Old vs New, or Old Vs Old, like the internet, just because it's in a magazine doesn't make it true or fair!!

Got a lot of people sprouting road test results from the '60's to the present after yesterdays post. Apparently they didn't even read the title of the post. "Apples to Apples" means comparing things that are exactly the same, or very close. Like the moron who's apparently an AMC enthusiast that quoted a 1973 "Ponycar" comparison done by Motor Trend. Yes, the 401, 4-speed, 3.54:1 geared Javelin AMX was the fastest 0-60, and in the 1/4 mile. Chevrolet didn't have a Z/28 in their test fleet at the time, so M/T took a Rally Sport Camaro in it's place. Never mind that the Z/28's standard engine was the L82 'Vette motor rated at 250 net hp, and that you got either a 4-speed with a 3.73:1 gear or an automatic with 3.42:1 gears, THAT wouldn't run any faster than the 165 hp L48, automatic, 2.73:1 geared RS model would it? Apparently the Motor Trend staff didn't think so.  As for the Pontiac-they didn't test a 310 hp SD-455 Trans-Am, or even a 250 hp L75 base 455 T/A. They tested a Firebird Formula 400, with an automatic and 3.08:1 gears. Gee, do you think either of the 455 T/A's or even a 4-speed, 3.42:1 geared Formula 400 would have shown it's tallights to the Javelin?  And of course their was the Mach 1 Mustang that had a 177 hp 351C with a two-barrel carb, an automatic, and 3.25:1 gears. You don't think that with either a stick or an automatic, that the 266 hp 4-barrel 351CJ would have went any faster do you?  It seems like the deck was stacked to make the Javelin win. It wasn't;  Motor Trend just took what was available in everyone's test fleet at the time. However they were comparing a top-of-the-line AMX with the most potent powertrain available against base models or mid-level models of the others. I have nothing against AMC's -but honestly-had they tested a Z/28 or a Trans-Am, or a 4bbl-Mach 1-top of the line vs top of the line-"Apples to Apples" the Javelin would have finished last or next to last. Got a similar spittingly hysterical letter about how magazines have been GM biased for years-this guy quoted a road test where a 440 Six-Pack Road Runner outran both a 429 SCJ Torino and a 454 LS6 Chevelle. He said the guy writing the article said the comparison wasn't really fair to the Chevy. Yes, all 3 cars were automatics; however this guy didn't take into account that the Plymouth had a 4.10:1 geared Sure-Grip rear end and the Chevy had a 3.31:1 open rear end, and the Ford had a 3.91:1 traction-lok rear end. Even with the stiffer gears the Road Runner was only 2 or 3/10ths faster. If the Chevelle had a 4.11:1 posi intead of an open 3.31:1 rear the results would have very different.-Again "Apples to Apples"-  That's all the writer was pointing out, he was not "GM Biased". Another writer accused Motor Trend of being "Totally Biased against Fords."  He quoted a 1973 Comparison test of "Sporty Intermediates".  His gripe was the fact that the Dodge Charger had a 440, the Pontiac Gran Prix had a 455, the Chevelle Laguna had a 454, and the Ford Grand Torino had a 351CJ. Apparently he didn't read the article past the first paragraph. The M/T writer explained-yes-the other competitiors all had big-blocks. The 440 Charger was rated at 275 net hp, the 455 GP at 250 net hp,and the 454 Chevelle at 245. The Torino had a 351CJ rated at 246 net hp. The object was to get each car with the most powerful engine available. Yes, you could get a 429 in a Torino, but they were a "station wagon" motor that was rated at only 205 hp; substantially less than the others. Ford engineers told the staff at Motor Trend that the 351C was the most powerful engine available in the Torino, and they thought it could compete with the others favorably. That's why the test car had a 351; not any editorial bias against Fords. And anyone who's ever driven a mid-70's Torino with a 429 or a 460 will tell you- for a big-block, their a dog-the 351C versions will run off and leave them in a drag race. The way the test ended up was the Pontiac won-it was not only the fastest-it had the best handling and the nicest, most luxurious interior. The Charger was second-fastest, but the writers didn't like it's handling or cheesy interior, so they rated the Torino higher for it's better ride and handling and nicer intierior. The Chevy finished third, and the Dodge last in the voting. If you've ever driven a 455 powered '70's Gran Prix-you'll know what the M/T staff was talking about. It rode and handled easily as good as a top of the line Olds, or Buick; yet when you hit the loud pedal it felt like a GTO. The Torino finishing 2nd could hardly be called "biased". The Mopar finished last-because let's face it-in the '70's they did have cheesy, plasticky interiors and they rattled even when new-a Charger can't compare to a Gran Prix in drivability. The Chevy was basically the same car as the GP-except the staffers liked the upscale Poncho a little better. If they'd tested a 454 Monte Carlo-maybe the voting would have been different, or at least closer-but again-they had to take what GM offered in the test fleet-the writers felt that a 454 Chevelle was a better match than a 350 Monte Carlo which is what they were initially offered. The other big theme was guys sprouting about "Ringers", but not admitting they were ringers. Several people again said-"The Dodge Li'l Red Express" pickup was the fastest production vehicle in 1978."  This is because the "Prototype" tested by Car and Driver in Novenmber 1977 blew the doors off both a WS6 Trans-Am and an L82 Corvette. However-the "Prototype" engine which was a 360 V8 with Nascar-style "W2" heads, a hot camshaft out of the old 340 six-pack, and a 600 cfm Double-Pumper Holley carb mounted on a single-plane Holley Street Dominator aluminum intake-obviously because of smog laws-never made production. Production examples used a garden-variety 360 with standard heads, a stock cam, and a Carter Thermo-Quad mounted on an EGR equipped  cast-iron intake. Needless to say, production examples were substantially slower than the prototype, and Li'l Red Truck drivers who challenged Corvettes and T/A's saw taillights. The other good one was the guy saying that the Olds 442 was the fastest American car in 1973. I own a 1973 442 Hurst / Olds, and he's wrong.  He's quoting a "Performance Preview" done by Cars magazine in late 1972, where a silver and red 442 blew the doors off a 454 Corvette, a 455-SD Trans-Am, a 440 Charger SE, and a Ford Pantera in drag races.  It was ascertained that the Olds engineers wanted to mess with the Chevy and Pontiac engineer's heads, and that this 455 / TH400 powered Cutlass has been "massaged" a little. A "little" meaning W30 heads and intake, a 328 degree duration cam,  as well a 2,800 rpm Hurst "Shotgun" torque converter, a Hurst shift kit, and a 3.42:1 posi rear end. Needless to say-production examples with garden-variety 455 Olds engines rated at 250 hp with a stock torque converter and 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 gears weren't nearly as fearsome. Shocker. This is also the issue where they voted the SD-455 1973 GTO the "Car of the Year".  We all know the SD 455 ended up in the F-bodies only, and only 295 were made-252 in T/A's and another 43 in Formulas.  We all love to "bench race" and speculate on "what if?" but like I said-before you start arguing a case, make sure your information is accurate and that your comparing "Apples to Apples."  Mastermind