It's official. The greatest era of high HP cars has finally arrived. The late 60's has finally been eclipsed. This is affordable power for the average Joe/Jane instead of being more than most people make in a year.
Been here since the mid 00's.
Read an article in hot rod magazine. They put the 3 fastest muscle cars ever (Hemi cuda, L82 corvette and a boss 429 mustang up against a Camaro SS, Mustang GT and Challenger RT (your base performance models) on a chassis dyno.
The old muscle cars all made around 280hp to the rear wheels, the new ones all made around 380. This is comparing the best of the old (these cars had a premium price, most could not afford) with the base of the new. Apples to apples would be comparing those old cars to a Hellcat, GT500 and ZL1, there we are 300 ponies difference.
The old cars rated brake horsepower horsepower at the flywheel. engine was run on a stand with no exhaust or accessories on it. They were also rated in B.H.P. horsepower (brake). The new rating system is S.A.E. net. And it is a lot more stringent, that is why you see the difference.
The new cars are also lower cubic inch small blocks kicking the crap out of big displacement big blocks.
I've got a Gen1 383 stroker in my race car, done. The specs on my 2012 Camaro SS engine are better than anything you can even buy aftermarket. For instance, the stock SS 6.2l heads flow 330cfm. The best race heads you can buy for a gen1 small block (Brodix stage IV) flow about 270cfm. Biggest intake valve you could fit in the old heads was 2.08" (Aftermarket, largest they came with was 2.05 my SS stock intake valves are 2.16".
