0-60 in 4 seconds. Say goodbye to the good 'ol days...

[Commodore]

NJBigBlock,
That Pontiac 2+2 you refer to was "professionally warmed over" by Royal Pontiac in Royal Oaks, Mich. (kind of an extreme Royal Bobcat project). It took a staff of about six "factory folks" to get those numbers but it sure ate the Ferrari 2+2's lunch in that show down at Bridgehampton. The test equipment of the day was not as accurate as what is used today so the numbers quoted are probably a little optimistic, but not by much. I think the tested 2+2 was Jim Wangers (Royal Pontiac) personal ride. Wangers new a few things about quick trips down the quarter mile. Royal built a very quick '62 Pontiac Ventura Tri Power for me back then that I wish I still had.
RB

[marcocsx3121]

That was in the same era as the "stock" '64 GTO that ran 12 second quarters at 106 mph plus. Amazing what a massaged 421 inch motor can do for a goat.

Shelby pulled a similar trick with the 260 Cobra that was made available to the mags for testing. That engine somehow grew about 50 extra horsepower before it found its way into the car.

[Commodore]

Open headers (Hooker), a high numerical rear (4:56 to 1), M+H 7" cheater slicks on a well tuned 389 Tri Power four speed would get the '64 GTO sedan into the high 12's fairly easily. Felt like 200 with those 5" drum brakes!
RB

[What'saCobra?]

Absolutely correct. Had one, did that. Nice cruiser, dark blue with white interior and top. Hurst shifter was just fine and the motor was a serious stump-puller.

But, i used to run against other GTO's my other car, a nicely powered 1964 289 (CSX 24XX) with standard 3.77's. The shift points were 60, 80 & 100 at 7000 rpm. She had pretty decent Firestone Indy rain tires on the street that lasted about 5 or 6000 wonderful miles if i was just a little considerate. Very predictable break-away, even in the rain. Plenty of throttle-steering was available.

Sooo... when the other guy's GTO was in 4th gear, just about to come apart with excess rpm's (at about 100-105 mph), your's truly, already about two or three car lengths or more ahead, speed shifted into 4th and went into the sunset, far away... heh, heh, heh!

Pretty surprising for some GTO pilot that thought he could wipe out the little BRGreen Austin-Healey next to him at the light, with the noisey muffler.

Must have done it at least a dozen times... always fun to remember. But, i frequently would pull over when he was seriously far back, with heavy breaking. The poor fellow nearly always went past with all his wheels locked-up or at least with the nose seriously downward. He would come to a stop a ways down the road, slam it into reverse, come tearing back to my stop point and find me standing there waiting with my arms crossed.

Never failed to have a friend afterwards. They were, of course, not at all happy when the saw what they ran, but most didn't even have ANY idea wtf it was, even when clued. They just kept shaking their heads back and forth, trying to explain to themselves why it wasn't a fair run, 'cause the little green car was way too small...