The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

Just saw the commercial for the new Dodge Dart first time

It looks like dodge decided not to build it and just put name plates on a neon

What a POC

We can get those from the Asian countries

Ron

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

The new Dart looks nothing like a Neon
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...SCAN0005-1.jpg
The Dart looks nothing like this.

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

Remember , Chrysler Corp. is now owned by Fiat .
I would expect more of same in future .

A "fantasy set-up" would be if Fiat struck a deal with Renault and put a RS27 V8 into the new Dart .

Smitty

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

A "Fantasy Setup" would be if NHRA looked at the real world and started trying to get FFFord, Chrysler and GM to start racing the turbocharged small cars in Stock that they all actually build and sell.

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

And they could do that with one stroke of a pen by opening up the Classification Guide to any vehicle made by a reputable manufacturer and available to the "general public". How many combinations have been accepted in the last two years - ten? And all specially built, limited edition vehicles. You want new blood in drag racing? Allow them to race the cars they can BUY!

Lew

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

New cars are absurdly expensive, all of them are. No new racer is likely to spend that kind of money. Not even to buy a salvage car, rebuild it to a race car, and race it.

The rules of Stock Eliminator and Super Stock do not appeal to the majority of racers, especially not the majority of new racers. They like bolting on big superchargers, or swapping in crate motors or stroker motors, bolting on ported heads and intakes, installing huge cams, or adding nitrous, and going really fast. You are never going to get those people to race class cars. They're not coming. Forget it, stop worrying about it, stop trying to drag them in, they're not coming. We have rules, and they hate rules.

At some point, people need to grasp reality. Stock Eliminator and Super Stock are very limited and narrowly defined classes that appeal strictly to a select and small group of racers of a very specific type. You will never liberalize the rules of Stock Eliminator and Super Stock to draw even a small segment of "the masses". All you will ever accomplish is the complete destruction of Stock Eliminator and Super Stock. You cannot "save" Stock Eliminator and Super Stock by screwing around with the rules to loosen them to allow more modifications and allow more cars. All you will ever accomplish is driving off the core competitors, and forever changing the classes until they no longer even remotely resemble what they actually are, or rather, were.

It does not matter what "new" car you let in. It doesn't matter if you let in a Testarossa and a Toyota. You will never get all those people you think you are going to attract to race class cars. They don't like class racing. We have rules, and they hate rules.

If you want to "save" Stock Eliminator and Super Stock, the first thing to do is stop screwing with the rules and liberalizing them to allow more expensive parts and modifications, as well as bogus combinations. The next thing to do is start making it more fun and more affordable. It probably cannot be done with NHRA in charge. But that is the only way to really save the classes.

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

The new Dart is basically an Alfa Romeo. In the Specs section:

"Three technologically advanced and efficient engines: 2.0L Tigershark™four-cylinder (160 hp), 1.4L Intercooled MultiAir Turbo (160 hp) and 2.4L Tigershark™ MultiAir II 4-cylinder
Unmistakable Dodge Design with Alfa Romeo®DNA "

on this website:
http://www.dodge.com/en/2013/dart/?s...nel=paidsearch

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

All I will say is careful what you wish for. Remember "wouldn't it be cool if the factories were involved in S/SS again?" Now they are and all I hear is bitching (right or wrong)
Ask for more cars in the guide (which I say yes X 1000) and then listen to the bitching when a 350 camaro is smoked by a mostly stock AWD twin turbo Taurus. (Yes they run in the 12's off the showroom floor with the A/C on and a full tank of gas)
My point is, keep the rules they way they are, fill the guide, put realistic HP ratings on them. (the biggest bone of contention)
I agree a lot of "young guys" don't want the rules etc but there is a lot of outsiders looking in that can't afford a top dollar stocker. That's why pure stock is popular (although not well enough advertised imo) How come i see half a dozen new mustangs and even a couple camaro's running at the tracks on the weekends but they don't try out Stock or pure stock or anything besides brackets?
I think some are looking at this the wrong way. When you say stocker, what do you envision? A $50,000 car, $10,000 trailer plus tow vehicle etc, etc,etc.
Ask someone in 1960 what a stocker is and they say something they drive every day and race on the weekend...like a bracket car today!
Who can take their daily driver and dump huge $$$ in it and only race it? NOBODY! So if you want in this class, you need a tow veh and all the crap that goes with it.

1. Fill the guide with everthing sold.
2. Promote Pure Stock for street driven cars with minimal mods.
3. Have a soft enough index that street cars can make their index and shoe polish race.
(like a bracket race with a minimum dial unless heads up of course)
4. Welcome the new guys and accept them.
5. Watch them move up after a few years and race in Stock or SS.

I hate imports so even if it was just detroit filling the class guide, that would work or at least show if there is an interest. New focus running a dart heads up, think that wouldn't draw attention to young guys? Yeah it's a couple of ****box fwd cars to most, but not to the owners who like them and bought them!

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

Good work Alan!

Re: The new Dodge Dart ? not what BS
 

X 2 I think Alan nailed that one on the head