There is a spicy horsepower war waging between Ford and General Motors.
The ingredients include the end of the 55-mile-per-hour national speed limit, reasonable gasoline prices and modern technology that has made high-performance more affordable than ever.
Yes, muscle car fans, Ford, Chevrolet and Pontiac are serving up tasty entrees for 1996.
Let’s say you have an appetite for speed and about $25,000, here’s what’s on the menu:
– Ford is offering the Mustang Cobra, a 305-horsepower dish that boasts a 32-valve, overhead cam, V-8 engine. Zero- to 60-m.p.h. performance is rated by Ford at 5.9 seconds, and top speed is 152 m.p.h. Prices start at $25,300.
– Pontiac’s main course is the Firebird Formula and Trans Am with the WS6 performance option. Among other modifications, the WS6 features Pontiac’s “Ram Air” induction system that forces cool air into the engine through the hood scoop. Horsepower is rated at 305, 0 to 60 m.p.h. takes 5.5 seconds and the top speed is 160 m.p.h. Prices start at $22,964.
Also available at Pontiac dealers is the Firebird Firehawk, which is even faster (and more expensive) than the WS6 Formula and Trans Am. It sports a 310-h.p., V-8, blasts to 60 m.p.h. in 5.3 seconds and can move the speedometer needle to 162 m.p.h. Prices start at $24,789.
– Chevrolet’s buffet includes the meat-and potatoes Camaro Z28 SS. Also packing 305 h.p., the Z28 SS can reach 60 m.p.h. in about 5.5 seconds. Top speed is 162 m.p.h. Prices start at $24,119.
All these cars are limited-edition, special-order vehicles designed to satisfy performance enthusiasts looking for a muscle car that is faster, handles better and looks different from the regular versions of the Mustang, Firebird and Camaro.
With prices in the mid-$20,000s, these cars aren’t inexpensive, but the performance they deliver for the money is a bargain when compared with what it used to cost to own such a performance machine.
For Ford and GM, building fast cars is not just a horsepower and performance race–it’s also one of value. Each automaker is trying to offer the highest performance for the value in the class.
“Designing an enthusiast car is always a challenge. You are trying to deliver the kind of performance you can get with other vehicles, but at a lower price,” says Tim Boyd of the Ford Special Vehicle Team.
Twenty or 30 years ago, if you wanted a car that could handle well and go from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in less than 6 seconds, you had take your chances with an expensive, exotic–often a cranky performance sports car such as a Jaguar XKE, Maserati or Ferrari.
In the ’60s and early ’70s when Detroit pumped out one muscle car after another, American iron was noted for one thing when it came to performance: being fast from one stoplight to the next. Big Three muscle cars generally didn’t handle as well as high-powered foreign sports cars.
But modern technology, in the form of computerized fuel and ignition systems and advances in tire and suspension technology, has allowed U.S. manufacturers to increase performance while keeping the cars affordable. The Camaro Z28 SS, the Firebird/Firehawk and the Mustang Cobra have powerful brakes, high-performance shocks and springs, beefed up suspension components and added horsepower.
Here’s what these four performance cars offer:
– Pontiac. GM’s Pontiac division has the most offerings. Its standard Firebird Formula and Trans Am come with a 5.7-liter, V-8 that pumps out 285 h.p. and delivers a 0- to 60-m.p.h. time of 6.7 seconds. That’s quick, but not enough to set yourself apart in this world of lightweight imported sports coupes outfitted with turbocharged, high-output 4-cylinder engines. A turbocharged Eagle Talon, made by Mitsubishi, for example, will bolt to 60 m.p.h. in 6.4 seconds, according to Motor Trend magazine.
The WS6 option adds $2,995 to the base price of the Formula or Trans Am, but horsepower rises to 305. Pontiac’s Dee Allen in Michigan says the boost in power is a direct result of the special Ram Air hood that comes as part of the WS6 option.
That hood closes on top of a large air filter. A smoothly sculpted “twin port” scoop on the end of the hood feeds air directly into the air filter. The faster you drive, the more fuel and air is rammed into the engine. More fuel and air equals more power.
Pontiac General Manager John Middlebrook says the Ram Air feature updates an important part of Pontiac’s performance heritage. The system was born in the ’60s and used on such muscle-cars as the GTO and the original Firebird, then on the Super Duty and High Output 455 Firebird Formula and Trans Am models of the early ’70s.
“Ram Air takes us back to our heritage and roots. It adds extra horsepower and performance, and it keeps our cars on top of the muscle-car market,” Middlebrook said from Pontiac headquarters in Pontiac, Mich.
To handle that extra power, WS6 cars come with a suspension system that includes stiffer springs and shocks, improved front and rear sway bars, 17-inch tires and special wheels.
If you want a WS6 Formula or Trans Am, you may have to wait as much as 12 weeks once you place your order. The WS6 models generally are not stocked at dealerships; Pontiac plans to build just 3,600 WS6 for 1996.
The Firehawk has a 310-h.p. version of the 5.7-liter, uses Ram Air and comes with upgraded tires, a slightly different hood and a better exhaust system then the WS6. It is also available with an optional traction-improving rear axle.
SLP says it will make about 500 Firehawks for 1996.
– Ford. The Mustang GT has a 4.6-liter, single-overhead cam V-8 engine that makes 215-h.p. Zero to 60 m.p.h. takes about 7.4 seconds. That’s respectable, for a Ford with a little more bite, you’ll have to opt for the Cobra.
With a base price of $25,300–$6,400 more than the Mustang GT–the Cobra is a major step up.
Though both cars use a 4.6-liter, V-8, the Cobra’s cylinder-block engine is cast in Italy by a company that makes racing engines for Ferrari and Formula One race cars.
The crankshaft is stronger, the Cobra’s engine has a higher compression ratio for more power and it has dual overhead cams and 32 valves. Horsepower is 305. Two-member teams in Michigan assemble each engine and sign their names to a sticker on the valve cover.
In a test, Road & Track magazine clocked a Cobra at a 0- to 60-m.p.h. time of 5.7 seconds.
Cobra’s suspension includes better stabilizer bars, 13-inch ventilated disc brakes (compared with 10-inch discs on the GT) and 17-inch wheels.
The Cobra comes standard with just about every power accessory and option Ford offers on the GT. It is aimed at Ford enthusiasts who want the company’s highest-performance vehicle, said Boyd of the Special Vehicle Team.
The SVT is a small unit at Ford whose mission is to bring to market performance cars and trucks. Ford expects to build only about 9,500 Cobras in 1996.
– Chevrolet. Like the Firebird, the Camaro Z28 comes standard with a 5.7-liter, 285-h.p., V-8. It can do 0 to 60 m.p.h. in 6.4 seconds. The SS package adds $3,999 to the price. but horsepower jumps to 305 and 0-to-60 time drops to 5.5 seconds.
The SS features a forced-air induction system that works much like Ram Air–a special hood with a large scoop feeds air straight into the air filter. It also has 17-inch wheels and tires, a performance exhaust system, a new rear spoiler, stiffer suspension and synthetic engine oil.
Chevy offers a bunch of options that can further increase performance. The Z28 SS is available with a Torsen limited-slip differential ($999). A Bilstein sports suspension package (also $999) includes higher-performance shocks and springs. A $99 optional exhaust system increases horsepower to 310. These options lower 0- to 60-m.p.h. time to 5.3 seconds. That puts the Z28 SS in the same league as most Porsches, which cost more than twice as much.
Chevy is scheduled to build 8,500 Z28 SSs.
