As you know (I assuming here), a “sleeper” car is one that on the exterior looks “average” (that it’s normally understood as referring to “slow”) under the wrapper, it’s a fire breather.
I was reading a special edition of ……the best auto periodical publisher in the WORLD (normally understood as referring to “ever existed”) Hemmings’ Muscle Machines – All Modified….and came upon an article entitled “Sleepers” by Richard Brigidi.
He defined a “sleeper” car as one with no engine badges, no chrome or striping, but with a monster engine. The idea was back in the 1960’s as to hide the fact that you had mega HP under the hood. Of course back in the day, street racing was common (although non-legal – just like today) and often it was done for cash or “pink slips”, so hiding (or at least under stating) that fact that you’ve got a super power plant would be a benefit.
I’ve always liked the thought of having a poverty wheeled – rubber burner and always had in mind a plain-Jane Chevy Biscayne.
Or maybe a plain old Mustang coupe?
What’s your idea of a sleeper car? Drop your idea in a comment below.
Meanwhile, I put together a list of Top 5 Sleeper Cars available today. It includes a few American-built vehicles, and a couple more coming from cold, snowy Sweden and rugby-loving Australia. Check them out past the jump and tell me your thoughts in …
Just about anyone can put together a car show; just throw a few flyers in car windows and tell people where to be. You are bound to have a couple cars show up. However, it takes a whole lot more than that to create an extravaganza that everyone from around the country hears about and is willing to cruise cross-country to attend.
This 1953 Chevy Wagon was bought new by my Grandfather as a delivery wagon for his grocery store. My Uncle and Cousin had restored and maintained it until it was passed on to me. This is the actual first car I remember riding in as a toddler. I was fascinated by the chrome on the dash, and have been a car nut ever since.
After a lot of thought and conversations, I have decided what direction to go with the restoration of the Wagon. At first, I wanted to preserve the original state of the car, but if I did that, it would be dangerous to drive in today’s traffic. In 1953, there were no seat-belts and few other safety devices. I really would like to enjoy the car as it was meant to be…. driving it as much as possible. I would love to build it with a Big Block, but I am realistic so I plan to install the original Corvette engine and transmission from the ’78 Vette. I also want to install disc brakes all around with radial tires. Of course there is creature comforts like air conditioning I want to install. I will keep the original look of the car with a few exceptions like wheels and over-sized tires.
What if you could switch your supercharger on and off with the flick of a switch? Many gearheads have had that dream ever since it was seen in the Mad Max movie in 1979. The aftermarket was slackin’, but 34 years later, Procharger has made it real. Or close.
The all-new i-1 supercharger is a belt-driven centrifugal deal like Procharger is known for, but this one can be programmed for the boostcurve of your choice by way of a computer-controlled constantly variable transmission (CVT) that changes the blower-drive ratio dynamically. The i-1 blower has a 8:1 gear-driven reduction augmented by the CVT that runs between 0.6:1 and 1.9:1. The drive ratio alters the blower speed and therefore changes the boost.
How is this Mad Max-like? Because you can dial a low 1 or 2 psi for driving around town and then crank it up to the blower’s full potential of around 850 hp, all on the fly. You can also custom-shape a curve to your liking, overdriving the blower at low engine speeds for more bottom-end power, and then tapering it off to ensure you don’t get into overboost. You can also create a flatter boost curve than you would normally see with an rpm-dependant centrifugal blower There are three modes out of the box: Touring for 1-2 psi, Sport for a medium- aggressive boost curve, and Competition for all-out power.
Procharger CEO Ken Jones told us that the i-1 was tested back to back with the company’s mainstay P1SC at the drag strip. The older blower ran 120 mph and the new one ran 122—that’s not due to the CVT, but because of a refined compressor housing.
Ken also says ’10-up CamaroSS will be the first available application, but company insiders have been driving around in 5.0 Mustangs, Corvettes, late-model Mopars, and F-150 trucks. We’ll throw out a guess that the 5.0 Mustang kit will be the next to market.
This is the most creative new product launch we’ve seen so far at SEMA 2012, and HOT ROD is already scheming an interesting way to test one of these things. Meanwhile, you have to check out the video to really understand how cool it is:
This is another from YouTube.
As watchmaker in a past career I can really appreciated the skills it takes to make this engine. Having it run when it’s completed is priceless.
