50 years of Camaro performance

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kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Highs and lows, comprising 104 tested Camaros since 1967.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/camaro-h ... 9B652EA210

A similar article chronicling the generations:

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrole ... 9B652EA210
kevm14
Posts: 16025
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Lowest power density (hp/liter): 27.2 (’75 LT, 5.7L/155-hp V-8)
A 75-1/2 Cadillac Seville (a substantially more expensive car but not a performance car) made 180 with an Olds 350 and analog EFI.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Least powerful: 2.8L/135-hp V-6 (’87 RS)
It is fair to point out that this was not the least powerful Camaro made.
kevm14
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Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Taking 60s performance down a few pegs:
Sharing the title of the first production Camaro to run in the 14s are both the 1967 Z/28 (14.8 at 96) with the close-ratio four-speed manual and the 1967 SS396 (14.5 at 95) with the standard four-speed manual (15.4 at 92.0 with the optional HD three-speed automatic).
14.5 @ 95...Bob isn't that about what your 94 Prelude ran with intake and exhaust? A 93 Camaro Z28 was a couple ticks faster than this. 1986 Grand National ran about this time, with an auto.

15.4 @ 92...90s B-body, 95 Maxima or even 89 SHO. All of those had 4 doors and weren't even compact cars, either.

My point to Bill a couple weeks back of that it didn't take until 2010 for performance to come back. This article conveniently validates what I was saying. You can't just go by rated HP.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

kevm14 wrote:
Least powerful: 2.8L/135-hp V-6 (’87 RS)
It is fair to point out that this was not the least powerful Camaro made.
Slowest quarter-mile elapsed time: 18.7 sec (’68 4.1L/155-hp I-6)

Lowest trap speed: 74.2 mph (’68, 4.1L/155-hp I-6)
There we go. There were plenty of other slow ones, as well.
kevm14
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Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Wtf??
Fastest slalom for a production car: 68.9 (’94 Z28)
kevm14
Posts: 16025
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Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by kevm14 »

Chris, thanks for this overview of Camaro performance over the years. As a child from the "musclecar" era, I've always found it interesting that what WE thought was sooo fast from back then wasn't so fast once we reached the '90s and on.
Yup.
bill25
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Re: 50 years of Camaro performance

Post by bill25 »

It was still 25 years from 1968 to 1993 when the performance came back. (I still like the 80's cars for their styling (Camaro and Monte/National))
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