Unless of course you wanted to buy a Viper the first year in CT and it mattered very much.
In the north east if it is a true street car having a defroster *IS* a big deal. I tried driving without one and it was a stupid safety risk trying to drive with one hand while mopping the windshield with a towel in the other every minute or so.
That may be........but what does that have to do with a "street car" in Arizona or southern California where it rarely gets below 50.....nothing.
People relate what is and isn't to their OWN comfort level. Guys ride hardtail Harley's thousands of miles. Is that any LESS of a street bike than a Goldwing. NO, just depends on your level of tolerance for comfort. Something like a T-bucket, has no heat, no air, no wipers, no fenders and sometimes no windshield. Yet guys drive them cross country in the rain and cold. Not my idea of comfort either, but no less of a street car. Same goes for a big n little, spool equipped, alum interior, jungle gym cage, roller cammed, gas guzzling monster. Maybe not YOUR idea of comfort, but it only really matters to the guy willing to pilot it around. Like I said, some of the "requirements" some on here are doling out would exclude MANY regular production cars made before the 70s. Think model A Fords were a blast to drive back then.......doubtful.
As stated earlier..........seems some need to just "sack up" if you think you GOTTA HAVE air, power steering, power brakes, power windows, an I-phone dock, 15 cupholders and all the comfort of home to make it a real street car. What if we take a modern pro-stocker, drop in a stone stock LS and a 4L80E. That would be as dependable as your everyday truck, but guess it doesn't LOOK the part. Try to look outside YOUR OWN comfort zone.
On the fuel thing, pretty much ANYTHING, even a high compression race motor will run down the road just fine on pump swill, provided you lower the timing and keep your foot out of it. Think "Pump Gas Drags" that HotRod put on. All the fast ones were just race motors, tuned to run on pump gas. Not hard to do.
