You know, that is what I love about Muscle Cars. I read in Hot Rod when the new GTO first came out that they test drove it and it was fast but didn't feel fast because of the seats and steering and oter "new" things. It had a lot of HP but didn't feel like it tansferred it to the ground like a four speed and Dana did.
These old cars will really make you "feel" like they are beasts, and for good reason. The butt-ometer is right there in those ol seats and it feels like your bolted to a rocket sometimes.
I agree. I have a 2007 Super Bee. Just driving around town you would never know the car has 425 hp. It doesn't feel or sound like a muscle car (until I open the electric exhaust cutouts I installed). It is very refined.
The best analogy I can give is the roller coasters at Six Flags in Valencia. They have something like 15 roller coasters now. All the latest stuff. Coasters you hang upside down from, a coaster where you lay prone like you are Superman, the new induction coasters that are like riding a slot car and can accelerate you from 0-80 mph in about 3 seconds, coasters where you stand, coasters where your legs dangle, etc..... My favorite? The Racer, which is the old wood coaster they built in the 70's (the one you see in the "Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park" movie). Why? Because in the new coasters you are strapped down tight and your body is pretty much immobilized. You never feel unsafe. On the old wood coaster all you have is that bar across your legs. Around corners you get thrown around. When you go over a hill your body wants to keep going up when the car starts to go down, and you aren't sure if that bar is going to keep you in the car. I'll take that coaster over the new ones for fun factor.
On the other hand, I don't want to ride that coaster to the kids' daycare or to work every day. The old cars are great for weekend fun, but I'll take the kids to school in a car with ABS, airbags, electronic stability control, DVD player, dual zone AC, etc. And after I drop them off I turn on the satellite radio and crank up Buzzsaw or Hairnation and open the exhaust.