Possibly "The Ultimate Corvair" ?

Chevrolet - and most other US made cars - were more interested in how fast they would go in a short distance - usually 1/4 mile. They didn't care if a car could go 160MPH if it took 5 minutes and half a county to get there. And leak 2 quarts of oil doing it.:D

Now who has their facts wrong. The XK engine is one of the most reliable ever produced, how do you think it won the most grueling auto endurance race on the planet so many times, give me a break.

Don't take my word for it, look it up for yourself.

As far as Chevy powered, ridiculous.

Now this is a piece of art, dual overhead cam hemi head triple carb in a 2500lb car. Looks like what you would see lifting the hood of a race car, including the front suspension, all this in the standard E-type, not a special order etc. Again, the offerings from Chevrolet looked absolutely pedestrian in comparison.

jaguar-e-type-series-one-38-fhc_15334.jpg

1961 E-Type
1961_jaguar_e-type-pic-6868571363631466285-640x480.jpeg

1961 Corvette
1961-Chevrolet-Corvette-C1-Photograph-Illustration-1_a.jpg
 
Last edited:
Chevrolet - and most other US made cars - were more interested in how fast they would go in a short distance - usually 1/4 mile. They didn't care if a car could go 160MPH if it took 5 minutes and half a county to get there. And leak 2 quarts of oil doing it.:D

Really, maybe you should read some facts first.

Some performance specifications for the Jaguar at its release.

Its combination of beauty, high performance, and competitive pricing established the model as an icon of the motoring world. The E-Type's 150 mph (241 km/h) top speed, sub-7-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration, monocoque construction, disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent front and rear suspension distinguished the car and spurred industry-wide changes

Performance specifications for the Corvette at its release, ya I can see it was a real 0 - 60 record breaker ROFLMFAO

The engine was a 235 cu in (3.85 L) inline six engine[7] that was similar to the 235 engine that powered all other Chevrolet car models, but with a higher-compression ratio, three Carter side-draft carburetors, mechanical lifters, and a higher-lift camshaft. Output was 150 horsepower (110 kilowatts). Because there was currently no manual transmission available to Chevrolet rated to handle 150 HP, a two-speed Powerglide automatic was used. 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time was 11.5 seconds.

Screenshot_20180922-225207.png

Performance specifications for the Jaguar XK 140, which would be in direct competition with the first Corvettes. Hmm, seems to pretty much kill the Vette in every category. Thems the facts not some pipe dream.

Acceleration times from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) were 8.4 seconds, 9.1 seconds and 9.1 seconds respectively. Only the R&T test tried 0–100 mph (160 km/h) which took 26.5 seconds. Standing 1/4 mile (~400 m) times were 16.6 seconds (82 mph (132 km/h) approx) and 16.9 seconds (86 mph (138 km/h)).

The Jaguar XK 120 in 1948 five years BEFORE the release of the Corvette. Tell me again about how the American cars are all so fast.

The magazine reported a top speed of 124.6 mph (200.5 km/h), acceleration from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.0 seconds and fuel consumption of 19.8 miles per imperial gallon (14.3 L/100 km; 16.5 mpg‑US).

Wow, couldn't even beat Jaguars outdated cars from five years previous when it was released, what a joke. Chevrolet didn't even have a manual transmission that could handle a measly 150hp to put in the car lol.
 
Last edited:
Just checked, it couldn't even beat the 1936 Jaguar SS 100 ROFLMAO, now that's ridiculous, a car 17 yrs it's senior. You're right that's some real impressive performance. And all of these cars, including the 1961 E-Type had smaller engines than the very first Corvette, that's impressive performance my friend.

Screenshot_20180922-232651.png


Jaguar SS 100 fastest production car in the world 1937
Jaguar-SS100-1936.jpg

Jaguar XK 120 fastest production car in the world 1948
c2b5390b-e42f-4729-a8fe-0beb3ef02a88.jpg

Jaguar XK 140 fastest production car in the world 1954
jaguar-xk140-roadster-02-131a687f.jpg

Chevrolet Corvette 1953, looks dated even compared with the older XK120.
1953-corvette-8.jpg

As for "other" US auto makers making "fast" cars let's see what other US competition was around at the time the Vette was released.

1955 Ford T-Bird with a nice big honking V8

The Thunderbird will go with the best of them, even with the Fordomatic automatic transmission. In fact, with the Fordomatic, a hotter engine (198 hp) is used, compared to the stick shift's 190-hp engine. A time of 11.5 seconds is what we got for 0-60 mph, putting it into sports car company. Acceleration at passing speeds is impressive. We averaged times of 4.2 seconds to get from 30 to 50 mph, and 11 seconds from 50 to 80. That's enough to indicate that the 'Bird meets its advertised claims of "sports car...performance."

It's 1/4 mile times were 18 seconds, similar performance figures to the Vettes but easily beat by the Jaguars, sadly again even by it's 1936 competition. And again it looks dated even compared with the older XK120.

7594799-1955-ford-thunderbird-thumb.jpg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom