twfreightman

Anybody interested in seeing how a new C6 stacks up against the classics? When I was 17, I thought nothing could ever beat some of these cars. I was wrong. The new 07 GM brochure says 12.6 seconds @ 115mph. I just thought this was interesting.



50 Fastest Muscle Cars

These are the fastest muscle cars of all time, as ranked by Muscle Car Review Magazine, the source on muscle cars. This ranking was developed by comparing muscle cars as measured by different, respected sources, which were then ranked by their respective quarter mile elapsed times.

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 2/70
Legend: CC=Car Craft, CD=Car and Driver, CL=Car Life, HC=Hi Performance Cars, HR=Hot Rod, MCR=Muscle Car Review, MM=Mopar Muscle, MT=Motor Trend, SS=Super Stock

TCW

Nice post. Thanks!

Tom

Vette_DD

Actually, that fastest time of 12.2 is kinda "slow."

C6 Z06 Corvette

Motor Trend ran 11.5@127.1mph........ 0-60 in 3.7sec.... 1.02g on skidpad.

Car and Driver ran 11.7@125mph........0-60 in 3.6sec........98g on skidpad.
0-100 in 7.9 sec..... 0-150 in about 18 sec.

beaversstonehaven

Wow! Number 45.....1962 Catalina.....I did not know they made a 4spd. Interesting post.

fatboytc88

i would like to see a retest with modern tires on the old muscle cars. i had a 66 dodge coronet 426 hemi and it was next to impossible to take off with the stock tires. i feel these times would drop quite a bit with the traction of modern tires.

LS WON

Z-06 kills them all. Today's high performance cars are superior as they can outbrake, out accelerate and get better mileage than the oldies. They even drive more comfortable.

twfreightman

I am sure modern tires would make a difference. But these tests appear to have been done by the car mags of the day on stock cars.... just as many of us remember them. Stock tires or not, they sure seemed fast back in the day. The cool thing is that we have a car now like the C6, with all of it's refinements (and 28MPG), that basically out performs these all time classic muscle cars in a quarter mile.

exukboy

I was checking out some C2's last week and notice that many of them are making a WHOLE lot more than my C6 vert and was beginning to think they might be a better car to sink $60K into. Especially as they are so simple to work on with all that outta date technology. When you drive one of them you suddenly remember that it's more about looks than how they perform. Think I'll stick with my thoroughly modern vette for the time being. A long distance drive is a lot less fatiguing.

Monterrey Bill

Nice Post, just proves how awesome the C6 is

excessive81

sorry but i had a 72 gto and i will keep my vette. you better not be going fast if you want to turn and if you need to stop....well an anchor would help

jjohn918

Thanks for the post! It really is amazing how technology has made such huge gains since these cars were king. Just imagine what things will be like in the future.

JVM225

I have a 68 GTO and I just ordered a 07 Vert. I would never give up my GTO, I love driving it; but it is a whole different animal.
I think that once my 07 arrives I will have the best of both worlds.

Atomic Punk

thats i didn't see the corvair or the amc grimlin



really though i would have tought the javlin would have made it. also not as many mustangs/fords in there. more chevy and mopar.

Vette_DD

My Corvair with a turbocharger on it really showed its stuff cutting in and out of back alleys in a small town.

Jim_H

Don't laugh, American motors made some fast cars besides the Javlin (Nothing that would make this list though). The 401 AMX and the MArk Donahue edition AMX are better examples than the Javelin, but most any Duster 340 or 350 Nova SS could smoke an AMX.

Does anyone remember the Rambler Scrambler or the Rebel Machine from American motors?

Also, there really was a High Performance Gremlin; the Gremlin X. It came with a 304, 4 speed and 4 barrel. The American Motors V8s were based on the same block, so just drop in the 401 AMX motor, at least one Gremlin like that was running around my area.

aggie88

Absolutely! My Goat is a different animal (pun). Hope the next GTO will be more significant than the current Aussie wannabe.

Atomic Punk

i was really just kidd'n 'bout the grimlin. i remeber the v8 one they put out was pretty quick just not what you look at and call aerodynamic or very astedicly appealing.

now i guess this shows my age but i remember alabama state troopers using javlins. was a bad a$$ look'n cop car.


oh and just for the record, i know i can't spell

railgun

Let's only give them modern tires if they also are modified to meet modern emmissions standards. Apples to apples and all that.

CessnaDriver

Makes you wonder what to expect 35 years from now.
Or are we at a max amount of power that can responsibly be sold to the public.

But one thing about the old muscle cars, Looks. They styling cues from then are still with us today. And the new Camaro is going retro like the Mustang. I'm a bit biased though. I had a 69 Camaro with a 454 for many years and that is the car that got the most attention.

But I wouldnt switch back for sure. Not as a daily driver anyways.

2LT-Z51

trying to get my car to break 13's took some major "engineering" back in the day.... slicks and all!!!

i am still amazed how the car runs in the wrong gear.... 4th going about 25 mph just cant be right!!!!!

top gear ran a C6 Z06 in one gear (5th)... once the clutch was engaged full throttle... that was amazing to me..... wasn't to long to 100mph to 140mph to 170mph to........ i forget how fast..... they ran out of road....

good post... brings back good memories!!!