Road Test "Ringers" revisited......

I'm amazed at the comments I get about stuff I posted two or three years ago. Anyhow-I aim to please so here's the list of Road Test "Ringers" i.e.-cars that were modified by the manufacturer to go much faster than any production example. Why did they do this? Because they wanted the magazine to write how blisteringly fast the car was and thus sell thousands of them.  # 1. 40 years later, Jim Wangers finally admitted what we already knew-Car&Driver's May 1964 GTO test car was a ringer. Royal Pontiac had pulled the 389 and replaced it with a blueprinted 421, that also had a re-curved distributor, custom-jetted carbs,thin head gaskets, and rocker arm lock nuts. The car ran an ungodly 4.6 second 0-60 time and a 13.1 second 1/4 mile. Other magazine's testers and production examples could only run low 14s.  # 2. 1969 Plymouth Road Runner 440+6. Chrysler advertised the 440 Six-Pack option in national magazines claiming it ran 12s off the showroom floor. The disclaimer said it was done on a racetrack, under controlled conditions, with a professional driver. The "controlled conditions" were a blueprinted engine with custom jetted carbs, a 4-speed, 4.30:1 gears, 28 inch slicks, and a pinion snubber. The "Professional Driver" Pro Stock drag racing champion Ronnie Sox, who ripped off a string of 12.70's. Shocker-production examples tested by magazines ran 13.50's.  # 3. 1973 SD-455 Trans-Am. Car&Driver ran a 13.75 and Hot Rod ran a 13.54. If you look at the pictures in both magazines-check the liscence plate number. It's the same car!!  The road tests were done in January 1973. However because of production problems the SD-455 wasn't certified by the EPA and released to the public until April 1973. Early prototypes had the Ram Air IV cam; engineers were worried about passing emissions so production models had the much milder Ram Air III cam and hp was down-rated from 310 to 290. Federal noise regulations cause Pontiac to seal up the "Shaker" hood scoop on '73 models. On 1970-72 models it had a solenoid operated trap door that opened up on acceleration. Look at the pictures-the C/D / Hot Rod test car has an open hood scoop. Production models ran low 14s. Great performance for a 3,800 lb car in 1973-74; but nowhere near the blistering mid-13s of the prototype. No one knows what happened to the prototype. Some say it was crushed; others say it was sold to a Pontiac executive. # 4. 1973 Olds 442. In late 1972 Motor Trend had a "1973 Performance Car Preview".  A silver and red 442 blew the doors off an SD-455 Trans-Am, a 400 / 4-speed Formula Firebird, a 454 Corvette, an L82 350 / 4-speed 'Vette,  a 440 Dodge Charger, a 401 Javelin AMX, a 429 Gran Torino, and a 351CJ Mustang. Turns out that instead of a stock 455 Olds backed by a TH400 with 2.73 or 3.08:1 gears the "Prototype" had a re-curved distributor, a re-jetted carb,the super-hot 328 degree cam from the vaunted 1970 "W30" 455, a Hurst shift improver kit, a Hurst "Shotgun" torque converter with a 2,800 rpm stall speed and a 3.42:1 axle ratio. The Olds engineers thought it was hilarious as the Cutlass showed it's taillights to all those other contenders. They 'fessed up, after the big laugh and production examples were nowhere near that fast. # 5. 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup. In November 1977 Car&Driver ran a "Double the Double Nickel" article-testing a bunch of vehicles that could go faster than 110 mph. The Li'l Red truck blew the doors off a W72 Trans-Am and an L82 Corvette in a drag race. However-the 360 V8 in the "Prototype" had catalyst-free dual exhausts, Nascar-spec "W2" cylinder heads, the hot cam out of the old 340 "Six-Pack", and a 650 cfm Double-Pumper Holley Carb on an aluminum Holley "Street Dominator" intake. No surprise that production examples with a stock cam, stock heads, and a Carter Thermo-Quad on an iron manifold with an EGR valve were substantially slower.  # 6. 1989 "5.0" Mustang. Every other magazine's Mustang test cars ran 15.20's. Car Craft's "basically stock" Mustang ran a blistering 14.19. Except CC's car had a K&N airbox and filter, a Flowmaster "Cat-Back" exhaust, the 225 / 60R15 Goodyear Gatorback rear tires swapped for 235 / 60R15 M&H drag radials, and the 2.73:1 gears swapped for 3.55:1s. If your going to nit-pick.....jeez.... # 7. 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. This one rivals the engine swap for sheer audacity. Mitsu engineers advertised the 3000GT as running a 13.8 second 1/4 mile. The "Controlled Conditions" consisted of disabling the rev limiter, disabling the knock sensor, filling the tank with 105 octane racing gas, lowering the tire pressure to 15 psi, and the "Professional" driver dropping the clutch at 6,200 rpm and powershifting at 7,000. Which grenaded the $5,749 transaxle after three runs. Shocker-production examples ran 14.50's. # 8. 2018 Challenger Hellcat / "Demon".  Chrysler advertised the Demon as being the fastest production car ever with a 9.65 second 1/4 mile run. However no magazine has been able to get even close. Most run mid to high 10s, which is incredible for a production car. But no one has even ran a 9.90-10.30. Not even close. Gear heads with 90 grand bought them all-no need to fudge anything.  Oh well.....Mastermind