Sleepers

[leighton]

Sleepers are my favorite cars. Ever since my dad used turbo Volvo Wagons to piss off Corvette drivers in front of their dates, I realized they are the most fun vehicles to own. The wagon "Looked like it was standing still even when it was doing 90".

Much like this minivan beating a Mustang:

Comments

Sleeeeeper

[anonymous]

I always thought the early sixties Detroit factory drag cars were the ultimate sleepers. 1964 Dodge 440 - no frills grampa car with a 426 Max Wedge (precurser to the Hemi) stuffed in it. Even better - 1967 Dodge Coronet WO23 and Plymouth Belvedere II RO23. These cars had no emblems or radios, came with steel wheels and rubber floor mats. They had no insulation and one color paint schemes. Black vinyl interiors. Also came with 426 Hemi and aluminum front clip.
1962 Pontiac Super Duty Catalina was a factory sleeper. 460 horsepower SD421 cubic inch engine, aluminum front clip and grapefruit-sized holes cut in the frame for lightness! Nothing external telling the casual observer that it was a drag car.
The Chevy COPO cars were the same thing - aluminum body panels with a 427 that put out 450 horses. Plain jane paint jobs and no emblems.
Ford had the ultimate sleeper with the most powerful production engine ever in one of their galaxies. It was a 427 with dual ovehead cams and hemispherical combustion chambers. It put out 657 horses, 550 lb-ft and went 0-60 in 4.8 secs but looked like a typical family car.
-LF

Re: Sleeeeeper

[leighton]

Those are the true Beach Boys definition of sleeper to me. Though they may have been refering to earlier, stationwagon versions of the Fords and Chevys.

Just think what 675 horses would do in a modern, lighter car...with seatbelts.