Mosky’s Musings: Mind Your Ps and Qs but The Rs Have It
I write new car reviews for another worthy website. Like magic, a chariot appears in my driveway — showroom shiny and fully fueled. Keys are deposited in that special place and last week’s model vanishes. Arrival is preceded by a text which can trigger any number of gearhead emotions. The announcement, Veloster Turbo R-Spec, stirred excitement. R could only mean a 300 hp, light weight track day car — think Civic Type R, Golf R and close enough the Focus RS. Even Porsche has an R car, an OMG 500 hp 911 R.
My first recollection of the performance R was the R-code Ford Galaxie. It appeared on mid-year models in 1963 and signified the presence of Ford’s legendary 427 cubic inch powerplant equipped with a pair of C3AE-C Holley four barrel carburetors. (A Q designated a same displacement block with a single 4V carb.) The 427 could be found in any of 212 factory lightweights or in standard production models. Nearly 4900 were built in 1963.
R was the fifth entry on Ford’s warranty or data plate. It followed a digit for model year, a letter for the plant and two more digits for body type. An estimated 3700 more R code 427s were released until production trickled in mid-1967. In 1968 and 1969 R was the designate for the 335 hp Cobra Jet 428 and in 1971 and 1972 R code was used for the Boss 351 Cleveland motor in a Mustang.
R code was not a marketing tool in the sixties. Lee Holman, heir to Ford’s mid-century factory racing arm*, was a participant back in that heyday. He was at the Sarthe Circuit in 1965 with Alan Mann Racing and the Cobra coupes. He returned as a young pit crew member when Ford won its first Le Mans in 1966. “In late 1963, we received our NASCAR bodies in white and the factory ID’s were snipped off. But we worked on 427 Fords for road racing, drag racing, and the street. We called them big blocks or 427s. Rarely did we hear R-code”.
The same cars marketed today are headlined with “R-code”. It’s the initial descriptor on auction and collector car sites. A review of recent auction sales of 1963 Galaxie (non-lightweight!) coupes listed in Sports Car Market’s Platinum Database estimates sale prices of the R models being typically 3–4 times that of similar models with smaller displacement powerplants.
The letter R took on heft in 1992. Honda had launched its first supercar, the NSX, in 1990. A factory racer for the street, the NSX-R, was released for the Japanese market two years later. AC, radio, sound deadeners and the spare were removed. (Later niceties could be added back.) The engine was balanced and blueprinted. A stiffer front end improved handling. Enkei wheels reduced unsprung weight.
The halo effect was remarkable and as the NSX-R was phased out in 1995, Honda introduced the Integra Type R. Flywheel, steering wheel, floorboard, battery, rims, seats, dash, engine, and radiator were lightened. Insulation, rear wiper, radio, vanity mirrors and more were removed. The chassis was stiffened and tuned for track performance. And engine mods increased horsepower. It was Acura branded and introduced to the US market in 1997. Sporting a 195 hp motor and an 8400 RPM red line, it became a cult classic. 3850 came to America. As recently as February of this year, Road & Track described it as “One of the sharpest front-drive platforms ever made, with that corker of an engine……….widely viewed as one of the best-handling cars in history.”
Presently R cars are ubiquitous and track days abound — a good thing. Even staid old SCCA enables “Track Nights”, a lively race track experience for streetcars. Comparos of the aforementioned Hondas, VWs and Fords get more motoring press than a McLaren release.
And that Hyundai; the R was a bit of an exaggeration. The racer is actually the 275 hp N model. And Veloster is said to be a contraction of velocity and roadster**. It’s a 3-door coupe! I should have known.
**http://thenewswheel.com/explained-what-do-the-names-of-the-hyundai-models-mean/
About Mark Moskowitz MD
Mark Moskowitz MD is a retired surgeon, racer, and car collector. He is director and curator of The Museum of Automobile History (pvt), manages the estate of renowned automotive artist, Carlo Demand, serves on the Board of Directors of Carolina Motorsports Park and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He is a frequent contributor to multiple motoring publications. Dr. Moskowitz is a member of the International Chief Judge Advisory Group and in the past 12 months, has been privileged to judge concours events at Boca Raton, Greenwich, Hershey (the Elegance), Radnor Hunt, Cobble Beach, Hilton Head, Dusseldorf, Monticello Raceway and Delhi, India.
