Interesting post. I'm in university so I'm surrounded by the little import punks that keep saying how their nitrous'd imports will beat 5.0 mustangs and IROC's. This pisses me off, because they're comparing a brand new, modified car, to bone stock 15 yr old cars that have probably been beaten harder than a rented mule. So I just usually just say, "How does a 15 year old civic do against a brand new mustang or firebird on nitrous?" Silence. Of course nearly any engine can be built to beat nearly any other engine, but could it if the same amount of money were spent on both? In most cases, probably not. This rant is pretty much fueled by my intense hatred for imports covered in stickers and neon plug wires that pull off 17's in the quarter, but they can sure make a cool resonance with their 6" pipe....
