Classic muscle quarter-mile tests

Read the car and conditions with the number

Elapsed time describes the whole run; trap speed describes speed near its end. Neither isolates engine output. Launch traction, shifting, gearing, load and preparation can change the result. Compare the complete tested configuration before attributing a difference to an engine or model.

Separate rows preserve before-and-after tuning results from the same car. “No alteration stated” means the article does not document one; it does not certify factory-stock condition. Weather, timing corrections and complete preparation are not consistently documented and remain unknown where absent.

Prototype warning: the December 1969 Chevelle was a prototype. The entire October 1970 group represents pilot-line or prototype cars aimed at the 1971 model year, tested with two aboard. In particular, its LS6 Chevelle result does not prove that a production 1971 LS6 Chevelle was offered.

Publication issue dates are not test dates or model years. PDF page numbers below count from the first page of each linked file. Rows follow publication order, not performance order.

Download all 22 observations as CSV. The file includes every table note and source locator; it contains no magazine scans or photographs.

The documented observations

On a narrow screen, scroll the table horizontally. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.

Three source conflicts to retain

The AMX table lists a four-speed transmission, while the article identifies its best performance with the automatic. The result stays unassigned. The Cyclone Cobra Jet article gives conflicting 14- and 15-inch tire descriptions. Both are retained. The tuned Road Runner's footnote gives 101.69 mph while the prose gives 101.6; this table follows the footnote without concealing that difference.

More decimal places reproduce a source's presentation; they do not establish greater measurement accuracy. A difference between two publications is not a controlled head-to-head result.

Selection, sources and corrections

This first selection covers named muscle-car configurations and a contemporary Comet baseline from nine available original test scans. It is not exhaustive or a statistical sample. Results quoted retrospectively from other tests, predicted production-car times and the companion Skylark baseline are excluded. The scans were read visually; the table uses factual transcriptions and original annotations.

Prepared September 14, 2026, by Classic Muscle / Data Relativity with AI-assisted research and drafting. No independent specialist review is claimed. See how we check the record and editorial responsibility. For a correction, identify the row, original publication and page so the disputed figure can be checked.

Continue with gross versus net horsepower, the LS6 Chevelle and Hemi ’Cuda factory comparison, or the 1968 AMX 390 profile.