Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Future Vehicles Modern Muscle with Classic Names
175 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2008 at 11:35 AM
You are in the Future Vehicles Forum. Your Host is kirstie_h
|
Replying to: mmcnamara (May 15, 2007 6:09 pm)  5000 rpm. The Hemis could rev to at least 6,000 rpm. 130 mph is more like it. Car & Driver got a '66 Hemi Satellite to 130 mph with the 426-Hemi and 3.54 gears. In the early '70s, Motor Trend listed under the specs that the speed in gears are limited by the length of the track and do not represent top speed. This would also apply to the 340 'Cuda with 4.10 gears... 101 mph 5500 rpm, but the 340 could rev to 6000 rpm. And the 109 mph 5000 rpm for the 440-6 bbl 'Cuda meant that it should be able to reach 120 mph 5500 rpm.
|
|
|
Replying to: fleet472 (Aug 20, 2007 12:18 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: xtec (Aug 21, 2007 11:32 am) Back in the late 60's, they were able to get 440-powered Monaco and Polara copcars up to around 147 mph, with 3.23:1 gearing. Acceleration would suffer compared to those quicker ratios, but they were still no slouch off the line. Oh, and of course, the improved aerodynamics of today's cars helps out alot, too. Aerodynamics don't mean much from 0-60, but do come into play more in the quarter mile, and especially top speed.
|
|
|
Replying to: andre1969 (Aug 21, 2007 5:22 pm) |
|
I was born before the era that the pony cars came out and got to watch them grow into more than just cars from the three big companys. The Camero Mustang, Cuda, cougar,challenger, dart, Comet have made the Muscle car era a part of history that we all can look back on with a smile and a tear. These cars will never be duplicated and I don't think that would the big three are trying to do now, They are trying to give you youngers a part of what we old guys have had for 44 years (19641/2 to 2008) bragging right over the imports of todays, and muscle heads of tomorrow.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: papasam1 (Nov 02, 2008 7:18 pm) What about them Challengers?
|
|
|
Replying to: davethecarnut (Nov 08, 2008 2:48 pm) For 1974, you could still get a Charger with a 280 hp 440. By that time though, I think it was a hot 4-bbl, rather than a 6-pack or dual quad. As for the Challenger and Barracuda, they wussed out very quickly. In 1971 you could get a 440 6-pack or the Hemi. But for 1972, the top engine was a 245 hp 340 smallblock. It was actually a good performer, and would embarrass many big-blocks, but it wasn't not Hemi! For '73 they started phasing in a 360 which had about the same peak hp, but it had a narrower power band than the 340, so it didn't perform as well. By 1974 though, I think everybody was out of the high-performance game. Olds, Buick, and Pontiac used to offer high-output versions of their 455's, but I think they were down to around 250 hp by 1974, and by 1975 you'd be lucky to see 200-210 hp out of a big-block. The Chevy 454 put out 270 hp back in 1972, but by '74 I think it got cut severely, and even worse by '75-76. Chrysler did still have a 255 hp 440 in 1978, which was about as powerful as it got by that time. The only catch is, they were only offered in the midsize Monaco/Coronet police cars! They were pretty quick, too...fast enough that they'd even give most modern police cars a run for their money. |
|
|
Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 25, 2006 6:15 am)
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: papasam1 (Nov 08, 2008 6:56 pm)  from the smoggy air back then. Believe it or not, air quality here is much better than it was in the early 70's.
|
|
|
Replying to: papasam1 (Nov 08, 2008 6:56 pm) I don't think high insurance rates played much of a part until the 1970's. If anything, most car companies were over-stating their hp in the 60's, rather than under-stating it. Horsepower is what sold cars in those days. Chrysler's 340 was one of the few under-rated engines...probably because if they listed its true horsepower, then people would question whether they really needed some of the bigger engines. It was rated around 270-275 hp with the 4-bbl. When the rating system went to net hp, it still had 245 hp, or about 89-90% of its gross rating. Many engines were lucky if their net rating was 70% of its gross rating, although to be fair, some engines had their compression cut at the same time, so there was a real loss in addition to the "paper" loss. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Future Vehicles Modern Muscle with Classic Names
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Ford Mustang
2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
