Inspired by the Bullitt/Camaro comparo Edmund's did, I will present, for our discussion, my Bullitt vs. 2000 WS-6 T/A comparo. I know others on the list have both of these cars at their disposal, so correct me when I'm wrong about T/A details and don't take anything as a slight to either car (I'll try to be objective, but my Bullitt bias will show, I'm sure).
Background: My TB Bullitt #4165 is at my home in CO and I am in FL for the holiday and a job search, so it will not be a true side by side comparison. The Bullitt, we all know about, The competition is my girlfriend's '00 WS-6. It is loaded, lacking only the Hurst shifter and traction control. As I have no formal driver training (beyond court mandated :wink
or track experience, I will be speaking in layman's terms, and please do correct me with the proper terms, etc. Because we all know and love the Bullitt, I will spend most of the time discussing the from the drivers seat of the Firechicken. Also, this will come probably come in several installments as I encounter various situations in the Firechicken. I will start with first impressions:
Upon ingress, the first thing I noticed is that the steering wheel/pedal/shifter layout (and all around ergonomics) is superior to Bullitt. Everything is within easy reach and when I have the seat the proper distance from the pedals, the steering wheel and shifter are perfectly located. I start it up, it sounds muscular, but not as cool or testostorone laced as the Bullitt. I back out and go on my way and I notice right away that the visibility kind of sucks (not near as bad as the '70 Challenger SE with that tiny rear windos). The clutch throw is short, and it engages sooner in the travel than the Bullitt. However, IMHO, its too whimpy, I prefer a stiff clutch, also, the shifter SUCKS, gotta be careful, or you go from 2nd strait into 5th, its sloppy and does not center well. Kind of goes with the of the cheapness of the rest of the interior. Granted it's not the Hurst, but the stock Bullitt shifter is FAR superior. The seats also suck. I am a skinny white boy, and though they might demographically fit your average F-body buyer, they don't fit me (or my girlfriend :wink
, back ache after 5 miles and sore kidneys after hitting corners hard and sliding into the adjustable "wings" those horrid seats have. The lumbar support supports just above my lumbar (Bullitt seats fit me perfectly, BTW). The steering is higher effort than Bullitt, but I do like it, the cars are even up here. The Chicken doesn't feel as confident in corners as #4165, and I can't feel the limits but, I haven't broken it loose yet (those big a$$ tires do stick). Now for the highest high of the Chicken. I stop at the bottom of an I-95 on ramp and attempt a max traction launch. HOLYMARYMOTHEROFGOD, this thing GOES in a cloud of acrid smoke, grab 2nd, careful not to miss 3rd, 110 and have to jump on the brakes because its time to merge and I don't want to merge with a Lexus. The only cars I have ever driven that accelerate like this are a 440 powered '74 Challenger ('70 X block, pocket ported heads, unknown Purple Shaft, poor idle quality, 750 double pumper, 8 3/4 3.23 Sure Grip w/green bearings, 727, 2500 stall) and a 351C 4V powered '73 Pantera. The acceleration seems just a sh%* load more than Bullitt (more more than I expected), but I'm at sea level now and the Bullitt is home at 5280. I settle into my cruise and become critical of the stereo. The Monsoon has much more boom-ditty-boom, but much less detail, and I miss the Bullitt's exhaust note. I also dig the steering wheel controls. I had to jump on the binders to avoid merging with the Lexus again, and they are spongey, but confident this time. All in all, the Chicken feels more like a muscle car than the Bullitt. I would like to have the Chicken's drive train in the Bullitt and I really like that muscle car feel, but haven't yet decided wheather I prefer it or not.
I'll post more impressions when I get some more flog time
Background: My TB Bullitt #4165 is at my home in CO and I am in FL for the holiday and a job search, so it will not be a true side by side comparison. The Bullitt, we all know about, The competition is my girlfriend's '00 WS-6. It is loaded, lacking only the Hurst shifter and traction control. As I have no formal driver training (beyond court mandated :wink
Upon ingress, the first thing I noticed is that the steering wheel/pedal/shifter layout (and all around ergonomics) is superior to Bullitt. Everything is within easy reach and when I have the seat the proper distance from the pedals, the steering wheel and shifter are perfectly located. I start it up, it sounds muscular, but not as cool or testostorone laced as the Bullitt. I back out and go on my way and I notice right away that the visibility kind of sucks (not near as bad as the '70 Challenger SE with that tiny rear windos). The clutch throw is short, and it engages sooner in the travel than the Bullitt. However, IMHO, its too whimpy, I prefer a stiff clutch, also, the shifter SUCKS, gotta be careful, or you go from 2nd strait into 5th, its sloppy and does not center well. Kind of goes with the of the cheapness of the rest of the interior. Granted it's not the Hurst, but the stock Bullitt shifter is FAR superior. The seats also suck. I am a skinny white boy, and though they might demographically fit your average F-body buyer, they don't fit me (or my girlfriend :wink
I'll post more impressions when I get some more flog time