Friday, June 27, 2014

The Pipes Are Alive With the Sound of Combustion

 Here’s the thing about Italian Symphonies -

The best part about being a car guy is how these machines stimulate the senses, and the discussions and arguments that come with it while watching endless hours of videos on YouTube.

I have addressed the visual stimulation before with the psychology of color, but this past weekend while in between heats at an Auto-x event my friend and I discussed what the best sound in the automotive world is currently.

Obviously everyone has their own opinions, I myself change mine from time to time.  At certain times the pure explosive sound of ‘MERICA’ that come from a Mustang or Shelby Cobra is glorious, especially approaching this yearly celebration that is July 4th.  But recently I have heard a few things that give classic American muscle a serious run for its money. One is a classic unaltered Italian scream while the other is an Italian scream you only get after a few Americans think their Ferrari needs some help breathing.

(NOTE: It is purely coincidence that my friend and I feel the two best sounding cars currently are Ferraris.)
My idea of what is a nearly perfect sound currently comes from the 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO driven by the great American driver Phil Hill. This 3.0 liter V12 is just the epitome of #becauseracecar:


My friend on the other hand, who agrees the 250 GTO is amazing, is more of a fan of something more boosted in nature.  Currently he believes the best sound to be had is the 1994 Twin Turbo Ferrari 348 Challenge that was recently featured by The Smoking Tire:


A small displacement V12 or a slightly larger V8 with some added witchcraft? That’s the tough question.

Personally I will always love a V12 but it is very hard to disagree with a 9,000 RPM Bi-Turbo V8. Very hard indeed.

- Devlin

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