WHO’S THE B0SS?: Classic Muscle Meets Modern Technology in a Battle for Supercar Supremacy

It seemed like a natural to us, a classic confrontation between mid-’60s muscle and modern technology, good and evil, brute force and finesse. Why not take two of the finest examples of Pontiac performance past and present, and place them side by side on Raceway Park’s 1320 to see once and for all who’s the boss? Time was when a torque monster like the big-block Pontiac V8, especially when delivered in a Tempest-sized package, was a hard combination to beat, especially by one of its own kind. RAM Air Firebird aside it was over 20 years before Pontiac could seriously approach the GTO’s performance level, and only then with a Trans Am using a 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine.Like their Camaro compadres,the Trans A ms of the late ’80s have benefited from highly refined suspension and handling systems and the latest in computerized engine management controls from General Motors.

Once an emasculated cosmeticar today’s GM F-body is a triumph of form and function. And, thanks to the fuel injected 245-horse 5.7-liter “corporate” V8, it’s also a solid 14-second pure stock performer.

We found our “old guard” representative in Manville, N.J.Mike and Ann Marie Schiavone own a very clean, very stock ’65 GTO with Tri-Power 389 and 4-speed transmission. Capri Gold with matching interior and just 34,000 miles on the clock, their Goat isn’t just a pretty face. In addition to serving as the Schiavone family’s weekend transportation, this classic musclecar is no stranger to supercar events at Raceway Park. Its best time with street tires and 3.55 gears is 14.70 at 96 mph.For the sake of competition, we went right for the throat with Pontiac’s ultimate GTA, the 20th Anniversary Trans Am, 1989’s official Indy 500 Pace Car. What makes this particular model so specialaside from its limited production run of just 1500 units-is its powerplant, the totally awesome turbocharged and intercooled 3.8-liter Buick V6 that made 13-second street machines out of “Grand Nationalized” Regals. How much havoc could a similar 250-horse turbo beast wreak in a sleeker, lighter Firebird? As we were soon to find out, plenty.

We gathered at Englishtown beneath a duly sun that pushed the mercury into the high 80s, but with moderate humidity by Jersey standards. On paper at least, the cars seemed to be evenly matched. Both tipped the Toledos around 3500 pounds without driver, and they shared similar power outputs. Before we began, both cars made a few preliminary runs to test various driving styles with regard to launch rpm and shift points.

Schiavone, a 34-year-old hospital maintenance mechanic, employed a conservative yet quite consistent driving style, which included a couple of short dry hops to clean the Michelin radials, a 2000-rpm launch, and then safe but sure granny-shifts each time the tach needle nudged 4500.

“Once the tires start spinning in first gear,” Mike said, “there’s nothing you can do except back off on the throttle. Slicks might have helped, but I didn’t want to blow it up. I like racing, but not with this car. I have too much money invested to beat it up.” As it was, Mike was only a tenth off his best times-in the heat, on low-octane gas, and with a gentle racing style.

The best way to drive the turbo GTA, we discovered, was to heat the Goodyear Gatorbacks with a hard static burnout, stage almost immediately, power torque the engine to 2500 to 3000 rpm, then releasethe brake and bury the throttle when the Christmas tree flashed its last amber light. Because of moderate 3.27:1 rear gearing, the Pace Car barely slipped the tires using this procedure, and once out of the gate the turbo took over and t n.

Like a jet fighter in full afterburner, the added boost of an inter-fed and turbocharged 3.8-liter Buick V6 is like nothing you’ve ever felt in a musclecar, save for a full-on supercharger. The acceleration is smooth and continuous, and very rapid. All of this was accomplished with the gear selector in third, allowing the 4-speed automatic to shift for itself.

It was obvious from the outset that the GTO was at a disadvantage, performance wise. The first series of runs between the two Pontiacs found the white GTA pulling to a comfortable lead in almost every instance.

The closest race was a near photo finish, but only after the GTA driver took a snooze on the starting line, giving the Goat a humongous head start. Even so, the Pace Car came from behind to nip the GTO at the finish line, recording its first 13-second run of the day in the process, a 13.98 to Mike’s 14.84. Granted, Schiavone could have picked up the pace with harder launches and 5500-rpm powershifts, but even 14.50s would not have been enough.

“I expected to run close to the turbo GTA,” Mike said. “I have friends with Grand Nationals and I know how powerful the engines are. The question is, can they take as much abuse as a 389 Pontiac?”

We had heard going into this drag test that the new turbo V6 Trans Am Pace Car was a strong runner. And why not? Beginning with a curb weight that is nearly 130 pounds lighter than a typical 350-powered F-body, it also features such internal refinements as a shorter cylinder head with improved combustion-chamber design. New pistons complement this chamber while retaining the stock 8:1 compression ratio; the crankshaft is cross-drilled for extra lubrication; and a roller cam is used for valvetrain efficiency.

Other changes include a GNX intercooler, but without the ceramic impeller for durability’s sake, and a change to a larger turbo wastegate to accommodate and maintain maximum boost during full-throttle acceleration. According to one well informed source, the 250 hp and 340 lbs.-ft. of torque readings are severely underrated. Where a stock Grand National reportedly pegged the chassis dyno at 180 rear wheel horsepower and a GNX recorded 200, a turbo Pace Car put out 220 ponies to the rear wheels.

Okay, fine. So where were all those neck-snapping ETs we were hearing about? Believe it or not, we found ’em … in a box of dry ice! Like any self-respecting turbo car, the Pontiac Pacer needed to cool off in order to perform at its peak. We helped the process by packing the intercooler and fuel injection manifold with dry ice. The first run in this mode was an eye-popper: 13.74 at 101.80 mph! By drastically reducing the engine operating temperature and cooling the incoming charge, we had lopped off half a second’s worth of elapsed time while bumping trap speed up a full 5 mph. Wow! Subsequent runs were back-to-back 14 .0s at an even 100 mph.

This performance increase was great for the GTA, lousy for the GTO, which continued its string of 14.80s. If that weren’t bad enough, about this time Ed Kozinski rolled in with his modified Pace Car. After watching his act, GTO owner Schiavone could only say, “I was shocked at the performance gain a new musclecar could get from such inexpensive changes as a chip, bypass pipe and a colder thermostat. That these little parts could make suchan improvement is amazing. I’d have to add headers, a bigger cam and maybe some head work to equal that performance gain, but even then it may not be worth it.”

So who’s the boss? In this particular case, modern muscle triumphed easily over the geriatric GTO. In retrospect, a 350 GTA might have been closer competition for Mike ‘s car would and possibly the results would have been different. But for this shootout we opted for the most powerful Pontiac we could find, and the turbocharged V6 Buick-engined ’89 Trans Am Pace Car proved to be just that.

‘ONE STEP BEYOND!
Veteran performance enthusiast Ed Kozinski takes Us turbo
Tiaras Am to another Wild wish a dose of late-model muscle

Is it blaspheme for an inveterate V8 lover like Ed Kozinski to say he loves his new V6-powered ’89 Indv Pace Car? Should he be drawn and quartered for the pure pleasure he gets from each and every 13-second quarter-mile sprint?

“I’m excited about the elapsed times.” says the Piscataway, N.J., auto detailer “But even if it came with a 4-cylinder that went that fast, I’d still be interested.”

Now those are the words of a true performance freak, and Kozinski certainly qualifies. Counted among his former flames are a pair of GTOs, a Trans Am, various big-block-powered Chevrolets, and an LTI Corvette. Ed even had a rare) Corvair Monza Spyder with the turbocharged flat six rated at 150 hp, so he’s no newcomer to turbo.

After running 1.3.6 101 mph with the Trans Am Pace Car in pure stock trim with 3.27 gears and street tires. Ed wanted to go faster. Upon reading the ads in the various magazines, he called Applied Technologies Research because he liked what they had to say.”As far as I’m concerned,” says Kozinski “ATR really did their homework with this chip. The amount of information on each chip–cruise advance, advance coolant temp, wide open throttle, basic: advance, closed fuel ratio, idle, improved cold start-all these things are programmed for everyday driving,, not just wide open throttle. They knew the basic: idle was horrendous due to a lean condition to satisfy CAFE standards, which summer heat causes to fluctuate even more so, and they lock up the torque converter sooner.”

ATR’s “bulldog” chip, along with test pipe and 160-degree thermostat, knocked off half a second and picked up 4 mph, the difference of about 35 hp, Now Ed’s car runs low 13.1 s at 105 mph-through the mufflers and on street tires! Truly impressive.

Moreover, Ed claims 24 mpg of high-test in the family cruise mode. Given this car’s dual role as weekend transportation for the Kozinski clan, as well as Dad’s great escape machine, economy is an important part of the performance equation.

Ed’s car also has Bilstein gas shocks to cut down on “porpoising” down-track, because firmer rear shocks help traction. He also has a K&N filter in place of the stock item. At the track, he uses octane boosters and runs the fuel tank only a quarter full because all that contributes to maximum forward acceleration. And after Grand National maven Jim D’Alessandro reworks the turbo, adds an adustable boost control, dual electric fans and a 3-inch exhaust system, Ed’s Trans Am should run 12.7 s at 110.

“To be truthful.” says Ed, “when I first started the car up at the dealership, I said to myself, `Oh, damn, what did I just spend 30 grand for? Where’s the rumble, where’s the roar?’After I punched it from a slow roll out on the road, I thought, ‘It feels fast, but where’s the rush?’ It wasn’t until I hooked up my Vericom and verified on a side street that, yes, this car does run 0-to-60 in four and a half seconds, and then went to the trac k and ran 13.60, at 101 mph that I was satisfied. There was a time when he wasn’t.

“I had an ’86 Monte Carlo SS with the 305 that ran 15.80, in stock trim,” Ed continues. “I spent almost $3000 on a torque converter, transmission shift kit, carburetor, intake manifold, early model ignition system, cam and kit, and I thought it would really scream. Guess what? It only ran 15.10, Six-tenths for three grand? Heck, stock 5-liter,Mustangs were going 14.20s and they were blowing me out of the water!

“The capper was my first trip to Raceway Park with the turbo Pace Car, when it was only running 13.60. It felt better than the Monte Carlo but that wasn’t saying much. Anyway, I pulled out with a Mustang and as soon as I hit second gear, I started pulling away. All I could think was, ‘Heyyy, worth it!’ “