Reality check

[PNY UP]

So my Dad grew up in the glory days of muscle cars, and his hot rod back in the day was a 69 AMX that held the F/S record at the local drag strip for a number of years (long before I was around).

Anyway, he came down a couple weeks ago and I took him for a ride in the stang, showed him some pics and timeslips, etc. He was totally floored. He couldn't get over what kind of times my car was pulling down, and I kept telling him that my car isn't even that fast. He couldn't believe that 500-600 (or more) HP cars running 10's (and sometimes lower) and remaining perfectly streetable is commonplace these days.

He then pointed out that back in the day his '69 AMX was one of the fastest things around running high 12's. He also said he couldn't rememebr anything running an 11 unless it was a full-out racecar.

So I did some looking and came across this list- 50 fastest production cars from the 60's and early 70's. These are the best test times for each vehicle listed by a major magazine when the vehicle was new. Now obviously these cars could be modified to run faster (and many were), but just to his point- we really are re-living the good old days of muscle cars, so enjoy them while you can!

50 FASTEST MUSCLECARS
# YEAR/MODEL ET/MPH ENGINE HP TRANS GEAR SOURCE
1 1966 427 Cobra 12.20@118 427 8V 425 4-Speed 3.54 CC 11/65
2 1966 Corvette 427 12.8@112 L72 427 425 4-Speed 3.36 CD 11/65
3 1969 Road Runner 12.91@111.8 440 Six BBL 390 4-Speed 4.10 SS 6/69
4 1970 Hemi Cuda 13.10@107.12 426 Hemi 425 4-Speed 3.54 CC 11/69
5 1970 Chevelle SS454 13.12@107.01 454 LS6 450 4-Speed 3.55 CC 11/69
6 1969 Camaro 13.16@110.21 427 ZL1 430 4-Speed 4.10 HC 6/69
7 1968 Corvette 13.30@108 427 6V 435 4-Speed 3.70 HC 5/68
8 1970 Road Runner 13.34@107.5 426 Hemi 425 automatic 4.10 SS 12/69
9 1970 Buick GS Stage I 13.38@105.5 455 Stage I 360 automatic 3.64 MT 1/70
10 1968 Corvette 427 13.41@109.5 L72 427 425 4-Speed 3.55 CD 6/68
11 1969 Charger 500 13.48@109 426 Hemi 425 4-Speed 4.10 HR 2/69
12 1968 Charger 13.50@105 426 Hemi 425 automatic 3.23 CD 11/67
12 1970 Plymouth Superbird 13.50@105 426 Hemi 425 ? ? ?
14 1968 Road Runner 13.54@105.1 426 Hemi 425 automatic 3.55 CD 1/69
15 1973 Trans Am 13.54@104.29 455 SD 310 automatic 3.42 HR 6/73
16 1969 Corvette 13.56@111.1 427 L88 430 automatic 3.36 HR 4/69
17 1969 Super Bee 13.56@105.6 440 Six Pack 390 automatic 4.10 HR 8/69
18 1969 Boss 429 Mustang 13.60@106 Boss 429 375 4-Speed 3.91 HC 9/69
19 1970 Challenger R/T 13.62@104.3 440 Six Pack 390 automatic 3.23 CC 11/69
20 1970 Torino Cobra 13.63@105.9 429 SCJ 370 automatic 3.91 SS 3/70
21 1968 Biscayne 13.65@105 427 L72 425 4-Speed 4.56 SS 4/68
22 1964 Polara 500 13.70@107.37 426 4V 365 4-Speed 3.23 HC 2/64
23 1969 GTX 13.70@102.8 440 4V 375 automatic 4.10 MT 1/69
24 1969 Dart 440 13.71@105 440 4V 375 automatic 3.55 CC 5/69
25 1971 Road Runner 13.71@101.2 440 Six BBL 390 automatic 4.10 CC 1/71
26 1971 Cuda 13.72@106 440 Six BBL 390 automatic 4.10 SS 4/71
27 1971 Corvette 13.72@102.04 454 LS6 450 4-Speed 3.36 CL 8/71
28 1971 Super Bee 13.73@104 426 Hemi 425 automatic 4.10 MT 12/70
29 1968 Hurst/Olds 13.77@103.91 455 W-30 390 automatic 3.91 SS 8/68
30 1970 Hemi 'Cuda 13.78@101.2 426 Hemi 425 automatic 4.10 MT 9/69
31 1968 Firebird 13.79@106 400 HO 335 4-Speed N/A HR 3/68
32 1967 Corvette 13.80@108 427 6V 435 4-Speed 3.55 HR 5/67
33 1965 Catalina 13.80@106 421 6V ? 4-Speed 3.42 CD 3/65
34 1969 Super Bee Six Pack 13.80@104.2 440 Six BBL 390 automatic 4.10 CD 7/69
35 1971 Boss 351 Mustang 13.80@104 Boss 351 330 4-Speed 3.91 MT 1/71
36 1966 Satellite 13.81@104 426 Hemi 425 4-Speed 3.54 CD 4/66
37 1969 Coronet R/T 13.83@102.27 440 4V 375 4-Speed 4.10 SS 4/69
38 1968 Cyclone GT 13.86@101.69 428 CJ 335 automatic 4.11 MT 8/68
39 1969 Nova SS 396 13.87@105.1 396 4V 375 automatic 3.55 HR 7/69
40 1969 Shelby GT-500 13.87@104.52 428 CJ 335 4-Speed 3.91 SS 9/69
41 1969 Cyclone Cobra Jet 13.88@101.7 428 CJ 335 automatic 4.11 MT 1/69
42 1970 Olds 4-4-2 W-30 13.88@95.84 455 W-30 370 automatic 3.42 CC 11/69
43 1962 Corvette 13.89@105.14 327 FI 360 4-Speed 4.10 HR 1/62
44 1969 Barracuda 13.89@103.21 440 4V 375 automatic 4.10 SS 8/69
45 1962 Catalina 13.90@107 421 4V ? 4-Speed 4.30 MT 5/62
46 1969 Mustang Mach I 13.90@103.32 428 CJ 335 automatic 3.50 CL 3/69
47 1967 GTO 13.90@102.8 400 RA 360 automatic 4.33 CL 10/67
48 1970 Trans Am 13.90@102 400 RA 345 4-Speed 3.91 HR 2/70
49 1970 Torino Cobra 13.99@101 429 4V ? 4-Speed 3.91 MT

[Buford]

Tell him its only going to get more extreme. With 1000hp cars roaming the streets

[Perdieu]

Tell him its only going to get more extreme. With 1000hp cars roaming the streets

:2up: i'll be happy with 700 daily driver HP

[PitchBlackStang]

:2up: i'll be happy with 700 daily driver HP
WERD!!!!:2up:

[chargedgt]

GTO in 47th? Crappy list, obviously flawed. Yes Tim, my original baby that I owned Metcalf for over 2 years with (without a loss) was a 68 Goat. Not stock but baad arse!!!!!!!!!!!

[Perdieu]

GTO in 47th? Crappy list, obviously flawed. Yes Tim, my original baby that I owned Metcalf for over 2 years with (without a loss) was a 68 Goat. Not stock but baad arse!!!!!!!!!!!

here is what all I owned off the list, wish I had just one of them right now..:slap:


5 1970 Chevelle SS454 13.12@107.01 454 LS6 450 4-Speed 3.55 CC 11/69
6 1969 Camaro 13.16@110.21 427 ZL1 430 4-Speed 4.10 HC 6/69
16 1969 Corvette 13.56@111.1 427 L88 430 automatic 3.36 HR 4/69
39 1969 Nova SS 396 13.87@105.1 396 4V 375 automatic 3.55 HR 7/69

[PNY UP]

Well at least you can say you've owned them over the years...I can only claim to have driven one of them, and it's a stretch at that. My buddy has a 69 Mach I 351/auto he let me run down the track once. I beat his best time by 2 tenths (with his kid in the car next to me no less), and I haven't been allowed behind the wheel since!:smilielol:

[Saleen Guru]

Thanks for completing my list for me Casey...for when I win powerball...and don't think I wouldn't go and buy everyone of these cars...of course I'll need to be the sole winner of the 300 million dollar powerball...but hope keeps me alive. I better start lookin for a storage company that is for sell...with at least 50 stalls. Don't forget about my Saleen. It is number 50.

[Silverfox]

i think that list is scewed...but I can't prove it....the superbee and cuda are to high on the list...they were heavy boats

[64T-bolt]

Of course dont forget the A/FX cars that were "produced" in limited numbers, like the Thunderbolt (100 made, 11.17 on biased ply's), Mako Shark (dont know how fast but it was frickin fast), Hemi Dart (50 made, 2600#, 550hp, nuff said), The original 68 mustang GT Drag Pak (428, low 12's I believe). .I know there's more but that is all I can think of . .

[64T-bolt]

the 68 Firebird 400RA II, 12.87 @ 106, Buick GS Stage II (muscle car magazine claims 10.90's). . they also claim 10.30's on the above mentioned Hemi Dart. .

[PNY UP]

the 68 Firebird 400RA II, 12.87 @ 106, Buick GS Stage II (muscle car magazine claims 10.90's). . they also claim 10.30's on the above mentioned Hemi Dart. .


I agree most of the times for those cars seem slow by today's standards, until you consider the conditions the times were obtained under. We take for granted great tire technology, suspension, etc. that allows most of us to do more with less. Imagine how hard it would be to get a mid-12 second timeslip out of an 11 second Mustang if you had to try to do it on a set of 7 inch wide bias-ply tires! Then try to do that on a car that weighed 600 (or more) lbs more and had twice the torque below 2000 RPM, which most of those big blocks had...you get the idea.

[Saleen Guru]

I agree most of the times for those cars seem slow by today's standards, until you consider the conditions the times were obtained under. We take for granted great tire technology, suspension, etc. that allows most of us to do more with less. Imagine how hard it would be to get a mid-12 second timeslip out of an 11 second Mustang if you had to try to do it on a set of 7 inch wide bias-ply tires! Then try to do that on a car that weighed 600 (or more) lbs more and had twice the torque below 2000 RPM, which most of those big blocks had...you get the idea.

Amen...You speak the truth my friend!

[PNY UP]

We'll get yours right....as soon as you drop this silly fantasy you have with TURNING!