1981 supercar performance - not so super anymore
 

I stumbled across this over at VWVortex. It is from a Popular Mechanics supercar test back in 1981.

We've come a long way. There are probably a dozen SUVs that are faster (and get better gas mileage) in the quarter mile than the fastest car on this list.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1214425708.jpg

It's all factors - not just 1/4 mile.

Put most SUVs on the slalom and they'll finish in about a week and a half - if they don't roll.

Nice to see the 931 getting some love on that list. :)

I can´t see the SC there. It would have beaten them all. :D

And the 951 has twice the horsepower of a 931, better gas mileage, and a wider wheelbase with better brakes...

Right! Doesn't SC stand for SuperCar? Or was it Superior Car? Or was it Slow Car? :p

SubCarrera.

the late 70s and early 80s were dark days for performance cars.

the 911SC was really a very rare exception. It was a performance standout for US legal cars.

Pretty capricious list. They include a M1, Countach, F512, and a Volante, but the representative Porsches were a 928 and 931??

I think a ROW 930 from 1980 would have smoked every car on that list.

GRM had a cool article a few years ago comparing a few classics, including a 356, to a Honda minivan. IIRC the Honda was faster, handled/stopped better ....

i think the list depends on available data
and if they didn't do road testing on the 930 in 1980, or they didn't do a quarter mile , it's not in the list

still, that 931 did pretty good, only lost .4 of a second on a lap
despite the 44 horses handicap
and with 50% better milage, so in endurance terms, that Ferrari would not have beaten it...it would simply not have been able to out run the 931 enough to not loose it's lead in the pits

twice???

220 hp is not double of 170

It is funny that my daily driver truck can smoke every car on the list (I have done quite a bit to it). Truth be told it is a little disapointing to read that list and see that my dream car, The Countach, really doesn't stack up to new cars. I know 1/4 mile time isn't everything but 14.994? I guess it would be like driving my Wife's Accord with a few more blind spots:)

That's "super car" performance, the performance of "regular" cars was much worse!

I remember my new '81 BMW 320i, was considered a pretty hot performance sedan back in the day. It did 0-60 in 11.1 seconds! (12.1 with an automatic).

Everyone pretty much thought that smog and safety had killed high performance cars forever.

If you would have told someone in 1981 that in 2008 your average family sedan (i.e., a Honda Accord) or minivan would have 265+ hp, that there would be dozens of cars and trucks available for sale in the US with 400-500 hp, and that average cars would be doing 60 in the 6 second range, they would have said you were absolutely nuts.

All of those cars top 140 MPH. Some by a considerable margin.

I was under the impression that the U.S. spec 931 made 110 hp and the U.S. spec base 924 made 87 hp.

Sorta Carrera.

Hmmm, my 83 928S has run a 13.6 at the local drag strip. An 81 5 speed ROW 928 is much faster than a high 15 second car. Those times are suspect at best.

I'm not sure you can compare an 83S or an 81ROW 928 with an 80 or 81 US 928.

11 mpg with the 928. Ouch!!

Heck my ROW 911 from 1981 could beat that list in the 1/4. No turbo necessary. :)

a 931 is a 924 turbo... that's 170 horses for ya
and if you get the CGT version , 210
if you get the CGT GTR.. hell, 300+

Is Popular Mechanics a US magazine? If so I'd it was a US spec 931 used in the test.

Svandamme, unfortunately the US didnt get the 170hp S1 or 177hp S2 versions of the Euro 931/ 924 turbo. Theirs are around 143--146hp because of emissions.

Legion, the early US spec 924 n/a's had 95 hp and later 110hp.


http://www.weissach.net/924-944-968_RoadTestSummary.html

i thought it was more like 154 hp in detuned US version

either way, i ignore those detunes, they are not the real thing

I'm clearly confused on the HP number for the 924, but the U.S. version was still much lower than the ROW.

I'd like to ignore those number too, but they are all you can find around here. :(

Who cares about performance.....the sounds and smells created by most of those cars create more "smiles per gallon" then just about anything on the road today. ...Plus some are appreciating in value.

GRM raced a Honda Odessy against a 356, and a Jag E type. Odessy smoked them both. On street tires. Didn't have to pull out the Slicks they had for the Van.

Still I don't look at the guy in the van when I'm rolling. He looks at me.