Muscle Car Comparison Test

Clearing the Air on 30 Years of Muscle Car Performance

By Karl Brauer

How far has the muscle car come since its official introduction in 1964 when John DeLorean stuck a big-block Pontiac V8 in a two-door Tempest and called it the GTO?

That question was clearly answered while trying to get maximum braking out of a 1970 Plymouth GTX during our recent American-built muscle car comparison test: pretty damn far! While it's certainly a stretch to label the modern Camaro, Firebird, or even the latest SVT Mustang Cobra as a technological tour de force, it takes only a few minutes behind the wheel of a classic muscle car to see that they really don't make 'em like they used to -- and that's a good thing.

For example, current muscle cars are fully capable of stopping and turning, as well as accelerating in a straight line. None of our eight test vehicles required more than 135 feet to stop from 60 mph. By comparison, the two-ton Plymouth needed 220 panic-stricken feet to come to a rest. Most of that distance was spent modulating the brake pedal in a vain attempt to keep the rear drum brakes from locking up. Vehicles typically get about 20 percent of their total braking force from the rear wheels, but in the GTX that number was probably less than 8 percent, contributing to its long stopping distance.

This same archaic technology hurt the old Plymouth on the racetrack, too. Where the F-bodies and Ford SVT Lightning didn't transmit as much road data as we might want, the GTX didn't transmit anything. Its over-boosted power steering, along with its torsion-bar front suspension and rear leaf springs, did little to inspire high-speed confidence. In the controlled environment of Willow Springs raceway, with relatively smooth pavement and no cross traffic, we could push the Plymouth without too much fear. Out in the real world, however, where mid-corner bumps would send the rear end skipping off-line, this car was a handful.

"But that 440 big-block torque makes up for it, right?" Well, not according to our numbers. While the GTX beat the two front-wheel-drive sedans in our test, it barely managed to keep up with Ford's SVT Lightning pickup and Mustang GT in zero-to-60 times. The three LS1-powered GM cars, as well as the BMW M Coupe, beat the GTX to 60 mph by over half a second. Traction was a limiting factor for all of the faster cars, but the GTX suffered the most because of its high stall-speed torque converter that didn't engage the rear wheels until the engine was at close to 3,000 rpm, creating more smoke than forward thrust. Equipping each car with slicks and re-running the acceleration tests might have proven interesting and given the GTX at least one bragging point.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the amount of coddling these modern-day muscle cars provide. Each one of them -- even our "stripper" Firebird -- came equipped with cruise control and air conditioning (a point not lost on us while driving the freeways in the high desert above L.A.). Comfortable and supportive front seats -- at least when compared to the buckets in the GTX -- were also appreciated in the newer cars (though the GTX's rear seat and trunk provided far more room than any of our modern pony cars did). Wind and road noise was another issue in the old Plymouth that made all of the test cars seem "funeral home" quiet at highway speeds (with the possible exception being the whining supercharged Ford Lightning).

In the final analysis, it's clear that today's muscle cars have it all over the original models, at least in terms of overall ability. Nowadays you get balanced performance, adequate luxury and 20-plus mpg in a single package. Consider how many original muscle cars can make that statement.

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Muscle Car Comparison Test

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