musings 
Congrats. Enjoy the car.
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Thanks. I will try to enjoy it as much as possible.
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I’m not much of a fan of the new Supra’s looks. To me it’s too “busy” and looks too “boy racer” ish. And I guess I would want to drive it myself, rather than depend on the hyperbole from a paid tester.
It’s in some ways amazing that today you can gain 50 hp for that amount of money, not to mention the small amount of work needed. In the “good old days” you would have spent more (inflation adjusted) and it would have required more work. We are truly living in blessed times for horsepower junkies.
That said, I still like the old muscle. It’s more visceral and “in your face”. The difference between a velvet fist and a sledgehammer if you will.
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Thanks for offering your opinion on the Supra, modern performance and old vs. new muscle.
I agree that old muscle cars offer a more visceral experience, which is highly prized by many. Different strokes for different folks; I’m of an age where I would rather work smarter than harder, no offense intended.
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No offense taken. I’m getting older and less interested in building my own.And I have a soft spot for understated muscle myself, think mid 60’s full size Chevy with a 427 engine.. I’m also watching an auction for 2017 Dodge Charger SRT with the 392 Hemi and under 25K miles. Currently the bid is $19K with 2 days left. Take off the badges and instant sleeper to most. These normally sell in the 30-40K range, so maybe a velvet fist of my own.
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I envy you a bit in that you’ve had the time and the skills to build cars for yourself. My father was a mechanic, as I have mentioned, but he usually discouraged me from working on cars. He always said I was “too smart” to be a mechanic. I think intelligence is an asset in virtually every profession. I also think intelligence is not a disease and not something of which to be ashamed. In this society of faux equality and political correctness, ability is often shoved out of sight. Yes, I have written most of that before. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be repeated.
I don’t think you were reading the blog last year when I unveiled my Ultimate Garage 2.0. If you have the time and are so inclined I think we would all enjoy reading about your Ultimate Garage.
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I actually had read that, probably from being referenced in another post.
I’m not sure you would have the bandwidth to accommodate my ultimate garage. Perhaps if I were to limit it to the top 5 that I haven’t owned, or currently own. I have two I’m keeping for purely sentimental reasons: a 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger that was my first new car bought for ME, and a 1968 Plymouth Valiant Signet. The Plymouth is a street/drag strip car that a young neighbor had helped me build 23 years ago. He reminded me of myself at his age, but was unfortunately killed in a traffic accident 2 months short of his 15th birthday. He was in his parents car that was hit by a car being chased by the police. Both he and his sister died and I have long since moved from that area. The car isn’t worth much monetarily, maybe 5-6K, but worth much more to me because of the memories.
Perhaps in a few days I’ll put together my top picks from different categories; Luxury, sports car, muscle car, daily driver and vintage/classic.
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Many thanks, sir. The Ultimate Garage is a free-form exercise. 56PackardMan had a double-digit number of cars in his. I’ll be happy to publish whatever you send.
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Old hot rod adage: Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go? Your expenditure sounds like it was worth the expense. Congrats on your now faster, more powerful ride.
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Many thanks, Philip. Perhaps it will not be too much longer before you can experience the ride for yourself.
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Seems like Toyota blows hot and cold on performance cars. I saw the new Supra last week in the showroom here in Fargo when I brought my Avalon in for routine service. I must admit the Supra is a pretty car. I didn’t realize its European heritage.
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Always great to hear from you, sir. As I wrote I think the Supra looks good from some angles and not so good from others.
My understanding is that many Toyota-philes are not happy about the new Supra being, basically, a BMW in a different body. Hey, businesses have to evolve to stay relevant and profitable. I would rather an experienced CEO make that decision than some government dolt. I’ll refrain from naming names although it’s all I can do not to go off.
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