This is a post about my obsession with vehicle power. I’m not trying to be tacky, I just love modified cars (plus I have a lot of blog catching up to do…). It started out innocently enough back in 2003 with an Acura Integra. It was a forest green 1995 model with 142 horsepower. I loved it. Compared to our 2000 Honda CRV it was a rocket. It was this car which got me hooked on the idea of upgrades. I looked at cold air intakes, exhaust systems, toyed with the idea of an engine swap and then one day, quite by accident, I found my new car.
It was a modified silver 2002 Acura RSX-S and I had to have it. The base engine would have put out 200 horsepower but this RSX was equipped with a Greddy Turbo, Intercooler system and an upgraded exhaust which shot the output to a little over 300 horsepower. Perfect for a speed freak. The acceleration was satisfying. Time moved on and my appetite for power increased (as did my understanding of engine capacities and limits). I wanted something more powerful but upgrading the Acura wasn’t going to give me what I wanted. It was time for a change. I looked for something that would reflect my personality a bit better. I moved away from Japanese innovation to…
…American muscle. I purchased a black 2006 C6 Corvette a few months ago and I couldn’t be more pleased. With 680 horsepower (more on this in a sec), unrivaled handling and heart-pounding acceleration I have found true automotive love. While it appears to be a Z06 model, my vette is really a clever impostor. It’s the standard C6 coupe with every Z06 accessory such as body panels, brakes, emblems, etc. While the base coupe has 400 horsepower stock, this Vette attains its massive power via a twin turbo setup (you can read all about the APS twin turbo upgrade here). There are numerous advantages to the stock coupe with the upgrades. The Z06’s lightweight engine materials (i.e. titanium, magnesium, etc) make it dangerous to add more pressure to the cylinders via forced induction. The LS2 engine of the ’06 coupe, while smaller and heavier, is actually much better suited to a turbo upgrade. It’s my opinion that you can safely get more torque and horsepower out of it than the Z06 block. In addition, with the coupe you get a removable top, better gas mileage (I’m averaging 25mpg!), the option for an automatic transmission (I’m loving it), it’s way cheaper to insure (it’s only $7 more a month than my Acura!) and it costs less then a comparable Z06 model. Spiffy.
Maybe one day I’ll trade out the Vette for something a little faster… or maybe not.
