johnc (02/24/83)
#R:ixn5h:-12600:tekcad:13200003:000:216 tekcad!johnc Feb 23 20:11:00 1983 Whatever happened to Corvettes and Ford Cobras with 427 and 428 CI engines and 400+ horsepower? Also is the 928 really a better sports car than say the Turbo Carrera? Louis should have something to say about this!
guy (02/25/83)
Well, something happened in 1973 that made such cars a bit less desirable... Also consider than the 400+ CI engines were not exactly the car companies bread and butter (many of them were detuned racing engines), so as the DOT required more safety and emissions work, the money went to that instead of big-block engines. Of course, Mercedes-Benz still made the 450SEL 6.9 up until 3 or so years ago... Note that 400+ horsepower was SAE gross horsepower until some point in the early 1970's, when GM (and probably the others) switched to SAE net. Making the engine run such useful accessories as fans and generators (and whatever else is involved in SAE net) tended to cut the output a bit; the Car&Driver with the article on the 1984(!) Corvette has a bit on the history of the 'Vette which implies that close to 100 HORSEPOWER was "lost" when GM changed from SAE gross to SAE net. As for the Turbo Carrera, it's not currently being imported by Porsche (although there are compliance shops bringing it in). Guy Harris RLG Corporation ...!decvax!mcnc!rlgvax!guy
ltn (02/25/83)
The 928 may not be as fast, 0-60 or whatever, as the Turbo, but it doesn't
have a time lag waiting for the turbine to spin up. Push down on the pedal,
and all that power is there now, not in a few seconds. So for casual
racing around the neighborhood, the 928 may well win. Besides, that
water-cooled V-8 is considered a very well-built engine, and turbocharging
does work an engine pretty hard. (There are those who prefer a straigh
911 SC over a Turbo.) Too bad the 928 is so UGLY.
Waiting to trade in my 914,
Les Niles (aluxz!ltn)