The Very Fascinating Muscle Car Horsepower Story
The popularity and performance of muscle cars improved in the early 60s with Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler battling Ford for supremacy in drag racing
Ford desperately wanted something to beat the Hemi engine on race circuits so they added heads derived from their Indy race engine to the 427 high riser and the SOHC big block produced as much as 657 horsepower and 575 lb-ft. of torque, nascar banned the engine immediately, mopar's taking the top four spots in the 1964 Daytona 500 race forced nascar to impose strict homologation rules
December 1970 President Richard Nixon signed an executive order that created the environmental protection act which considered the quality of air, safety and speed their top priorities and immediately enforced regulations towards automobile manufactures
Manufactures producing high horsepower engines saw their production numbers drop dramatically because increased insurance rates greatly effected the younger generation that purchased muscle cars during the golden era
The 1949 Oldsmobile 88 introduced a 303 cubic inch V8 capable of producing 135 hp with 283 lb-ft of torque, top speed was 97 mph and it took a full 13 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph, GM’s chief research expert Charles Kettering envisioned the potential in an overhead valve engine concept that offered both power and efficiency, displacing 303 cubic inches the Rocket engine boasted oversquare proportions with a bore of 3.75 inches and a stroke of 3.4375 inches,
the researched short stoke invention offered dramatically lower piston speeds, reducing friction and wear problems, while the overhead valve cylinder heads provided improved breathing and a compact combustion chamber, enabling a greater compression ratio, which provided increased efficiency
The first generation Oldsmobile 88 Sedan dominated the racing competition while becoming the first domestic performance automobile to be introduced after World War II
The Oldsmobile 88 was documented for inspiring the musclecar movement and became the target for other manufacturer's to de-throne
Other brand name automobile manufacturer's started designing similar models – Chrysler Corporation shedding their conservative reputation introduced the first 300 horsepower automobile with their release of the 1955 Chrysler C-300 coupe
The 300’s V-8 performance out powered Corvette and Thunderbird new V-8 entries and Cadillac’s V-8 which had 270 horsepower, the 300 Chrysler was virtually unbeatable that year winning 37 NASCAR and AAA races
Chrysler's C300 model was an expensive automobile with a base price of $4,100 and just 1,725 examples were produced
The C-300 2-door hardtop coupe quickly became the target to beat when it achieved 127.58 mph in the Flying Mile event and averaged 92 mph during the Grand National Daytona stock race and successfully completed 0-90 mph test in 16.9 seconds
Customers found the engine noisey and over the road performance very poor
The compact 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk was powered by a Packard V8 352 cu in 5.8 L 275 hp engine, second most powerful engine to the Chrysler 300
The 57 Rambler Rebel introduced by American Motors Corporation came with a 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 engine producing 255 HP, 0–60 mph acceleration of 7.5 seconds made it the fastest stock sedan at the time, the fuel injected corvette beat it by half a second
The 413-cid V-8 had been around since early 1959, Dodge saw the potential but realized to be above the drag racing competion the engine required serious attention, the Max Wedge replaced the maximum performance wedge and
the first year 1962 Max Wedge engines found in Dart models were 413 cubic inches and optional in 410 and 420 horsepower versions
The 413-cid V-8 powered the Dodge Dart and became first car to break the 12 second quarter mile time record for stock cars
Ford's 406-cu in engine was based on the 390 which lacked racing power, thicker cylinder walls and a select number of stronger internals improved performance
and 405 HP
The 1962 Ford Galaxie was supposed to be the lone beneficiary of the Thunderbird 406 High Performance V8, the new engine was an option cost of $380
The 406 had 385 bhp at 5800 rpm and 440 lb-ft of torque at 3800, on top a single Holley four barrel carb
Ford management insisted the 500XL hardtop coupe and 500XL Sunliner receive the same horsepower treatment halfway through the selling season
A base model 406 would scream to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, the tri-power engine was about a half second faster, quarter mile times around 15.4 seconds
Sanctioned drag racing found the ford 406 to heavy to compete with the faster pontiac, dodge, chevy and plymouth cars
The 406 was made available in full size Mercury models before the selling season ended
The ford division learned their lesson and would be heard from again
The Impala was Chevrolet's 50th anniversary best selling model line in 1962 and the 348 cubic inch engines that were available in 1961 were discontinued
The made for racing 380 horsepower 409 cubic-inch engine featured a single four barrel carburetor, while the 409 horsepower iteration added a pair of four barrel carburetors
GM had issues producing a transmission that could handle the 409’s torque, available was a four speed manual transmission or the bulletproof Powerglide two speed automatic
The Impala SS with the 409 and four speed manual transmission wiped out the NHRA's Super Stock class competition
The powerful 409 remained through 1965 and was replaced by the next generation 396 Big Block
1963 saw power improvements across the board given the number of quality cars in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
The Dodge 330 Max Wedge 426 cubic-inch V8, rated at either 415 or 425 horsepower depending on compression ratio and Chevrolet Z11 Impala came with a tweaked 427 V8 that was rated at 430 horsepower
Stock car racing had really become popular and all the major manufacturers were taking part in the race for top stock honors
However 1963 was the beginning of the end for drag racing events when NASCAR and NHRA followed AHRA with a limit on maximum cubic inch displacement in Stock
Classes
Ford during the 63 model year provided the same engine options with top option being the 406 rated at 405 hp with three two-barrel carbs, Pontiac
added a new set of high dome pistons that gave the S/D 421 engine a compression ratio of 12.5:1 while producing 405 HP, Plymouth had the 427 super
stock engine which was rated at 425 horsepower
With the Plymouth Fury the optional 413s gave way to bored out 426 wedgeheads with up to 425HP
Plymouth and Ford battled for wins on the NASCAR Grand National tracks
In 1964 GM introduced the GTO with a 6.6-liter V8 that produced 348 hp and Ford introduced the Mustang with the 271hp 289-cu.in. V-8, Dodge with their 426 Max Wedge and the Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt
The 427 V8 in the Thunderbolt was rated at 425 horsepower while doing the quarter in 13.7 seconds and registering 107 mph on the track, Chrysler 300K had It's big 413 cubic inch, 360 horsepower wedge engine
The 409 cubic inch V8 returned as the big block option for Impalas and was available in 340, 400, and 425 horsepower options, Mercury's first year Comet Cyclone had a 289-cid 210-hp engine, the chevelle sported the 327 inch V-8 which produced 250 horsepower
Ford had two programs in place, one for the full sized Galaxie and Mercury, and another for the
Fairlane and Comet with both packages developed around the basic 427 Hi-Riser engine, Dodge and Plymouth included the new Stage III engine modifications still rated at 425 HP
Ford and the Dodge 330 dominated NASCAR Grand National races
The 1965 GTO powered by a 389 CID V8 with 360 horsepower and 424 lb-ft of torque was the fastest musclecar
A 273 Commando engine was available with 10.5:1 compression, four barrel carburetor, and solid lifter camshaft for the Plymouth Barracuda, Ford offered a 289 cubic inch V-8 with 200, 225 and 271 horsepower, the 260 and 289 V-8s were so potent they were put in racer/car builder carroll shelby's cobra sports cars
Both Dodge and Plymouth offered the 365 horsepower version of the 426 wedge in 1964 and 1965, the 426 did not have the monsterous ports or multi-carb intake like Max Wedge engine which was discontinued in 1964 once the Hemi became available
The 1965 Impala offered four V-8 engine options with up to 425 horsepower, the Fairlane name replaced the Crestline as Ford's premier full size model and under the hood a 272 CID (4.5 L) V8
Ford dominated the Nascar Grand National races
The 1966 year found the pontiac GTO still packing power with a 389 cubic inch V8 delivering 325 to 365 horsepower and an impressive 428 foot pounds of torque
GM/Pontiac had the horsepower solution in many pontiac models including the Catalina and there were three 421 V-8s available, a 421 V8 338 horsepower base engine with a single four barrel, and two optional 421's available in 356 and 376 horsepower choices
The racing version of the 426 Hemi was replaced by a Street Hemi version also 426 cubic inches with power rating of 425 bhp, Plymouth Satellite 426 Hemi could perform a quarter mile in 13.8 seconds, ford mustang offered a 289 4bbl engine which produced 225 HP through the use of higher compression heads and a 4 barrel carburetor
The Oldsmobile was on the fast track with the popular four barrel 400-cid V-8 with slight hike in compression and 350HP, Chrysler responded to ford unleasing the Dodge Charger 6.3-liter SOHC V-8 engine 325 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm on the track in the Nascar series winning the NASCAR Grand National championship with driver David Pearson
Chevy offered the chevelle Mark IV 396 available in 325-hp, 360-hp and 375-hp varieties, the corvette stingray 427 cubic-V8 engine which really had no more horsepower than the previous high compression 396, 390 bhp on 10.25:1 compression and 425 bhp on 11:1 compression,460 pound/feet torque
The 66 impala even with the available 427 cubic inch with 425 HP saw disappointing declining sales, 409 V-8 and 230 straight six were discontinued, The Chevrolet Bel Air engine options were 6-cyl. 250cid/155hp 1bbl · 8-cyl. 283cid/195hp 2bbl L32 · 8-cyl. 283cid/220hp 4bbl L77 · 8-cyl. 327cid/275hp 4bbl L30 · 8-cyl. 396cid/325hp 4bb
The Shelby GT350 289 CID Cobra producing 306 horsepower and 329 ft-lb of torque became headline news while doing 0-60 in 6.6 seconds
Chevrolet debuted the camaro SS 350/396 hoping they had the answer for ford's powerful mustang, the camaro came with either the 350 SS or 396 SS package offering 300-375 HP, ford created the galaxie 7-Litre 428 V8 producing 345 HP with the Impala SS in mind, and the Shelby GT500 mustang 427 V8 producing 335 HP with 420 lb-ft of torque
1967 came with the power turned up in musclecars, the cougar was equipped with a 390 V8, the pontiac firebird 400 had the the 400 CID V8 rated it at 320 HP, richard petty won the Nascar grand national championship driving the plymouth belvedere GTX and under the hood an optional dual four barrel 426 cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine cranking out an astonishing 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm
The Fairlane GT featured an optional four barrel 390 rated at 335 horsepower, chevy's 396 CID big block engine superseded the 409 CID V8, the impala SS had the powerful L-72 427 V-8 engine rated at 425HP, the GTO 400 engine produced 360HP and ran 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and quarter mile 14.1 sec @ 101.0 mph
The Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake fastest model produced in 67, 7.0-liter V-8 engine slamming 800 HP and tested 0-60 in 3.0 seconds with top speed 200 MPH
1968 featured a six pack of horse power musclecars including ford mustang, chevy camaro, plymouth barracuda, pontiac firebird, AMC javelin, and the mercury cougar
Ford's dependable 289ci 2-bbl V-8 is the standard 8-cylinder mustang engine with a 200HP rating, a 4-bbl 302ci V-8 offered optionally in the small block with 230 HP, the chevy camaro engine choices were 230ci 140hp 6 cyl and a 327ci 210hp V8 as standard motor's, optional choices include a 250ci 155hp 6 cyl and a 327ci 275hp V-8, available for the SS model are a 350ci 295hp V-8 and a 396ci 325hp V-8
The plymouth barracuda had a 340ci 4-bbl Formula S engine rated at 300 hp and 400-lb.ft. of torque at 2,400 RPM, american motor's dropped a quad carbureted delivering 10.2:1 compression 343ci 280hp V-8, mercury cougar's base V-8 is a 302ci 2-bbl rated at 210 hp, A 230hp version of the 302 V-8 is optional, using a 4-bbl carb and needing premium fuel for its 10.0:1 compression, two versions of the 390ci V-8s were available, the two barrel carb has a 280 hp rating with 10.5:1 compression, the larger 390 GT V-8 with 4-bbl carburetion has the same 10.5:1 compression at 325 HP
The pontiac firebird smallest V-8 option is a 350ci 265hp and a high output 350-inch V-8 was offered with a 4-bbl rochester producing 320 hp, tamest 400ci V-8 option is the 330hp putting out a mere 430 lb-ft of torque at 3,300 rpm, a 400 H.O 335 hp with 3,400 torque was also available
David pearson won the nascar grand national championship and fastest muscle car the dodge charger 426ci Hemi clocked 0-60 in 4.8 seconds
The year 1969 was like past years with manufactors wanting bragging rights and while horsepower is in demand with youngsters, high sales from your automobile line remains top priority, this was a good year for power under the hood and appealing musclecar rides
The 1969 Camaro ZL1 was chosen for chevrolet's 427 V8 big block with four barrel @500 horsepower and a heavy torque of 380lb/ft,, the company's most powerful engine ever, quite naturally ford had an answer the boss 429 mustang backed with 450 lb/ft of torque and 375 horsepower doing 5.3 seconds from 0-100, the factory price for a Dodge Charger R/T was nearly $3,600, a 440 cubic inch 7 litre four barrel magnum V8 engine that produced around 380 horsepower with an engine option in the form of the 426 Hemi which cranked up 425 horsepower, clocked 0-100 km/hr at 6.2 seconds
The chevelle SS 454 was a huge 7.4 litre big block V8 slapping 450 HP with 500 lb/ft of torque, 0-100 kmh time of 6 seconds, oldsmobile 442 cost $4,203.69 and youngsters the 442 means 4 BBL carb, 4 Speed transmission and dual exhaust, 400 cubic inch Jetfire Rocket V-8 was under the hood pumping 360 horsepower @440 lb of torque
Perhaps the best year for musclecar performance and power, the plymouth road runner engine options included the standard 383 and optional 426 Hemi with the mid-year introduction of the 440 A12 Six Pack, carter four barrel carburetor was standard on the 383 while the 440 leveled up to three Holley two barrel carburetors, the mercury line had the Montego V-8s were the popular 302- 351- and 390, the cougar base engine was raised from a 302 CID V8 to a 351, a 428ci producing 335 HP and 0-60 time of
7.6 seconds and quarter mile 13.8 sec @ 102.1 mph was available as an option
Fastest muscle car in 69 was chevrolet camaro ZL1 and nascar news was David Pearson winning his final title
1970 was the last good year for the musclecar in terms of real horsepower, chevrolet chevelle SS 454 cubic inch V8 screamed 450 HP @ 5600 RPM with 500 LB-FT @ 3600 RPM and tested 0-60 6.1 seconds, quarter mile time 13.7 seconds
The barracuda updating its looks, handling, and capabilities while the 440 six pack and loved 426 Hemi was available from the previous year, the 426 Hemi 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds at 102 mph, buick dropped their own 455 into the GS model with 360 hp and 510 lb/ft torque
The mopar roadrunner screamed serious power with V8 Hemi 440 cubic inch 7.2 L with 383 cu in 6.3 L 335 hp optional for those that fear serious horsepower, pontiac GTO was available with three 6.6-liter V8 engines, the basic 350 horsepower , the Ram Air III 400 HP, and the Ram Air IV, let's not forget the 7.5-liter 455 HO 360 HP
The mercury cyclone GT 390-cubic inch V-8 was discontinued and replaced with the 210 hp 302-cid V-8, the spoiler version supplied a 429 cobra jet 370 advertised horsepower with Quadrajet carburetor installed, mercury was reluctant to bulk up the cougar with standard 351 cid V8 producing 290 horsepower @ 4800 rpm and optional 390 now in its final year, producing 320 horsepower @ 4600 rpm and
428 cubic inch cobra jet 335 horsepower @ 5200 rpm, ford's proud mustang engine options were two sixes and eight V8's, the boss 429 kicked out 375 HP, Bobby Isaac was crowned nascar champion, best 0-60 rated musclecar for the year was chevy chevelle 454ci LS6 5.4 seconds
The year 1971 saw manufactors preparing for changes at the gas pump with unleaded fuel started dropping compression while others saw this as the last stand and made few changes, the small light weight models were the least effected and slammed with the best horsepower possible, problem with large size vehicles was they
would punish an under powered six engine
All manufactors obeyed the drop in compression with some being more than others and engineers seriously needed more time to remedy a big loss in performance
and power, chevy wasted no time fearing the worst and accepted their once powerful engines would receive slower testing times, chrysler division followed the road to
restrictions dropping the horsepower a year later, the change in fuel standards would not allow jacked up engines to last and be effective
The 1971 Camaro Z/28s with modest weight still had 275 HP at 5600 rpm, GM finally dropped the 401-cube Turbo Jet 396 L78 option for their camaros and novas, the corvette had five engine options including two small blocks and three big blocks, the ZR2, ZR1, LS6 and LT1 versions were sold in limited quantities
Chevy/GM preparation for the unleaded gas they knew would be necessary for catalytic converters was four years to soon, the LS6 engine option in the chevelle came with big port heads, 780-cfm Holley carb, solid lifter cam and valve springs that permitted up to 6500 rpm but with only 9:1 compression, when the compression
is reduced horsepower becomes less, 1971 sadly became the last run for the famous street hemi, and on a good note chrysler offered it in all its intermediate sized cars with either 4-speed or automatic transmissions, and with no change in high compression and a more durable hydrautic camshaft, the company falsely placed a rating on it of 350 hp at 500 rpm realizing insurance premiums on the street hemis were starting to skyrocket
The 440 Wedge avoided high insurance premiums so chrysler CEO decided to keep their 440 Six Pack option, the insurance high rate scheme targeted chrysler's Hemi and 340 small block performance engine producing 240 hp at 5000 rpm, the intermediate chrysler produced models became too heavy for the small block engine with less compression
Ford decided to drop the Boss 302 and Boss 429 engine options amd the mustang was 500 pounds heavier with new body design changes and less power without a sudden drop in compression, the 351 Cobra Jet mustang was an option rated at 330 hp, a 429 Super Cobra Jet was the top performance option for the torino model, despite the drop reduction in compression in all GM models including pontiac, the new revised 455 HO went in GTOs and Firebirds while proving to be responsive
The Oldsmobile still had the W30 option package for 442 models, which GM gave a conservative rating of 300 hp at 4700 rpm which was questional considering they were still using an efficient hood air scoop design to allow cool air to the engine for optimum breathing
Richard petty's plymouth won the big event daytona 500 while also earning another nascar chanpionship, ford torino cobra 429 super cobra jet was awarded fastest muscle car
Here is the fasted 0-60 musclecars from the fun years
1968 Dodge Charger 426ci Hemi: 4.8 seconds
1969 Plymouth Road Runner 426ci Hemi: 5.1 seconds
1965 Mustang 289ci GT-5.2 seconds
1966 Plymouth Satellite 426ci Hemi: 5.3 seconds
1968 Camaro Z/28: 5.3 seconds
1969 Chevy Corvette 427ci: 5.3 seconds
1970 Chevy Chevelle 454ci LS6: 5.4 seconds