| How could muscle cars, the most powerful | | | | power-hungry accessories attached. Only the bare |
| affordable cars the world had seen, lose their | | | | essentials were used. |
| oomph so quickly? What caused them to | | | | In 1972 SAE Net measurements were phased in. |
| disappear? I'm not a private eye, not remotely | | | | Power was still measured at the flywheel but all |
| like one, but this was one case I had to solve. | | | | the accessories were installed including the full |
| It happened back in the 70's, but the evidence | | | | exhaust system, emission controls, all pumps and |
| was still there. It was the case of the disappearing | | | | the alternator. SAE Net can't be compared |
| horsepower and this is what happened. | | | | exactly to SAE Gross because there are just too |
| In the era of the muscle car power was | | | | many variations in measuring, but it is down |
| everything. It didn't matter what it was, sports | | | | around 80%. So power ratings dropped. In 1973 |
| car, family car, pickup; it had the biggest V-8 | | | | horsepower ratings went down again as power |
| possible stuffed under the hood. Cubic inches | | | | sapping emission controls were tightened. |
| were king and advertised power was | | | | Gross SAE horsepower had pushed the listed |
| astronomical. These cars could kick sand in the | | | | power up. So did the advertised horsepower |
| windscreens of anything else on the road. | | | | some car companies used. What's wrong with a |
| But then horsepower seemed to disappear | | | | little rounding up of the numbers for the |
| overnight! | | | | brochure? Surely that would help sales too. |
| Take my favourite muscle car, the Ford Mustang. | | | | All this horsepower galloping around got noticed |
| The macho models had V-8s, though meeker | | | | and not just by young guys. |
| models came with an inline six. The biggest six | | | | Safety legislators noticed, and so did insurance |
| had 200 cubic inches and 155 hp in 1969/70. | | | | companies who started charging more for |
| What did the V-8s punch out? The most powerful | | | | insurance. The word on the street is that in 1967 |
| 351 gave 300 hp in 1970 and the 427 gave a | | | | a young guy under 25 with a clean driving record |
| massive 390 hp in 1968. But by 1973 the most | | | | would have paid $700 a year for GTO coverage. |
| powerful Mustang had a 351 V-8 with just 156 hp. | | | | Ouch! Some car companies lowered their |
| Almost half what it had in 1970, and only one | | | | advertised horsepower ratings. |
| horsepower more than the 200 cu in six of 1970! | | | | Muscles peaked in 1970, and by 1971 they were |
| As for the Mustang II of 1974, we won't even go | | | | starting to get flabbier. Engines were being |
| there. | | | | detuned and within another year bigger engines |
| The story was similar with the other | | | | were being dropped. |
| manufacturers. What was going on? It just didn't | | | | In 1973 many muscle cars were a shadow of |
| add up. Could I trust the figures? | | | | their former selves. And they were finished off |
| My detective mentor, Agatha Christie, taught me | | | | by the oil crisis of late '73. Long lines at gas |
| that when you're solving a case you can't trust | | | | stations and soaring prices were a real shock, and |
| anyone. Murderers do lie. In this case it wasn't | | | | so was a 55 mph national speed limit. Gas guzzlers |
| murder though it was the death of the muscle | | | | were irresponsible, expensive and unwanted, it |
| car, and it wasn't so much of an outright lie as | | | | didn't matter how much fun they were. |
| not telling the whole truth. And outside forces | | | | So there you have it. I now knew what had |
| were at play. | | | | happened to all that brute power. Some |
| I had to dig deeper. I had to find the facts. Why | | | | exaggeration had pushed listed horsepower up. A |
| would horsepower virtually halve? | | | | fairer, more accurate measuring system brought |
| It turned out there were a few reasons. | | | | it down. Emission controls brought it down more, |
| Salesmanship was one. Horsepower was | | | | and soaring insurance costs made |
| everything so why not measure it in a salesman | | | | ground-thumping power too expensive to own. |
| friendly way? Gross SAE horsepower was used. | | | | The oil crisis finished the muscle car off. This case |
| Power was measured at the flywheel with no | | | | was solved. |