What are the greatest RWD / FWD / AWD cars of all time?

[Dave]

Rex, you rock. I own 2 of your 3 right now! :-)

When did you buy an SE-R?

NX2000's are horrible abominations to God and should be burned and/or exploded where they sit.

ZING!
Well, I've had 2 SE-Rs and I like my NX more than either of them :-) T-tops rock my face off and hatch>sedan

[CaptainHenreh]

... and hatch>sedan

MM Take note:

This is a Rex/Dave argument that will never ever die.

*I* Say that this:



Is infinitely more stylish than this:



But Dave disagrees and moreover refuses to admit that he's wrong.

[Dave]

Hmmm, good point, that HAS always been a point of dissent between us :lol: .

I personally think the ITR is in a different class from the Cobalt SS and SRT4. It's a factory-built, street-legal racecar, has an exclusivity factor, and is actually a great car that is efficient, reliable, and fun. That seems like a good set of qualities if you're gonna call it bEst evAr

The SRT4 has always gotten a lot of hate for being a Neon and it always will. No doubt, it's a cool car, but is it the coolest FWD car of all time, I'd probably say no. The Cobalt is a cool car, and probably the current equivalent of the ITR, but it's not a factory-bred racecar and i don't know of anything about it that is truly groundbreaking or exclusive.

If I had to pick from these three, my money would be buying an ITR, in CW please.

[cribbs-tc]

FWD: Scion tC (yeah... I'm biased ~_^ lol). Throw in the S/C package and you have an Cobalt SS killer. However, technically the S/C isn't a "package" since it can only be purchased through TRD aftermarket...

RWD: Nissan Silvia S15... powerful and beautiful. Realistic when it comes to affordability lol.

AWD: Nissan Skyline GTR R33/34. I am absolutely in love with the ATESSA awd system.

::Edit:: ... ATTESA, not ATESSA... oops

[ViPER1313]

Hmmm, good point, that HAS always been a point of dissent between us :lol: .

I personally think the ITR is in a different class from the Cobalt SS and SRT4. It's a factory-built, street-legal racecar, has an exclusivity factor, and is actually a great car that is efficient, reliable, and fun. That seems like a good set of qualities if you're gonna call it bEst evAr

The SRT4 has always gotten a lot of hate for being a Neon and it always will. No doubt, it's a cool car, but is it the coolest FWD car of all time, I'd probably say no. The Cobalt is a cool car, and probably the current equivalent of the ITR, but it's not a factory-bred racecar and i don't know of anything about it that is truly groundbreaking or exclusive.

If I had to pick from these three, my money would be buying an ITR, in CW please.

The ITR is no more a "factory-built, street-legal racecar" than a Cobalt SS is - it had a full interior / luxo goodies. The Neon ACR is a good example of a "factory-built, street-legal racecar" though.

The Cobalt SS is groundbreaking in that it is the first hot-hatch I know of to come with no-lift-to-shift, which is incredibly cool IMO.

[Kaan]

The ITR is no more a "factory-built, street-legal racecar" than a Cobalt SS is - it had a full interior / luxo goodies. The Neon ACR is a good example of a "factory-built, street-legal racecar" though.

There are reasons why in RACING... the ITR tub cant be turned into a "lower" classed car. Its got factory reinforcement, stich welds, "active rear steering" (tested on the 1988 CRX, before ITR production), and little things here and there. The ITR was also bringing 100hp/liter. And if high rev's dont apply in racing... i dont know why they are limiting the F1 cars.

The negatives are... its rare, people like to steal it, and it still has a $13-15k price tag for a CLEAN type R. but as far as its place in FWD history, it has to be at least in the top 3. (edited to top three because i think the R/SE-R/Civic(and 70s eco cars) all had their impact.

[Kaan]

None of you were waiting for my post... but here it is... what defines "greatest?" If you mean greatest impact on the "world" or the "U.S." then I offer these three cars!

FWD: Civic (2nd place Chevette and the American attempt at econoboxes in the 70's)... welcome the cheap reliable transportation that helped the "poor" get to work day in and day out and allows the wheels of this country to keep moving.

RWD: 1953 Corvette... this car brought on the muscle car era... not directly, but it made ford grow a sack... then mopar steps in... And by the mid 60s and the early 70s we had real muscle cars. Those muscle car guys had kids... and their kids picked the civic and other import platforms to start the new generation of modified cars.

FWD: Ford F-series 4x4... more than one person that built the house we live in, the road we drive on, the buildings we work in... drove this truck. Industry and life in the country wouldnÔÇÖt have progressed like it did without the F-series truck.

[ViPER1313]

Little known fact - the Chevette was RWD.

[BLINGMW]

Industry and life in the country wouldnÔÇÖt have progressed like it did without the F-series truck.

You think that if we only had Dodges and GMCs that our infrastructure and quality of life today would actually be different? Come on now. Maybe Toyota would have stepped into the market earlier and you'd be crediting them for the success of our country instead?

[Kaan]

Industry and life in the country wouldnÔÇÖt have progressed like it did without the F-series truck.

You think that if we only had Dodges and GMCs that our infrastructure and quality of life today would actually be different? Come on now. Maybe Toyota would have stepped into the market earlier and you'd be crediting them for the success of our country instead?

no, but i think the popularity of the truck in the construction world and in industry... let alone the fact they sold the most trucks means that it played a bigger role than the other trucks did

[fiveoh2go]

RWD: 1953 Corvette... this car brought on the muscle car era... not directly, but it made ford grow a sack... then mopar steps in...

Eh, I don't know about that.


Chrysler had the Hemi in production for over two years by the time the 'Vette came out in the summer of '53, and if you were into quick cars/hot rods in the early 50's you were into Ford Flatheads. If you really want to name a Corvette that might have had some influence on ushering in the muscle car era, it would be the '55 MY that showcased the new small block V8.

[balactm]

i've heard a couple stories about srt's...... i've never sat in a cobalt ss

Well then.....

I know I'll never win this one here and it doesn't really bother me. The more people who think like you, the cheaper I can get awesome American cars 5 years down the road.

At least I could park an SRT4/Cobalt SS in a public area for 10 minutes without it disappearing.

touche. and i'm not bashing trying to bash the ss or srt. just prefer something japanese imo. to each his own. i was just trying to think of reasons why people would say so. and whoever said the mini...well said sir.

[Gs dewd]

These are mine personal picks and I do feel that many will disagree strongly.
FWD - I have to say a 85' or 86' Dodge Daytona or Chrysler Lazer
RWD - Easy one for me 70' Chevelle SS w/ LS6 454 followed closely by a 70' Hemi Cuda
AWD - No brainer here also The Evo

[CaptainHenreh]

FWD - I have to say a 85' or 86' Doge Daytona or Chrysler Lazer

Did Jeff haxxor your account or something? That's a pretty bold claim to make with no backup.

[D_Eclipse9916]

FWD: Mini, hilariously fun car packaged well and you cant go to an autocross without one. ITR and SS are extremely competent cars, but if I were to drive one of the three, I know i would be smiling the widest behind a loud supercharged Mini.

AWD: 997 Porsche 911, I would give my left testicle for one of those sexy badboys. First gas-engined turbo car to use Variable Vane Technology in their turbos, luxury reliability. UR Quattro also very close on the list.

RWD: Good god too many nice cars in this category. I want.......like 20 of em...Actually i cant choose, im abstaining from picking a "best" in this category.

[SethM]

FWD: Mini Cooper S


I had the chance to drive Ray's at an autocross in Verona while he took my SRT4 on a fun run and had a blaaaaast. With the r-comps and his 5 point harness I felt like I was in a go-kart.


RWD: Ford GT


You know a car is sexy when Jeremy Clarkson actually likes an American car.


AWD: Ford Escort Cosworth


The little bastards can be tarted up from ~230hp to absolutely insane amounts of power and are nice and light.

[SethM]

FWD: Scion tC (yeah... I'm biased ~_^ lol). Throw in the S/C package and you have an Cobalt SS killer. However, technically the S/C isn't a "package" since it can only be purchased through TRD aftermarket...

Not trying to poop on the Scion TC but:

After a few more runs down the drag strip, we nail the launch and click off a 7.2-second 0-to-60 time and a 15.1-second quarter-mile. Solid times that are identical to the numbers we ran in the Civic Si. With a limited-slip splitting up the torque, there's no doubt that the tC would be quicker, but as of right now, Scion doesn't offer one.

From:
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Basically ends up being $3,500 minimum (if you have Toyota put it on - which lets you maintain your warranty) for 40hp. An SRT4/SS makes a good deal more stock, and can be cheaply made faster. I spent $40 on a Stage 2 WGA and moved boost from 13/14lbs to 17/18lbs.

[Mike]

FWD: Scion tC (yeah... I'm biased ~_^ lol). Throw in the S/C package and you have an Cobalt SS killer. However, technically the S/C isn't a "package" since it can only be purchased through TRD aftermarket...

see rex's post. the tc isn't a bad car, but it's nowhere near one of the best fwd rides of all time. yes, i'm saying your opinion is wrong.

[Steve85]

Been trying to decide what criteria to use, to narrow AWD, RWD.

RWD: Too many to choose from, so many significant cars. Really the best is yet to come. In terms of combining performance / technology price, it's hard to beat the new ZR1.

AWD: Certainly the the hot AWD cars mentioned are great, but if I need AWD to conquer the conditions, I'm going with Land Rover. The Camel Trophy Discoveries are unstoppable. (military and commercial vehicles exlcuded) The same capabilities can be found in the luxurious setting of a Range Rover.

FWD: My recent interest in pre-war race cars (driven by a guy who built on from scratch at home) lead me to this offering, the Miller 122 Front Drive. So obviously better faster cars have come but this car used FWD when it wasn't practical and changed even the way RWD cars were built.

The Miller front-wheel-drive car seemed to be a perfectly integrated harmonious whole, as machine and sculptural object. There was something about it that was close to being sublime. Without the driveline through the cockpit, the driver sat some nine inches lower than in the comparable rear-drive car. Miller further reduced the height of the radiator and the result was a low, rakish car of unsurpassed beauty. The long low hood of the new Millers bespoke nothing but power and established a virtual mandate among stylists for a long hood, or the illusion thereof, for decades to come. It was without doubt the greatest single milestone in the development of the appearance of the automobile between the end of the Edwardian era and the streamlining fad of the 1930s.
The Miller front-drive was a bombshell of engineering and styling ideas tossed at a somnolent Detroit. There ensued a frenzy of speculation and research into front-wheel drive, which eventually abated after a few front-drive cars were placed into limited production. Only racing cars, rather than passenger cars like the Cord L-29, demonstrated the best possibilities of front-drive until the famous Citroen Traction-Avant of 1934 proved its entire practicality and merit for the road.

[Gs dewd]

FWD - I have to say a 85' or 86' Doge Daytona or Chrysler Lazer

Did Jeff haxxor your account or something? That's a pretty bold claim to make with no backup.

Ahhh my account has been hacked lol. Nah I had one back in the day and it was a fun little car to tool around town in. And the voice box was just cool for the time. It had alot of cool bells and whistles and wasn't to much of a slouch back then compared to other offerings of the day. I mean it wouldn't be much in the speed department compared to offerings today but it was just a cool little ride with it's 2.2l turbo and 5 spd.