cars-the Chevelle, the Oldsmobile and the Skylark-and three others-the GTO, the Comet and Fairlane-that were armed to the teeth. In the case of the Royal Bobcat GTO, we at least knew what we were dealing with, but with the Comet and the Fairlane, only the men with access to the inner precincts of the Holman and Moody and Moore shops could tell for sure how far the rules had been stretched.
 The Comet bordered on the ludicrous. It came off the line like a Super Stock, surging up on its haunches under power exactly like a specially modified NHRA stocker. Its engine was an ostensibly stock 390 cubic inch Ford -the same prosaic old workhorse that has loyally powered the Thunderbird for so many seasons. Anyone who knows engines will tell you there isn't a 390 built that will turn more than 5300-5500 rpm in stock form, but the ones in our Comet and Fairlane would turn an effortless 6500 rpm.
 How was this done? The expertise with which men like Messrs. Holman and Moore tune engines is both unparalleled and undetectable, but it should be noted for the record that the valve train of the racing Ford 427 can be installed on the 390 block with relatively little effort.

After each run the Comet had its gas tank topped up in order to keep a maximum amount of weight-crucial in dragging-over the rear wheels. Not that this was in any way illegal, but it does contrast significantly with the low-key, almost casual approach being taken by several of the other entrants. We made over 200 runs during the day at Westhampton, with the Comet recording the fastest time: 13.98 seconds at 103.80 mph. This stands as some sort of unofficial world's record for a "stock" Comet Cyclone GT.

    (A competition magazine which specializes in drag coverage ran a previous test on a Cyclone, using a champion drag racing driver on what is known as a "high traction" drag strip. Poor fellow, he was only able to run 14.40 seconds at 99 mph using special drag racing slicks! But then he could only wind his engine to 5200 rpm.)
The GTO sounded almost as fierce as the Fairlane and the Comet while it turned the second fastest E.T. of the day. Much of the noise was traceable to the blocked heat risers, which caused a deep,resonance in the exhaust, and the optional cold air box which. amplified the sound of -air being sucked into the carburetors. The car turned the fastest trap time, at 105.14 mph, while clocking an od E.T. of 14.05 seconds.
The GT/A, operating with Ford's new automatic gearbox, was third fastest, with a  time of 14.26 seconds at 99.00 mph. The HMO representative admitted that the pump pressure in the transmission had been increased to permit faster, more positive shifts, and this, coupled with the high revving engine and the P. doctored suspension helped the times considerably. Unlike the Comet, which seemed to. have a kind of compromise suspension setup  to make it handle on both the road course and the drag strip, the Fairlane appeared to be over-balanced toward excellence in the

  CONTINUED
 
CAR and DRIVER   MARCH 1966
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