Thought everone might get a kick out of this -- As Posted through this production year in the "Classic Car & Vintage Automobile Registry's North American's Fastest Production Cars" The 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS6 454 V8 450HP @ 13.12 in the 1/4 mile came in at number 89. The 1969 Chevelle SS L78 396 V8 375HP @ 13.6 in the 1/4 mile came in at number 156. This is a listing of the 250 fastest production cars basically in the world. It has the Ferraris, Lambo's and everything else. Although the #1 car was not a Chevelle at least it was an American built car. Believe it or not - 1968 Plymouth S/S Barracuda 426 Hemi V8 rated at 525++HP ( believed to be in the range of 680hp ) @ 10.5 in the 1/4 mile. Site is - http://www.autofacts.ca/classics/fast.htm

As for chevelles that would be a the Baldwin Motion LS-6, ran mid 11.s

I think those hemi- barra figures are bogus!
No way a "stock" hemi with a hydrolic cam is gonna run those numbers.
I have a list of north american production "50 fastest muscle Cars"

1st is a 66 Cobra...if you can call them production? 12.20 @118mph
2nd is a 66 427 L-72 motored Vette @12.8 at 112mph
3rd is a 69 Road Runner 440x6 12.91 at 111.8
4th is a 70 Hemi Cuda 13.10 at 107.12
5th is a 70 Cvelle 454 LS-6 @ 13.12 at 107.01
All cars had gears in the 3.36s-3.54 range except the RRunner..4.10s
These were numbers from diff mags of the era !!
Remember no radials in them days!

a race hemi has a solid cam

I think those hemi- barra figures are bogus!
No way a "stock" hemi with a hydrolic cam is gonna run those numbers.
I have a list of north american production "50 fastest muscle Cars"

1st is a 66 Cobra...if you can call them production? 12.20 @118mph
2nd is a 66 427 L-72 motored Vette @12.8 at 112mph
3rd is a 69 Road Runner 440x6 12.91 at 111.8
4th is a 70 Hemi Cuda 13.10 at 107.12
5th is a 70 Cvelle 454 LS-6 @ 13.12 at 107.01
All cars had gears in the 3.36s-3.54 range except the RRunner..4.10s
These were numbers from diff mags of the era !!
Remember no radials in them days! The '68 Barracuda was not a production car. Only about 50 were produced, along with 50 Darts, and they were built by Hurst not Plymouth and Dodge. Hurst again built a special model for American Motors in 1969 with the S/S AMXs. Both were allowed by NHRA to run with regular production cars, probably to raise crowd count at the races. The 1967 L-88 Corvettes, which were a regular production car, are not allowed because only about 20 were made. The actual quarter mile performance in real world conditions was about 10.80s @ 128 MPH, at least here at Tulsa, by a guy from Texas named Smith and the Cable Car of Don Groether. That 12.2 second Cobra had been tweeked and had a 428 motor with the longer 3.98 stroked crank and two four barrel carbs. The '69 Road Runner had slicks but the Hemi Cuda probably could run low 13s on real street tires as could the LS-6 Chevelle. Those Cobras also only weigh about 2200-2400 lbs. and have aluminum bodies and other weight saving measures. In '64 there was a very fast '64 GTO tested by someone that ran 13.15 @ 115 MPH but it too was a ringer that had a 421" with a stock tri power intake. Those Cobras were made in very limited numbers but the cost about 7000 dollars so nobody who worked for a living could afford one. The '68 S/S Barracudas had solid lifter cams, 12.5 compression, a cross ram manifold and two four barrel carbs. Nothing like a street car in any way.

back in the day, a lot of cars were given out to the press, and were "ringers"
a little tweaking from stock-i was running factory stock back then, with a 396/375 nova, and the baddest thing i remember running against was a 440 6 pack dodge-they would dispatch the hemi's in stock form, and i could'nt touch them, and my car ran low 13's(we all ran factory tires)
i had an older 64 corvette, 327/375 fuel injection, 4 spd, 4:11's, and with a bad clutch, i made some middle 13 sec. passes, kinda thought with a good clutch, it was a low 13 sec car in stock form, kind of a forgotten car
hell, i ran c/mp in a car with a stock 327/365, w/2x4's, and was running right near the record, think i had $1000 total in the car-lol

The funny thing about fast cars from the 60s and 70s is.......Why arent they that fast now?.......I can believe 13s and even 12s..... but 10s, come on I must be doing something wrong!

my dad had a javelin with a hurst 343 in it that would run 11.8's, never lost on the street, most guys just got ****ed when they realized they were just handed there ass to them by a amc. The thing idled at 1500 rpm and he shifted at 7000. Once the car got to be known he would shut it off and coast up to the other cars, most of the guys would laugh at him cause it was a javelin, untill all they saw was the tailites.

and here I thought I had the fastest Chevelle

wait help me out here. The 396/427 BB Camaro's didnt turn a mentionable number? One more have i lost my mind or was there not an engine called the LS-7 that went into production Chevelles? Did it not put out over 600hp with just an 850dp and headers?

Have i lost my mind on the LS-7? Hard to believe the 67-69 Z's with 302 4 speed cars or 427 COPO cars werent turning 12-13 second's too ect.

Dodge makes some good engines, good thing FORD never figured out how.


Shawn

LS7 never went into any car .... It was only sold over the counter

I have some old Mags with drag tests back then. One cover says 440 roadrunner runs 12s from factory. But when you read the article, it was with headers, slicks, and a whole list of other "minor" modifications. When I put my LS6 crate engine in my car, the only internal modification was replacing the solid cam with a similar hydraulic. It ran 12.20s at first and eventually went 11.70s. But thats with headers, a better manifold, and sticky tires.. So I have doubts about any 10 or 11 second factory muscle cars. Heck, a lot of the F.A.S.T. cars arent even that fast. All the power in the world means little on F70/14 bias plies and zero weight transfer.

had a stock 71 chevelle ls5 low compression 365 horsepower 454 4 speed with 3.31 gears and street tires. it ran a best of 13.8 at 102 mph. pretty good numbers for a 8 to 1 compression ls5.

MUSCLE CAR REVIEW MAGAZINE's... (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
__________________________________________________ __________
The only Chevelle to make this list, at #5 was the (1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 ).............Don

for the love of god why didnt they put LS-7
s in a 70 Model chevelle hehe.

Shawn

a race hemi has a solid cam
Ya..ya but real street hemis were hydrolic & just didn't perform up to snuff without exhaust & cam.
Let's leave the ringers out of it eg..ZL-1 427 Camaro's, L-88 vetts, & hemi 68 Cuda's, nobody ever really saw one of those on a sat night in the improptue stre--ip!

I believe a good running stock or relatively stock muscle car, like the LS-6,
440-6 packs, 428 Mustangs would run high 12's with tires.

My bud (many years ago :sad: ) had an over the counter LS-7 in a 69 vette with a 4sp & 4.10s on racemaster cheaters would run 11.8-s. That was impressive for a stock engine! Factory rated at 465hp...dyno'd with headers @ 580hp

Notice #16 on the list..poor old L-88 with an auto, 3.36s gears & a cam that came on the powerband about 5,000rpm, still managed a respectable 111 mph. Probably with stock exhaust she bogged till 50mph, I've read where those with a little prep were possible 10 sec cars!

Ya..ya but real street hemis were hydrolic & just didn't perform up to snuff without exhaust & cam.
Let's leave the ringers out of it eg..ZL-1 427 Camaro's, L-88 vetts, & hemi 68 Cuda's, nobody ever really saw one of those on a sat night in the improptue stre--ip!

I believe a good running stock or relatively stock muscle car, like the LS-6,
440-6 packs, 428 Mustangs would run high 12's with tires.

My bud (many years ago :sad: ) had an over the counter LS-7 in a 69 vette with a 4sp & 4.10s on racemaster cheaters would run 11.8-s. That was impressive for a stock engine! Factory rated at 465hp...dyno'd with headers @ 580hp

Notice #16 on the list..poor old L-88 with an auto, 3.36s gears & a cam that came on the powerband about 5,000rpm, still managed a respectable 111 mph. Probably with stock exhaust she bogged till 50mph, I've read where those with a little prep were possible 10 sec cars! That L-88 always seemed to be handicapped by the wrong gears and closed, very restrictive exhaust. The ZL-1 cam works from 3500-7500 and not very well otherwise. In my 396 Chevelle it ran pretty good in the early seventies turning a 11.58 @ 117.64 with slicks, Holley 850 double pumper on an Edelbrock C-427 manifold, 4.88 gears and a close ratio 4 speed. It really even needed more gear as it was bogging a little on the leave.

Shawn,

GM AND the Insurance Companies didn't want any Dr. Daddy's little boys to get killed, that's why!! Heck, that sucker was like a true 600hp motor before being hopped up with the usual bolt-ons!!

Same reason Chevy marketed the L-88 at 430hp, (actaully more like 530 to 540 hp!!), and the tri-power 427 motor at 435 hp b/c the unknowing kids that really had no business driving cars like this bought the 5 hp more powerful, but actually a lot less powered 435hp motored cars than the L-88 motored ones back then.

Case in point, I know of a heck of a nice guy that got a '65, 375hp/327 FI, 'Vette Coupe given to him for a HS graduation present and it wasn't too long after that, I also saw it at a gas station after he took it down a ditch at 75 mph b/c he lost it!!

They said, he rolled it (3) times!! He was fine tho..

pdq67

haha!!! Well im just feeling a little defensive lately, because im hanging in here with all the badass'es talking about their BBC motivated Chevelles discussing what in my opinion is very cool subject matter all the time, then i pop into the camaro forums and some cat is asking about how to outrun 01 Mach I. It almost makes me feel like a Ricer driving a damn Camaro. I wish i didnt love her lines so much. Wonder why so many more "Puddins" drive Camaro's than Chevelles?

Shawn

As far as that plymouth goes....it definitely is a wringer! Although Im sure very few guys ever seen on make an apperance on a regular saturday night.....they did call em production cause it was a dealer option, plus they did sell just enough to call em production vehicles. It was sort of a frankensteined deal where they worked with hurst to put these things together, but you could ask for it through the dealer.

As far as it all goes, that car is light everywhere. Light metal and fiberglass with no options other than MOTOR! It had the dana rear with 4.88 gears and those numbers were supposedly run on real tires(as real as they got back then). Ive read about this car before in a similar book with factory performance cars, and at least thats what I remember reading . I actually read about the vette too in the same book. It supposedly had 4.56's out back with "tuned" uncorked headers and real tires to get them times. Plus the car was dialed in all around. Same deal with the vette....it wasnt the average tri power dealer car.

That hemi engine wasnt regular street stuff either. The compression was jacked up, the carbs were a lil larger, the exhaust was done up a lil more, the cam was a mechanical deal and the specs were inflated and if I remember correctly, at least the valves in the heads were a little larger(and probably other stuff I forgot). So no, this car wasnt truly run of the mill production by any means.....however they call it production cause it was a dealer option and the numbers were just high enough to say it was production. Kinda like cheating.

And of course, if you think about it, take any one of those serious muscle cars and they have a lot more potential than they showed. Lots of them were 110 plus MPH even though the ET didnt show it. Put on some stickies, swap the gears, dial in the suspension, uncap it, and let er rip! Many of those cars that run low 13's or high 12's(like the LS6 velle for example) coulda done low 12's or possibly high 11's with the motor just as it really came from the factory! So it aint fair to compare those special order "ringers" to honest production cars(even though them cars did somehow qualify as production). And of course, it aint fair to evaluate 1/4 mile performance of any of them average production cars based on their numbers with factory trim and tires. None of them were quite set up and hooked well enough for real drag duty. but the power was there to go a lot faster than they did back then. Heck, check out the new vette. Its MPH compared to its ET is definitely lopsided for sure! Its got the MPH for 10's, but takes a skilled driver just to get respectable 11's out of the thing! Get that weight to transfer and get some tires on it and things change! Its cool to read about what these cars did/do, cause it gives you a nice real world idea of how they do as is, but it dont show the true potential.