Side pipes were, at their genesis, an imperfect solution to a vexing problem. In many compact, low-slung vehicles with big engines (in other words, racing cars) there is often nowhere for those big, hot exhaust pipes to go under the floorboards, and thus they must be routed around the side the vehicle by necessity. Thus was the case with the 427 Cobra and the original Viper. But they have serious drawbacks for occupants: high door sills and, unless serious attention is given to guards and heat management, a very real burn danger. (Subsequent redesigns of the Viper have enclosed those calf-searing pipes inside the rockers, but they are still side pipes.) Because of these practical issues and because they were only considered stylish for a limited period of time in the 1960s and ’70s, side pipes have not been widely utilized by car makers. But there are other examples of cars that were equipped by the manufacturer with exhibitionistic pipework along their flanks. And that is today’s Encyclopedia Hoonatica assignment: cars with factory side pipes.
- Specific Requirements:
- Aftermarket pipes don’t count, but accessory pipes sold by the OEM as a dealer-installed accessory are okay.
- We are looking for production vehicles: No concept cars, SEMA cars, or home-built specials.
- Side pipes carry exhaust gasses; if you’re going to include some sort of fake side pipes, you’d best prepared a good argument to justify their inclusion.
- Race cars don’t count, even if they were modified by the factory, unless they were made available for sale to privateers.
Difficulty: Get your fruit while they’re low-hanging. Zero to total obscurity in about 10 minutes flat.
How This Works: Read the comments first and don’t post duplicates. Adding photos with standard HTML is good, but shrink the big ones with width="500"
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Image Source: Wikipedia, Hemmings.com
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