1985...IROC Z, Mustang GT, Pontiac Firebird
 

Boy, have these cars come along way since then! The horsepower then sounds so ridiculous now. And those prices!

https://youtu.be/FV0g5AL0u-I

This was just at the time when computers first entered the picture making it possible to bring the horsepower slowly back up from the depressing 1970s emission-choked engines. 200 hp might not sound like much today but believe me, in 1985 it was a Godsend. It was only about 13 years earlier that a Z28 horsepower rating dropped from 375-425 to under 200 overnight. Then by 1977 the top dog Camaro was putting out maybe 160 hp? It was bad.

So...you’re saying that my 2017 Mazda CX-5 with 186 horses could have beat a 1977 Camaro? That’s crazy to think about. It really puts into perspective how far automobile technology has come.

Actually, the newly reintroduced 1977 Camaro Z28 had 185hp which wasn't too shabby at the time. Your typical Mazda had like what 100hp? in those days so it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

In 1985, TPI finally got the Camaro and Firebird past the 200hp barrier which was a big deal back then. It took another 13 years before 300hp was achieved with the LS1 in '98.

I loved that Iroc-Z when I was 14. By the time I was ready to buy my own car I would have to get one with alot of miles on it and I didn't want to deal with the upkeep.

Was hoping with all the 80s recycling that the 6th gen would move towards that body style. Put some curves over the rear fenders and shorten the nose a little...oh well what's done is done.

i remember it well.i was driving a 1966 pontiac tempest with a 400 and headers,TH400 behind it.the people driving those cars thought they were fast until the first time they met the pontiac at a stoplight and revved.good times...

I still watch motor week.. Yeah huge difference from today. I think my kids power wheels would walk those cars ��

Cars weren't really that fast until the Gen2 LT1 came out.

Although, the GN, GNX and the Typhoon were pretty hot in the late 80's.

Anything in the 13s stock was pretty damn fast back then.

someone just heard horsepower was lower in the 80's ?

Hey! you makin' fun of me? haha! I knew it was lower in the 80's because of government emissions requirements, but I didn't realize how much lower. It just made me appreciate the fact that we can now have cars with 400+ HP and still get better gas mileage than they did back then with less than 200HP.

Wow caSS, that video was a trip down memory lane for me. In 1985 I was trying to outrun the Fox body Mustangs in my 1982 Z28 with a 305 4 barrel Q-Jet with a 4 speed and not having any luck. I did buy a complete air cleaner assembly for the HO 305 with ducting and installed it on my ‘82 which did help just a little when flooring but mostly increased the sound of the Quadrajet. I think the engine was putting out about 145 hp which was not that bad back in the day. I kept the ‘82 until 1987 when I bought a 1987 IROC Z28 with the 305 Tuned port 5 speed which felt like a rocket ship as compared to the ‘82! Thanks for finding and sharing the link for the video for us to check out.

I had an ‘84 Z28 with that L69 H.O. engine with a quadrajet. It was pretty stout with 190 hp and a TransGo No Yoyo shift kit on the 700R4. It was a good handler, quicker than most other Camaros of the time in a straight line, but dang I couldn’t outrun those fuel injected low 14 second Mustang 5.0s from 1986 In a straight line. :(

Had the same in my 84 Z-28. In 1989 I upgraded to an 89 IROC-Z with the 5.7 and the problem was solved.:thumbup: