43yrs and we've gone backwards?

[Thyshallsmite]

http://www.supercars.net/cars/4538.html

Man how the heck did this happen, 43 years and zl1 is slower than a 1969 camaro lol. Know cars are safer and handle a lot better, but damn i got a computer that filled up a whole building in my pocket now, but 2012 zl1 barely faster than a 1969 yenko, man what happend?

I dunno just thought that it was interesting how little cars have come in so long. Hope in another 40yrs we'll all be zooming by in 2000hp hover ZL1s and laugh about how slow old cars are lol.

[mr02Z/28]

LoL..... and my buddies 1971 Olds Cutlass with a 455(ported heads, race cam and a set of 3.90 gears) runs 11.90s consistently.....and he only paid about $4,000 for the car/parts and he does all the work himself,granted it's not as comfy as the '12 ZL1, so who knows....

[affox83]

It would be nice...I always wondered whether flying cars would show up in my lifetime.

Basically, I think the answer to your question is........

a = F/m

We can only get that ratio so big. Stupid physics.

Well, that and the average driver can't handle mass amounts of power. Me...I love fast cars of all types.

[HDRDTD]

And how much lighter cars were way back then.?

[HumanWiki]

Cars have come a long ways.. You can compare speed all you'd like, but why don't you compare the related crash ratings, the mileage on fuel, the advanced technology inside the cabin, seat design, materials, etc...

There's more to the progression of the automotive world than speed..

I run in the 11s, have 560 tire power, in a 6.2L engine, can take 3600 mile road trips and get 23-24MPG on the highway, drive through all kinds of weather, hook up a thumb drive with a music library of countless songs that wouldn't even fit in the car if on 8track/tape, I can go fast around corners in addition to the straight line, etc. etc..... So, yeah.. Big leap.

[JimE]

That's a Chevelle. But I get your meaning. But there is a world of difference in those two cars and you are only looking at the 1/4 mile time.

[JimE]

http://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/...camaro-427.htm

Mid 13's.

[Swacer]

Originally Posted by Thyshallsmite

http://www.supercars.net/cars/4538.html

Man how the heck did this happen, 43 years and zl1 is slower than a 1969 camaro lol. Know cars are safer and handle a lot better, but damn i got a computer that filled up a whole building in my pocket now, but 2012 zl1 barely faster than a 1969 yenko, man what happend?

I dunno just thought that it was interesting how little cars have come in so long. Hope in another 40yrs we'll all be zooming by in 2000hp hover ZL1s and laugh about how slow old cars are lol.

Cars have become significantly heavier due to safety standards....The curb weight of a 1969 camaro SS was 3,100 lbs, while the ZL1 hovers at 4,100 lbs. So you've added a 1/3 of the original camaro's weight to it. Cars are more efficient motor wise (3 liter v6s are making the hp big blocks only reached in the 1960s), much more gas efficent, and safer than the older cars. So to say we've gone backwards, is just....silly.

[mr02Z/28]

Sorry, i didn't know saftey standards were part of the topic,my bad...I thought it was primarily performance oriented comparisons..

[POWERFREAK]

Cars are way ahead now....look how easy it is to get 600hp and be able to drive it everyday....with the a/c on without it overheating (even with all the required safety features and emissions garbage) Not to mention how much better new cars handle and stop.

[HumanWiki]

Originally Posted by mr02Z/28

Sorry, i didn't know saftey standards were part of the topic,my bad...I thought it was primarily performance oriented comparisons..

You can't compare that though without taking in to account why numbers haven't gone up as much as some people think.. Performance has increased and counts towards more than just how fast a car goes in a straight line.

[POWERFREAK]

Originally Posted by mr02Z/28

Sorry, i didn't know saftey standards were part of the topic,my bad...I thought it was primarily performance oriented comparisons..

Safety standards = weight = bad for performance.

[Angrybird 12]

Bet the ZL1 will run circles around a 69 Yenko on a road course. Its more than acceleration it's a total performance package.

[Thyshallsmite]

Originally Posted by Swacer

Cars have become significantly heavier due to safety standards....The curb weight of a 1969 camaro SS was 3,100 lbs, while the ZL1 hovers at 4,100 lbs. So you've added a 1/3 of the original camaro's weight to it. Cars are more efficient motor wise (3 liter v6s are making the hp big blocks only reached in the 1960s), much more gas efficent, and safer than the older cars. So to say we've gone backwards, is just....silly.

"It gets an average of 15mpg. It gets about 19mpg highway and 12mpg city." for the yenko, so not much improvement mpg wise, safer and handles better no doubt, but still muscle cars are all about the 1/4 mile. Though still 43 years is a long long time, i mean just think of how far technology has come in that same time span.