[PetChemMan]

I saw the Muscle Car Shootout mentioned above . I was pleased to see that the Hurst Olds was second in the quarter mile times, beaten only by the 429 Mustang . The test also included a GTO, an AMX, a Buick GS, a Chevelle ( 454 I think) , and a Hemi Cuda. The cars all used factory replica street tires, and the acceleration runs numbers were the best of three trys. The AMX , running a 390 motor, was slowest by a considerable margin. The Hemi Cuda was hampered by a slipping clutch. The cars were run in stock showroom tune , with no modifications.

While this was an interesting test, no single test qualifies as the last word in performance comparisons. Put some better tires on the cars, do a little tuning, ( and a new clutch for the Cuda) , and the results could change significantly. As an example, in 1968 a friend bought a new Hemi Roadrunner. The car ran 14.50s in stock trim . I rejetted the carburetors, put a 3.90 rear axle in it, and installed 10 inch Goodyear slicks. With only those modifications, the quarter mile times dropped to 12.90s , and the car was still a street daily driver.
Still, the Shootout was probably a better comparison than the magazine tests of the 1960's, where the cars were often provided by dealers or the factory and were already blueprinted and tuned !

[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]

[ September 30, 2004: Message edited by: PetChemMan ]</p>