Spike TV looking for 50 Fastest List Members !!

The historic 50 Fastest list is Located here.

http://www.buickhorsepower.com/images/stories/Documents/50_fastest.pdf

This 50 fastest list was published by Car Review magazine way back in 1984. It was compiled from car magazines during the days when these cars were new and these various magazines tested them to see what they would run at the dragstrip. It was and is a very controversial list. Back in 1984 when this list was published, some of the Chrysler Hemi faithful became very put-out to see that a Buick GS Stage 1 was rated way up there in 3rd place, faster than all of their cars. Lots of hate mail poured in to the magazine and the editor at the time Donald Farr (no dummy) saw the chance to stage a shootout against these two cars. So, the invitiation was put out to one of the biggest Buick bashers, a man named Roy Badie who offered up his Hemi GTX, and Richard Lasseter of GS Club of America fame with his 70 Stage 1. When the smoke cleared, the Buick busted the Hemi twice to take the best two out of three win. This made the cries even louder with the Hemi camp calling the Buick a ringer, etc, etc. So, a new Hemi verses Stage 1 race was planned, this time a black 70 Stage 1 and a black Hemi Roadrunner. This took place in 1987, while the original race took place in 1984. The black Hemi Roadrunner took race number two, and this time the BUICK community was the one outraged, calling the Hemi car a ringer! So, that set the stage for race number 3. Race number three took place in Montreal, Canada in 1993. This time, a yellow Buick GSX took on a sublime green Hemicuda. Magazines were there in force with this being the final showdown, best out of three series. All bragging rights for both marques hinged on the outcome of this race. However, it was not meant to be. The first round, the Hemicuda red-lighted. Rather than just wait until the next round to race all out, the Buick owner let go with an all-out pass, PASSING the Hemicuda even though it had a very good head start. The Hemicuda owner, armed with the knowledge now that the Buick was obviously faster, refused to make another pass, loaded his car on the trailer and left the track, never looking back. And, since there wasn't a "winner" per say, the magazines in attendance that day decided not to even run the story. ( Except for a FINLAND magazine which covered the race in full color! ) Since then, there have been several mini-shootouts between the Stage 1s and the Hemi cars, LS6 Chevelles against 428 Cobra-Jet Mustangs, etc but these Buick GS Stage 1 verses Hemi seem to be the ones that everyone is most interested in. This brings us to where we are today --

With today's very high interest in musclecars, especially as us baby boomers age and can now afford the time and money needed to enjoy these cars of our youth, all of us are VERY interested in their performance. So, to that end, Powerblock's Musclecar TV show and Hemming Muscle Machines magazine are teaming up with the Buick Horsepower Nationals to bring out these cars from the 50 Fastest chart to come on out to this Indy event this summer and let's see if your car can match the times claimed. Updates here as they unfold, so make your plans now to attend, with or without your musclecar!



One other little known fact is that there was a subsequent 50 Fastest list generated several years after this original 50 Fastest list that went back and added some other magazine's test results plus added late model musclecars which changed the pecking order. One very good example is a Super Stock magazine road test in which a 69 1/2 Road Runner with the 440 Six Pack engine was tested, and the well known race team of Sox and Martin were the test drivers. They made pass after pass after pass with the Road Runner tuning it of course as they went and got the car down to 12.90s. Other examples were a Hemicuda and a LS6 Chevelle tested by Car Craft magazine, and they got these cars down to reported 13.10s. However, these editors many years later admitted that back then there was fierce competition among the magazines of the day to see who could turn in the best times, and they freely admitted that they got some of the ETs claimed with a slight rolling start and that back then, it really was no big deal how they got their magazine's reported ETs. This makes for lots of good bench racing today! It will never be cast in stone just which marque was the king of the 4 seater cars, but we have a pretty good idea of who the top contenders were. This original 50 Fastest list stands as a pretty accurate accounting of what was reality. ( Although I hope someone can explain to me how a Pontiac Catalina is 2 mph faster than a Royal Bobcat GTO!) It is charts like this from the good old days that helps make the hobby interesting and very exciting as we move forward to see how they stack up in 2006!



The latest news is that Powerblock TV is going to start promoting this event on set starting this Sunday, April 23. ( Spike TV, 11:30 EST ) They are sending a camera crew to Indy to cover this 50 Fastest challenge. Their desire is for anyone having one of these cars from the 50 Fastest chart to bring it to the Indy event and let's see how it compares to the original test. And, Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine will also have a representative there, and you will certainly see some of the cars at Indy featured in upcoming issues with them. So, get the word out to anyone you know who has one of these 50 Fastest cars and don't forget to tune in to Powerblock's Musclecar show that airs on Spike TV. And, it goes without saying that the cars that we want to see are stone stock. We have a tech crew coming that will look closely at cars that are noticably faster than they should be. They have all kinds of equipment to check out these cars. Make plans now, hotels are filling up very quickly. Tentatively, we will be running this challenge on June 28 and June 29 10:00 AM until noon at Indianapolis Raceway Park. This will allow us a rain day on Friday the 30th in case we need it.


Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 April 2006 )

 

What a dirty, low down, cheap ass way to sneak in another Buick vs Hemi thread and we haven't hit page 5 on the last one yet.

Donny, I'm ashamed of you. :spank:

 

Quit griping. 'Vettes are fast: This is actually the July thread.

 

Please Read It Again!!!!!

Notice, they said they want to know who the "king of the 4 seater's" is :laugh:
Makes no mention of 2 seat sport's car's, just Musclecar's :3gears:

 

Someone is going to be very cranky when a Cobra rips off a 10 second pass..........
p

 

I'm confused at what is actually the original "list" now ??? o No: That list doesn't show an L-72 Biscayne, but it most definitely was a 13.65 @ 105 according to SS/DI - April 1968 and shows up in other lists ?????

 

This original "list" was published by Muscle Car Review in 1984 and they used 4 different magazine's drag tests to come up with the list. Maybe the L72 came up on the 2nd 50 Fastest list when they allowed other magazine road tests in along with later model cars. But, back then they determined that some of the other magazines were given some ringer cars and drivers, so they have used this original chart as the chosen one. Let the controversy begin! :beer

 

Looks like they cherry picked the list a bit, because I'm pretty certain it was Car Life (one of the 4 *chosen* mags) that ran like a 13.10 in an LS6 Chevelle...and Casey, don't feel alone, none of my L72 powered cars made the list either... :shock:

----------------------------
Hillbilly Racing Team
The racer formerly known as "Pale Male"

 

Well, those Camaros never ran worth a duck, anyways.........



all hail the King, baby !

 

can one come now ??? 13.56 makes the list :3gears:

 

I have to sit down next week with the guys from Spike TV and plan this all out with them. IF you all are telling me that you will SHOW UP with these cars such as the Corvette and the L72 cars, I think MAYBE I could convince them that maybe we have something here -- the Spike TV's NEW 50 Fastest list, perhaps posted beside the original list. But if it's all just rhetoric, we'll stick with the original plan. And, again, we are not looking for today's "purpose built" cars. I'm leaving my mid 12 second stocker home. You all need to do the same. We are looking for "as they left the factory" type cars that haven't been breathed on. How many of you will commit to bringing such a car ? How many are out there? And, like I posted on the moparts board, if a Dana Camaro or a Royal Bobcat Pontiac shows up, of course they can run. Although they are not as delivered, they were tweaked back then and recorded in these old road tests. If for example, a Royal Bobcat shows up, it should run approx. what one did in the old road test. Simple. So, how many have we got here?

 

If you guys are going to remain a slave to the 50 Fastest list, then you are going to have big problems.

My 327 / 350 hp Corvette would place 16th on that list, and it is in no way purpose built.

 

again, please read!

They're looking for the 50 fastest musclecars, not 50 fastest sportscars p

 

you keep saying that, but there are Corvettes all over that list :moonu:

 

What is the readers digest version of the first post...... o No:

Sorry, I glazed over reading that novel.......nearly fell asleep when I read Hemi vs Buick... :laugh:

 

OK

1. the list is all the cars that are invited.
2. the cars have to be stock
3. if you built your car to race stock, it is purpose built and they don't want you
4. if you run faster than the list, your getting pumped and stroked
5. they could have saved the track rental fee and shown up at Stanton

There you go, Brian.

 

Precisely. :laugh:

 

What happens if a car that isn't on the list isn't represented? Some of those may be "too nice to race, but should run 11's"..........

Bet you could check off about half that list at Bakers any Sunday afternoon.

 

And just how is Courtney Hansen supposed to fit in the backseat of a Corvette ?? :Brow:

 

It is kinda a goofy list.....

The Fairlane 390 made it the Fairlane 427 did not. o No:

No 427 Galaxie or Marauder either........