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I was reading a July, 1967 issue of Car & Driver. A comparison test between a '67 Mercury Cougar XR-7 and a '67 Jaguar 420 and I noticed a road test of a '67 Ferrari 330/GTC. Looking through the test results I noticed that the 40-60 mph acceleration is almost the same as a '64 Cadillac Sedan de Ville tested by Car Life magazine (July, 1964).
I am surprised that figures are so close, especially considering the Cadillac's size and weight. Here are the actual specs:
-------------------------------- '67 Ferrari----------- '64 Cadillac
-------------------------------- 330/GTC------------ Sedan de Ville
Well... at 40 mph the weight won't have as much to say as it would in a 0-60 mph. The Cadillac also has more horsepower and definitely more torque, gearing would probably also come into play, so all in all... not that surprising I would think.
That said, Ferraris during the period as well as now weren't really made primarily for straight line speed, that would be a by product of the cars primary task, which would be to scale a winding road efficiently.
I don't think anyone's ever disputed that old American V8 powered vehicles could move in a straight line.
Well... at 40 mph the weight won't have as much to say as it would in a 0-60 mph. The Cadillac also has more horsepower and definitely more torque, gearing would probably also come into play, so all in all... not that surprising I would think.
That said, Ferraris during the period as well as now weren't really made primarily for straight line speed, that would be a by product of the cars primary task, which would be to scale a winding road efficiently.
I don't think anyone's ever disputed that old American V8 powered vehicles could move in a straight line.
Yes, true, their passing times were usually more impressive than the 0-60 mph times. Once the weight was overcome, it made a big difference. That '64 Cadillac does have more horsepower and torque, but then again, it does weigh almost 2,000 lbs more than the Ferrari.
The good 40-60 mph for the Cadillac did not last long, btw. By the early-'70s, it was more like 5.5 to 6 seconds.
That Caddy hustled from 0-60 in 8.5! They usually used tall ratios - I knew a bud with a 61' Caddy sporting 2:90 rear gears - not great for a 0-60 but the top end was faster than you'd want to travel.
That Caddy hustled from 0-60 in 8.5! They usually used tall ratios - I knew a bud with a 61' Caddy sporting 2:90 rear gears - not great for a 0-60 but the top end was faster than you'd want to travel.
The "highway" gears no doubt hurt low-to-mid speed acceleration. My '69 Fleetwood had the original 2.94:1 axle ratio; I bought 3.21 gears from a '69 limousine and had that installed! The acceleration improved noticeably. Not a huge improvement but it cut the 40-60 mph time by about one-half to one second.
Yes, true, their passing times were usually more impressive than the 0-60 mph times. Once the weight was overcome, it made a big difference. That '64 Cadillac does have more horsepower and torque, but then again, it does weigh almost 2,000 lbs more than the Ferrari.
The good 40-60 mph for the Cadillac did not last long, btw. By the early-'70s, it was more like 5.5 to 6 seconds.
Looking at the end speed for each gear it seems the Cadillac would be at an advantage on the 40-60 mph as the Ferrari would either be outside it's optimum range, or it'd need to throw a gear change in there. That might explain a lot of it.
Looking at the end speed for each gear it seems the Cadillac would be at an advantage on the 40-60 mph as the Ferrari would either be outside it's optimum range, or it'd need to throw a gear change in there. That might explain a lot of it.
Well, it looks like each car would have to shift one time in the 40-60 mph test.
You'll also notice a marked difference in top speeds, as well. The Ferrari gave up a bit of quickness to have a good top end.
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