How Fast

[Michael H.]

Re: Daytona is the trump - who has the fastest

Mike,

As far as small blocks on the street, I think Duke and I are about tied at a bit over 150. My new 64 was equipped with basically the same and also had a 3.08 diff.

The fastest big block I ever drove on the street was a friends new 67 435 with a 3.08. It wasn't at all quick but it was fast and would run over 155 MPH.

The big block 67 I raced at Road America was radared at 169 MPH coming down the long hill but I'm sure your 67 has gone quite a bit faster than that at Daytona.

[mike cobine]

Subtopic: Fastest across Poplar Street Bridge

For you guys working in the St. Louis plant, no doubt there are some stories of fast driving around St. Louis.

[Warren F.]

Re: How Fast

I took a 1970 LS-5 coupe, with M20, 3:08 ratio and transplanted a '70 LS-6 engine in its place (the way the car should have come) I hit 153mph coming home from Gardnerville, NV. Arms locked straight, it was a scary ride, car acted like a bad airplane, not quite enough for take off, but certainly enough to make it try damn hard!!!!!!

[mike cobine]

Re: Daytona is the trump - who has the fastest

The fastest on the street that I have been was unfortunately as a passenger in a friend's '70 Dodge Charger Magnum R/T on I270 near Mitchell. He buried the 160 mph speedometer to the peg. Granted there is speedometer error, but that was unquestionably fast.

I sold my '63 convertible with him making a 135 mph test drive on IL Rt. 111. So it isn't close.

My '66 was around 160 with the 302 in Big Bend at Sebring before the Hairpin on the club course. I was really too busy to ever get a good reading on the tach, just that it was around 8000 rpm at that point with the 4.11 rear and close to sliding off the road sideways.

I don't remember with the 427 as I needed to begin braking about the time the bridge went by due to the extra weight.

Daytona was faster by a bunch. It was truly the first time I considered I could get hurt, if you discount the butterflies in driver's school and the usual "what the heck am I doing out here?" feeling. I had been to Daytona several other times in slower cars, but this time I came close to making a Sting Ray an airplane.

[mike cobine]

Re: How Fast

That little black spoiler needed to be about 3 inches deeper to do any real good. However, remove it, and those C3s would begin that airplane feel about 130 - 135.

[Warren F.]

Re: How Fast

Mike:

Boy, are you so right!

[Larry S.]

Re: How Fast

158 in the wifes 2002 C5 the night we picked it up from kerbecks coming home from atlantic city about 2 am in the morning on the gardenstate parkway. I was told the car could not go above 150 because of a govener built into it and I wanted to see if it was true or not.

The car ran right up into the triple digits in a blink of an eye and it was rock steady and very secure feeling. The problem was I was running out of clear roads real fast.

After I slowed down to 65 (it fealt as though I was doing 35) I noticed all of the deer on the sides of the parkway eating grass.Definatley one of the stupidst thing I have done.(beside the normal touching something to see if its still hot)

[lyndon sharpton]

Re: How Fast

I have went that fast in my 71 LS5 an that is the way I all ways describe it. like a bad air plane. for some reason when I hit 150 my lights came up.

[Joseph T.]

Re: How Fast

130+ in a rental Corvette on the CPH....in the fog..not too smart!

150+ in my friends 1967 Dodge RT..the telephone poles were going by so fast..I thought it was over...felt like warp speed.

Can't imagine what it is like to do 230+ at Indy and make turns!

[mike cobine]

Re: How Fast

Don't you wonder just how many Corvettes and Camaros were flying down highways after the word came out they weere speed limited?

[mike cobine]

It could be interesting if everyone comments

But I'm afraid we already hit speeds where most have never gotten close, so they will be afraid to mention their tops speed was 115 or 125 or such.

The problem is that 125 in a '57 was really fast, although slow by C3, C4, C5, and C6 standards. Still, it is an accomplishment and I'd like to hear these.

We are all slow since the C5 and C6 can run so fast. The only reason we may not see anyone saying how fast is that it is often hard to find that much road today where you can get away with it.

[Duke W.]

Re: How Fast

Ha - you think a C3 wants to fly at that speed - try it in a C2!

Duke

[mike cobine]

Re: How Fast

Duke, how did your '63 act at that speed? My '66 conv with no top wanted to lift the nose. But talking with Phil Currin one day, he said his '63 coupe wanted to lift the tail. Of course, I assume he had a spoiler on the front since by that time, they were legal in SCCA and IMSA.

He said he was literally speed limited in the '63 because he would reach a point the rear lifted so much, the tires would begin to lose traction and spin.

[Duke W.]

Re: How Fast

By a 130 you really notice the increase in pitch angle, and it keeps increasing from there. The steering becomes light and less responsive, which is disconcerting, but not a big deal as long as there is not a signficant cross wind component. The rear felt fine.

Back in the sixties Corvette News published some speed-lift curves for C2 and some follow on designs that were evaluated during C3 development. The C2 with HD suspension reached zero weight on the front end at about 200, but with a Cd of about 0.50 it would take about 600 HP at the flywheel to achieve 200. A blueprinted L-88 with a 2.73 axle might get close.

I guess the guy to talk to would be Guldstand about how the L-88 prototype coupe felt at Daytona or how the '67 L-88 felt at LeMans. That was back when the Mulsanne Straight didn't have the current chicanes, so the L-88 probably would have achieved an honest 180+.

Duke

[Donald M.]

Re: 135 mph in a 67 327/300 HP Convertible

In the "I Swear It's True" category, my buddy in a '64 coupe was running about 120 down I495 in Massachusetts when the rear window popped out, did a flip up in the air and landed on the grassy median unharmed. My buddy just got off at the next exit went back and retrieved the window glass and drove home.