Ever since CAR magazine printed its first issue way back in 1957, proper road-testing has been an integral part of our procedure. Why? Well it provides readers with the opportunity to see what each car can do in real-world conditions (as opposed to what manufacturers claim).
In the old days, we collected the 0-100 km/h data using a classic stopwatch, which means it’s likely that some of these early figures won’t be as quite accurate as those produced by our GPS-equipped devices today. Still, the figures of yesteryear are realistic enough for comparison and make for rather interesting reading.
Below are the five fastest accelerating cars (0-100 km/h) CAR magazine tested in the 1960s. Take note, though, that juggernauts from the era such as the Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari 365 GTB/4 and Porsche 912 were unfortunately not accessible to the publication at the time…
5. Jaguar 420 Overdrive: 9,8 seconds (January 1969)
The 180 kW straight-six engine meant that this 1 620 kg sedan could sprint to 100 km/h in just under 10 seconds. This result was substantially different to the claimed figure of 8,2 seconds, but it’s also worth remembering that, despite its impressive figures, the 420 was advertised more as a luxury sedan than a performance car. Following the effective MkII, however, it was still clearly capable of packing a hefty punch.
4. GSM Flamingo 1500 GT: 9,7 seconds (May 1964)
Made at home, the Glass Sport Motors Flamingo was a traditional speedster that terrified many. Powered by a 1,5-litre four-cylinder engine from a Ford Cortina (the initial plan was to use the V6), it pushed out just 56 kW. But since its fibreglass body weighed close to nothing, it was able to accelerate much faster than its comparatively portly rivals.
3. Ford Galaxie 500 Automatic: 9,7 seconds (August 1965)
The muscle car era had begun, with Ford positioned as one of the front-runners. It had the Mustang, Falcon, Fairlane, Torino and, yes, the Galaxie. The 500 was fitted with a massive 6,4-litre big-block V8 that produced 179 kW and 540 N.m, propelling this 5,4-metre long behemoth to 100 km/h just below the 10-second mark.
2. Toyota 2000GT: 9,0 seconds (January 1969)
It’s interesting that CAR managed to secure access to this extremely rare Japanese coupe. It made do with a 2,0-litre six-cylinder engine, which was good for a modest 95 kW and 176 N.m. This car was able to reach its claimed 0-100 km/h figure of 9,0 seconds with a top speed of 200 km/h.
1. Ford Mustang Fastback: 8,9 seconds (February 1965)
Although this is the fastest accelerating car on the list, it’s really hard to think about the Mustang – an intimidating quarter-mile car in its time – as something that’s over two seconds slower to 100 km/h than a modern Fiesta ST. The ’65 Fastback made use of a 4,7-litre big-block V8 capable of providing the rear wheels with 149 kW.