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SUPER CARS
both the engines and suspensions bore little or no relationship to what the customer will find on his dealer's floor, we can only disqualify ourselves from making really valid judgements. In the case of the GT/A, it was set up primarily to perform on the drag strip, and therefore its value as a road car practically disappeared. The front suspension, as we mentioned, was so limber that Gregory found that the car would leap and bound around even on the long and comparatively smooth Bridgehampton main straightaway. Gregory said that he was running through the highspeed, downhill series of bends at the end of the main chute 20 mph slower with the Fairlane than the other cars, and still had to work harder to keep it on the road. As we said, it had great power, and the three-speed automatic transmission, which can be shifted at will, was its only redeeming feature. Unfortunately, even this had been "adjusted" to make faster shifts, so a positive evaluation becomes difficult. This is what Gregory had to say: "What impressed me most was the three-speed transmission for driving on the street. It was very quick shifting, and it felt like it was set up in different power ranges. The brakes were the least efficient of all the cars, although that may have been because of the linings-I don't think they were metallic. (Right, the Olds, Chevelle, Buick and GTO had metallic linings-Ed.) 1 was not terribly happy with the suspension or the way the car handled. It seemed to me to be too soft for the power that was involved, and I, think it needed a firmer, more level ride than it had. It seemed very comfortable on the road, but not at all comfortable speeding around Bridgehampton. Back to the transmission for a moment: it shifted very quickly, certainly much quicker than I could have shifted it manually. It was the noisiest of the bunch-with an exhaust like a racing car. In all, it has a very sporty feel, but the suspension and brakes need improvement." Enough said. Comet Cyclone GT The Cyclone was the most difficult to evaluate because it was by far the most modified. As we said, many hours of hard work had gone into making the Comet a truly hot machine, and the result was much closer to a racing car than to a representative showroom model. It was the fastest of the class on both the |
drag
and the road course, as it should have been, considering its modifications.
The Lincoln-Mercury people who accompanied the car got a bit belligerent
when we implied that their vehicle stretched the spirit of the rules. They
claimed, and rightly so, that every piece was an authorized factory accessory,
but forgot our stipulation that they be "generally accessible" to the general
public. The Ford Motor Company, being active in racing, has volume upon
volume of parts catalogues, with infinite variations in springs and shocks
and valves and cams, etc., but they exist almost exclusively for their
stock car and drag racing programs. Anybody trying to buy that sort of
equipment from his local dealer would only get a blank stare or an indulgent
smile for his trouble. Our Cyclone GT test car, sadly, just wasn't in the
same league with the others and we therefore cannot take its times seriously.
In addition, it blew up before the test was completed. Masten Gregory's comments on the Comet: "It seemed to have been prepared more for racing and had quite a harsh ride. A completely different ride-much flatter and harsher, but better for racing around Bridgehampton. It had very severe axle tramp under heavy braking. So bad, in fact, that even though it had a four-speed gearbox, I had to drive it all the way around the course in fourth gear. It had a very good engine with a very good power range. It worked from 3500 rpm to 6500 rpm, which was the best power range of all the engines there. And that's the only reason I could go so quickly. It became very difficult if I shifted into third gear approaching the corners, because of this rear axle tramp." After the blown engine had been replaced and the car returned to us for our road evaluation, we found that the very tight limited-slip differential would ratchet severely on any slow-speed corner. We can only presume that this is not standard for |
all
Comets. Aside from the great clouds of smoke that billowed out of the engine
at the race track, the interior constantly smelled of oil. The clutch was
stiffer than any we had ever encountered on a production machine. Like
the Fairlane, the car sat about 11/2 inches lower on its suspension than
other Cyclones that we checked. However, the seats were quite comfortable,
and the instrumentation and interior appointments were above average. And
we're sure that you can find them in a showroom. But on the whole we were amazed by the cars and by the f act that we managed to get them all together in the same place at the same time. With any luck at all, we'll do it again next year. |
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