The big limiting factor for those big old muscle cars was tire and suspension technology. Plus, aside from the AC Cobra which was very light, the rest of the muscle car pack was actually very heavy. The Vettes clocked in over 3,000 lbs.
But tire and suspension technology, coupled with AWD, is why a 227HP WRX could go 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, while a 1969 390HP Mustang Mach 1 could only manage 7.3 seconds. Even one of the most powerful and rarest of the muscle cars, such as the ZL-1 1969 Camaro Z-28 (conservatively rated at 425HP) could only do 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, and a WRX Sti with 300 HP can do it in 4.6.
We’re living in the golden age of cars right now. Those Muscle Cars of the 60’s are MUCH slower than the fastest cars of today. Hell, Caddilac makes a coupe with 400 SAE horsepower now, which translates to closer to 500 HP as measured back then. And with modern tires and suspension, the Caddy would probably kick the ass of a Hemi 'Cuda. And a Dodge Viper or a Corvette Z06 are in a whole 'nuther league.
You’re ignoring the biggest difference: All Wheel Drive. A WRX Sti can put power down on all four tires, and the Viper can only do it on two. The Viper starts out slower because of wheel spin, or with traction control with power limiting. A viper will destroy an Sti in the 1/4 mile, being about a second and a half faster. It’s about a half second faster 0-60.
It’s hard finding non-biased info on the net, so here are a few cites that list 0-30 times:
Viper Performance: 0-30: 2 sec (0-10 1.2s)
Muscle Car Garage: 0-30: 1.9s
Rapidcars.com SRT-10 Viper 0-30: 1.7 seconds
Those seem like reasonable numbers, and all in the same ballpark, considering that the SRT-10 is more powerful.
Now for the Sti;
Car-Videos.com 0-30: 1.42s (same page lists Viper SRT-10 at 1.8s). Also interesting is that they say a Subaru Impreza RS does 0-30 at 1.8s as well, despite having only 165 HP. ALl Wheel Drive is important for launching!
Here’s a cite that links to the following performance measurements for Subaru:
Standard WRX (227hp):
Road and Track: 0-30: 2.0s, 0-60: 5.7s
Car and Driver: 0-30: 2.0s, 0-60: 5.8s
SportCompactCar Magazine: 0-30: 2.0s 0-60: 5.7s
Automobile Magazine: 0-30: 1.9s, 0-60: 5.7s
Those are actual, measured results, and show that a 227HP WRX is almost as fast 0-30 as a Viper. The STI will be much faster, because not only does it make 300HP and 300 lbs ft of torque, but it does it with a bigger displacement engine that makes more torque down low.
Unfortunately, none of the review sites for the STi measured 0-30 times, but it’s almost exactly a second faster than the WRX 0-60, so it’s not a stretch to say that it’s probably at least .3 sec faster to 30, which would make it faster than a Viper.
Don’t get me wrong - a Viper is a much faster car. But even a Subaru RS is going to get a jump on it off the line, for the simple reason that the Viper starts out spinning its wheels while the Subaru leaps away.
But by the time the Subaru gets to 100 mph, the Viper is just going to be taillights in the distance.
Have you looked at the Bugatti Veyron? It makes the Ferrari Enzo look absolutely slow.
Bugatti Veyron Specs:
Horsepower: 1001 bhp
Peak torque: 923 lbs ft
Top Speed: 252 mph
0-60: 2.85 seconds
Ferrari Enzo specs:
Horsepower: 660 bhp
Peak torque: 485 lb ft
Top Speed: 217 mph
0-60: 3.6 seconds
No contest. Bugatti wins. And I can’t think of another street-legal car that can even approach its performance.
