Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

Plenty of double talk from the EPA going on: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/...ans/?refer=news

I will be the first to admit I was wrong about the EPA back in the 70's. Without the EPA mandates on car emissions, the automakers would have kept making cars the cheapest way possible. We might still have carbs on new cars. The EPA made the automakers find a way to build cars that pollute less. The automakers said it couldn't be done each time. Face it, because of the EPA we drive amazing computer controlled, more powerful, more fuel efficient, cleaner cars. That is the way it should be for mass produced vehicles for the masses.
HOWEVER, the race car world and the pre-emission vehicles is such minuscule part of the big picture. The current approach simply makes no sense. Cars modified for off road use (and taken off the road) need to be left alone.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

And thanks to Ralph Nader being such a PITA in the 1960s we have seat belts, safety glass, air bags, collapsing steering columns, crumple zones, etc. Not only are cars more efficient and much cleaner, they are far safer than in the old days.

As for the latest flare-up over off-road cars, we must assume that SEMA (and other vehicular industry interest groups) will weigh-in and hammer-out a compromise that we probably won't notice. There's a lot of money in the aftermarket and if the EPA seriously tried to impinge on those profits there would be hell to pay.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

The EPA simply rigged the game in the 70's against the domestic automakers and then in the 80's against domestic manufacturing. The outcome was regulated globalization sending millions of US jobs to other countries.

The 2V and 4V Carb was finished as a design by the late 80's with the advent of Throttle body Injection as phased in during the early 1980's with Crossfire injection.

The existence of the EPA does have a critical upside since we had to adapt to regulation 30 years ago to survive-and using computers finally perfect the fuel and emission standards to keep our V-8's alive and fast.

An alternate future for others without an aggressive EPA:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2015/...ting-next-year/

The Race car thing is a simple trial balloon.

Beware.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

Not sure I buy into the "no progress without the EPA" narrative. Go drive a stock 50 Chevy and a stock COPO Camaro back to back and try telling me that the Camaro isn't a vastly superior car in practically every objective measure (short of maybe high speed impact protection).

Anyway, I'm still waiting to hear from anyone on either side that has a handle on the CAA as well as any subsequent, relevant legislation or court rulings. Could be SEMA crying wolf, or it could be the EPA re-interpreting existing law in order to help themselves to authority they never had to begin with. Either is entirely within the bounds of possibility.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

Performance for the Small Block Camaro had statistically matched the late 1960's stock acceleration performance levels by 1987 with the 350 TPI in conjunction with top speeds-- the old cars could simply never hope to match. The Ford Roller motors were great for the time as well.

Super fast on board computers in conjunction with the LS redesign in the late 90's changed the rules permanently as to performance and emissions. Not at all uncommon to see a modified LS in a 4th gen hitting a 9 in the quarter. This is a burr in the EPA's saddle for sure.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

I personally do not like government intrusion,the free market would take care of most thru competition.
The EPA has cost jobs and drove up prices,in most of their rules,part of the reason we have 70000 dollar pickup trucks!

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 70 copo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Performance for the Small Block Camaro had statistically matched the late 1960's stock acceleration performance levels by 1987 with the 350 TPI in conjunction with top speeds-- the old cars could simply never hope to match. The Ford Roller motors were great for the time as well.

Super fast on board computers in conjunction with the LS redesign in the late 90's changed the rules permanently as to performance and emissions. Not at all uncommon to see a modified LS in a 4th gen hitting a 9 in the quarter. This is a burr in the EPA's saddle for sure. </div></div>

Agree completely. After the Dark Ages between 75-82, by 1987-90 we had largely gained back most of the performance lost after 71 (or 74. Looking at you, 455 SD Pontiac). People don't realize how many cubic inches EFI and an aggressive roller cam can add to a little motor.

To be clear, I was referring to a 69 COPO Camaro in my previous post. It's absolutely true that we've come miles in terms of technology over the past 50 years, but we came miles between 1945 and 1971, as well. There is no comparison between a flathead 6 and an LS-6 454; the latter is, technologically speaking, so far advanced from the former that there is no effective basis for comparison. So have we gotten where we are because of the EPA, or in spite of them? There's an argument to be made either way, but I know which side I'm on.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

All good points. No doubt the breed would have continued to improve. However, most improvements were to ride, handling and power. If car A handles and performs just as well as car B, but car B costs more ONLY because it burns cleaner, not very many of your average consumers are going to pay extra for car B. Just saying without some mandates, we wouldn't be nearly as clean as we are, because there is no &quot;supply and demand&quot; incentive. The comment on the carbs was simply hyperbole.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

The <span style="font-style: italic">only</span> way to get me to give up cars for the sake of emissions is to shoot me. No way in hell am I going to take this lying down.

Re: EPA Seeks to Prohibit Race Cars
 

Update:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/04/1...ng/?intcmp=hpff