Along with YearOne, HPP partnered with Corvette Fever, Mopar Muscle, and Vette magazines to enlist the talents of our respective readerships and gather them and their quick street/strip cars at Atlanta Dragway on the first day of the '08 YearOne Experience. There were just two rules for the inaugural YearOne Street-Strip Challenge: Each car had to be street-legal, as well as NHRA-legal for its e.t. Desired entrants should be lightning quick on the track and able to devour large chunks of interstate and scenic byways in a single 25-mile bound, without incident, to solidify their duality.
What was on the line at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, besides bragging rights? The winners from each magazine took home a $250 gift certificate from YearOne. The King of the Hill winner received a $500 gift certificate and a special plaque, and the runner-up received a $250 gift certificate. If that wasn't enough, all participants received two passes to the YearOne Experience entitling them to run in the autocross, race on Road Atlanta, and participate in the 0-100-0 competition for free.
The call went out in multiple issues of the participating mags. What follows is a synopsis of how our five Pontiacs fared on the road and on the dragstrip, and how their performances compared with the best of the Mopars and Corvettes.
You may question why 10- to 13-second Pontiacs were included in this all-out competition that will likely see 8- or 9-second e.t.'s in the winner's circle. The amount of discomfort one is willing to endure on the street in the name of speed at the track varies from person to person. A mountain motor, a 4,500-stall converter, a two-speed Glide, 4.56 gears, and a spool do not a street car make for many, yet it may be fine for some. Therefore, our group offers varied combinations at different performance and comfort levels to cover a broader range of hobbyists' interests.
Nevertheless, if you're incensed by the fact that there were quicker Mopars and Vettes, then you're encouraged to do something about it for 2009. Enter your 8- or 9-second Pontiac street car for the May '09 event (the exact date has yet to be determined). If you don't have one, then contact your friends who do. Email a brief description of the technical aspects of your Pontiac, a few low-res photos, and a daytime phone number to tom.demauro@sourceinterlink.com.
In the meantime, please don't diminish the contributions of this year's participants based on e.t.'s alone. Even if they weren't built to be Pro Stockers with license plates, most of them represent potent and efficient late- and early-model combinations that don't sacrifice streetability in a quest for single-digit e.t.'s.
Let's meet our contenders:
Mike Meeks rolled in from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, with his super-low-10-second, wheel-yanking '00 T/A. A regular on the race circuit, Mike promises his 383-cubed LS1 with its Turbo 400 and 3.73 gears will deliver on the track and survive our 25-mile test loop in 77-degree weather.
Don Dixon brought his '05 GTO from Greensboro, North Carolina. It looks stone-stock until you pop the hood and see the MagnaCharger. There are tons of other mods as well, but they're difficult to see. Will this sleeper with a huffed LS2, a 4L65E, and 3.55 gears break into the 10s? It may depend on whether the A/C is on or off.
Greg Schwindler of Auburn, Georgia, had a comfortable ride to the track in his '79 T/A with a 200-4R overdrive trans and ice-cold A/C. How low can the e.t.'s go when contending with a luxury-liner, 4,035-pound race weight? We'll have to ask the nitroused, aluminum-headed, over-bored 428 to find out.
Michael Wade and his '69 Trans Am convertible replicar hail from Hartselle, Alabama. His Pontiac is dressed like a legend and cruises like one, but can it perform substantially better than the subject of its tribute? A 462, a Turbo 400, 3.55 gears, and a nitrous system are certainly steps in the right direction. How will it fare on its first shakedown passes since its completion?
Dale Wade is Michael's brother, and he brought his '69 GTO convertible from Double Springs, Alabama. Dale wasn't here to win gift certificates, however. He was here to illustrate the virtues of a smooth-running, mild-cam, low-compression, big-cube Pontiac engine in a 4,115-pound race-weight convertible. With 462 cubes, a Turbo-400, and 3.55s out back, there was potential, but would a tuning miscalculation prior to the Challenge cost performance?