50 years ago in America - a comparison of the class of 1962
08/03/2012
In 1962, Road & Track magazine once again put a large number of vehicles through their paces. The majority of the test objects were of a European nature, but the premiere test of the new Chevrolet Corvette C2 was also carried out, and a Studebaker Avanti and a Buick Skylark also showed their talent in Road & Track's tough test procedure.
The Corvette and Avanti didn't do badly at all; they were among the fastest in terms of acceleration and easily outperformed the Ferrari 250 GT and Aston Martin DB 4, which were also tested.
The test repertoire spanned the entire automotive industry. There was a tuned VW Beetle, a popular Simca 5 and a Hillman Super Minx. The newcomers MG B and Triumph TR 4 were also put under the microscope.
The R&T people proved that the Americans also have a sense of humor when they "chased" the San Francisco streetcar (Cablecar) through the test procedure and published the results in their usual notation.
Here is an overview of the test candidates and results:
| Brand | Type | Vmax | 0-60 MPH | price | R&T output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC | Greyhound | 105 | 13.5 | 1/62 | |
| AC | Aceca Buick | 115 | 7.7 | 3/62 | |
| Alfa Romeo | 2600 | 124 | 11.1 | 5185 | 12/62 |
| Aston Martin | DB 4 | 148 | 8.4 | 10475 | 4/62 |
| Austin-Healey | 3000 | 115 | 11.2 | 11/62 | |
| Buick | Skylark | 107 | 10.2 | 2548 | 3/62 |
| Chevrolet | Corvette | 142 | 5.9 | 10/62 | |
| Ferrari | 250 GT 2+2 | 150 | 8 | 12900 | 8/62 |
| Ferrari | 4.9 | 165 | 6.6 | 12/62 | |
| Ford | Consul Capri | 82 | 20.8 | 2330 | 6/62 |
| Hillman | Super Minx | 80 | 21.5 | 1999 | 8/62 |
| Jaguar | Mark X | 115 | 10.6 | 6990 | 10/62 |
| MG | B | 106 | 12.5 | 11/62 | |
| Renault | Caravelle S | 85 | 19.4 | 2456 | 11/62 |
| Rover | 3-liter | 100 | 18.6 | 5495 | 6/62 |
| S.F. | Cable Car | 9.5 | 4/62 | ||
| Simca | 5 | 80 | 20 | 1625 | 1/62 |
| Studebaker | Avanti | 117 | 7.3 | 4445 | 10/62 |
| Sunbeam | Le Mans GT | 100 | 12.2 | 3995 | 6/62 |
| Triumph | TR 4 | 110 | 10.5 | 2849 | 2/62 |
| Triumph | Herald 1200 | 72 | 22.6 | 1949 | 4/62 |
| Triumph | Sport Six | 82 | 17.7 | 2499 | 12/62 |
| Volvo | P 1800 | 88 | 13.6 | 4140 | 2/62 |
| Volvo | 122 S | 93 | 14.5 | 2695 | 5/62 |
| VW | 1200 EMPI | 80 | 19.3 | 1995 | 2/62 |
| VW | Karmann Ghia | 75 | 30 | 2295 | 3/62 |
| VW | 1500 | 82.4 | 24 | 5/62 |