1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Let’s kick things off with this beefy 1970 Chevy Camaro.This example seen here is rocking the Z28 package. For ’70, Chevy ditched the old 302 for a 350 LT-1 V-8 that puts out 360 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque with a compression ratio of 11:1.
Folks back then could either opt for a four-speed manual or a TH400 three-speed auto, which this car has. It made an appearance for the first time in 1970. While 3.73 rear-gears are a nice sweet spot, this bad boy’s got the optional 4.10s, good enough for a 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds. The Camaro got heavier with the redesign and tips the scales at 3,716 pounds.
1965 Pontiac GTO
The next car we’re looking at is this ’65 GTO. Off the bat, this is a super clean example. Under the hood lies a 389 tri-power V-8 that also produces 360 horsepower. With 424 pound-feet, the Pontiac does have far more twisting force as compared to the Chevy.
The compression ratio was 11.23. You’ve got a four-speed manual on this car. The GTO also has 4.10 gears like the Camaro, but it is just a shy lighter than the Chevy, coming in at 3,708 pounds.
Next Stop, the Mid Michigan Motorplex up in Stanton
Off to the Races
Round one was a simple 1/4 mile dash. You had the Camaro on the left lane and the GTO on the right, the lights go out, and from the dig, it was pretty close between the two cars. But, by the halfway point, the GTO had its nose ahead by about half a car length. Even though the Camaro had the better 1/4 mile ET of 13.59 at 101.92 mph, it was the GTO that crossed the first landing for the win.
Round two saw the two cars switch lanes and the Camaro took an easy win this time around with 13.58 seconds at 101.87 mph. By now, I was convinced that cars running in the left lane seemed to struggle with traction. However, I was proved wrong for round three, as the Camaro took the win once again, this time from that slippery left lane. It did the standing 1/4 mile in 13.6 seconds at 102.01 mph.
Lets Wrap This Up
So then, this was a closely fought duel. Watching these two old-school brutes go head-to-head certainly made my weekend. It was a perfect match. I’m more of a torque guy and my money was on the GTO, but that Chevy came around much stronger than I expected.