The pony car wars may not have been at their height twenty years ago, but Ford and Chevrolet were still duking it out with strong performers like the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Ford Mustang Cobra. This MotorWeek Retro Review is a good reminder of how far this sense of competition has advanced the auto industry over the past two decades.
At the time, the top-performing Camaro Z/28 ran the quarter-mile in 13.8-seconds at 106 miles per hour, while the Cobra did in 13.7-seconds at 104 miles per hour. To put that in perspective, the sixth-gen Chevrolet Camaro with a V6 can run the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds, and the current Z/28 can do it in 12.7-seconds at 116 miles per hour. A second might not seem like much, but in the world of drag racing, it’s a huge difference.
In this particular comparison, despite the (slightly) superior straight-line speed of the Mustang, the sport-tuned suspension of the Z28 gave it a 2-second advantage around the track. Go ahead and click play to watch the comparison for yourself, and then, for an interesting contrast, consider watching this comparison of the 2017 Camaro ZL1 and Mustang GT350R.
Comments
Lame 1/4 mile test. Camaro should’ve beat it.
GM was never rewarded for it in the sales department, but the Z28 was SO much better than the Mustang GT back then, handling, power, looks, 6 speed (as early as 1993). Ford’s 4.6 modular OHC V8 was not even in the same league as the LT1 / LS1.
I saw bone stock LS1’s run in the low 13’s. From people who could actually drive.
MotorWeek did a similar test of the 1985 Ponies with similar results. That test should have included the SVO which I owned at the time.
The 1998 comparison should have been between and SS and GT, not a Cobra. Against the Cobra the SS-1LE should have been selected to compare. I test drove both cars at the time and the Camaro was a far more exciting vehicle and reminded me of climbing into and piloting jet fighter. The later SLP would have left the GT or the Cobra for junk. Owned a 2,000 SVT Cobra ‘R’, now that was purpose built, capable apex busting machine.
Test drivers were pretty lame in both tests. Bad launches for all cars and on the road course(85′ test) they couldn’t even hit the apexes either early or late. Got nowhere near them. Lousy tests.
MotorWeek did a similar test of the 1985 Ponies with similar results. That test should have included the SVO which I owned at the time.
The 1998 comparison should have been between and SS and GT, not a Cobra. Against the Cobra the SS-1LE should have been selected to compare. I test drove both cars at the time and the Camaro was a far more exciting vehicle and reminded me of climbing into and piloting jet fighter. The later SLP would have left the GT or the Cobra for junk. Owned a 2,000 SVT Cobra ‘R’, now that was purpose built, capable apex busting machine.
Test drivers were pretty lame in both tests. Bad launches for all cars and on the road course(85′ test) they couldn’t even hit the apexes either early or late. Got nowhere near them. Lousy tests.
Never cared for the stylings of the early SN-95 Mustangs, but the 98′ and later Camaro I still find quite attractive.
Wow 13.8 out of a brand new stock SS, when all around the country locals were running high 12s and low 13s with plain Z28s, Formulas, and Trans Ams. Back then EVERYONE knew the F-Bodies were the faster car, in the quarter and in top speed – once the limiter was removed, they were good for 160+mph. And we all know what happens when you start throwing money at a LS1…
Funny how LS And LT powered F-Bodies are disrespected now. I should buy one of each, a SS and a Ram Air!
I miss the 90’s. These were good times in many ways. Cheap gas. Fast cars that ran so much better than the 70’s and 80’s stuff. Power tweaks were a chip or cold air box away. The economy was doing really well. The parts you bought for your car weren’t all Chinese rubbish like now and actually lasted. And boy did we have lot of choices. RWD Panthers and B-bodies. Lots of coupes and stick shift cars. convertibles. Station wagons. You could even buy a quart of oil in the dollar store and a set of tires could be bought for 250 bucks for most 14 or 15″ cars. Interior car colors were also much better with reds, blues, whites, camel or tan plus the usual gray and black. You could also see out of the damned vehicle easily and fixing these was much easier and less complex than anything today. Progress has given us loads of tech, power and added fuel efficiency but has also taken away so much.