FRIDAY HULK THREAD: Have you been converted?

[HULK_I6T]

Its Friday!! Theres no better way to take the edge off a hard week at work and get ready for the weekend with a good hulk thread.

My question this week is "have you been converted?"

Many of us grew up with the V8 being the pinnacle of performance, whether it be the 60s, 70s or early 80s, we looked to the V8 as the performance option. Dad had one, the neighbour had one, you loved the smell of fuel and the rumbling sound of the V8.

Then in the mid 90s the little 4 cylinder turbos came onto the scene in a big way, wrx etc. They flogged the V8s of the 90s and people started to look to the turbo charged car as the performance option. Ford also released the hot n/a XR6 which was beating up on their windsor V8 as well. The V8s lost their lustre a little during this period.

The V8s in early 2000 readdressed this situation particularly with the Ls1 which largely changed the face of performance in Australia.. People werent embarrassed to drive V8s again. They shifted the goalposts performance wise in favour of the V8.

Then 2002 ford hit hard with the XR6 Turbo which really did make the holden and ford V8s seem mediocre especially after a few mods. Cars like the F6 and G6ET were subsequently released with amazing performance potential. As great as the LSX motors were or the Boss 5.4 motors, the turbo 6 cars hit them out of the park.

The car industry in general have moved away from big displacement motors for smaller motors + forced induction. V8 cars are becoming rarer and more expensive options.

Ford/FPV did the V8 proud by sticking a supercharger on it with the Miami V8 as a final fling to attempt to readdress the situation again but this time its probably a sideways move from the turbo 6 rather than a step ahead. They are basically on par at the moment.

On a personal level ive gone back n forth between turbo cars and V8s.. It seems when I buy a V8 you miss the rush and pace of the turbo car... when in the turbo car you miss that street presence, emotive feel and rumbling sound of the V8.. I sort of sway back n forth between the two.. Not sure if ive been converted as such but Im not one eyed anymore in favour of the V8s. I dont see myself as a definitive turbo man or a V8 man.

Have you been converted? Is it turbo charged cars or V8s as your weapon of choice?