Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!

[Alex Denysenko]

Every Mopar 273 Power Pack A body car I owned and I had a bunch of those turds.
All were dogs in the real world, I don't care what road tests you read.
Those that were prepped for stock weren't much better as my Mustang ate them for breakfast in class during the 70's.
But by far the worst excuse for a performance car was the 1965 Coronet 426 street wedge I bought from work to flip in 1973.
Looked good, but what a dog even after a new clutch good tune up. High 14's.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Alex,
i'm glad you started it off with a 273.
They could run decent if you did things correct.
My 67' Cuda 273/235HP convertible automatic was an outright 'DOG'
at first.
Rebuilt the engine at my fathers shop,
* .040 Mopar 10.5-1 pistons
* Re-ground crankshaft .010 rods/.010 mains (Re-balanced)
* High-Volume oil pump
* Windage Tray
* Sealed Power double-roller timing chain
* Sealed Power solid lifter camshaft .425 lift / w/258* duration
* 3/angle valve job on the heads, w/340 exhaust valves (1.60)
* 340 (240 lb. valve springs)
* Heads milled (.012) Compression ratio (approx. 11.0-1)
* Edelbrock aluminum Dual-plane high rise intake
* Carter 500cfm AFB (re-jetted)
* Accel Dual-point distributor
* Accel Super Coil
* Belden Ignition Wires
* Flex-A-Lite 6-blade fan
* Holley High Pressure fuel pump
* Cragar Headers (1 1/2" primary / 3" collector / medium tube length)
* B & M Shift Improver Kit (A-904 transmission)
* B & M Shifter
* 3.23 Sure-Grip Posi
* Plus a host of other bolt-on items (ie; Tach, Slotted mags, Gabriel's)
At age 15 went down the track, thought I was flying. Went down the return road, got to the timing slip booth, and was expecting a time-slip with at least a 15.20 on it.
The guy in the booth hands me a time-slip with a 17.27 on it. I tell him
he's given me the wrong time slip. He' says 'Oh No', I saw you go down the track, and this slip is correct. And follows up with 'Your car is slow'.
I get back to the pits, and everyone says "why didn't you get on it'.
I reply,' if I pushed the gas-pedal down any harder, my foot would have
went through the floor-board'.
I wanted to run at least low 15.00's. Of course, I overhead someone say
'the only way that car could run in the low 15.00's, is if you pushed it off the top of a mountain'.
What did they say, 'You need gears, you need a better camshaft, you need a transmission and converter'.
Part I
PC
*

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Alex Denysenko

Every Mopar 273 Power Pack A body car I owned and I had a bunch of those turds.
All were dogs in the real world, I don't care what road tests you read.
Those that were prepped for stock weren't much better as my Mustang ate them for breakfast in class during the 70's.
But by far the worst excuse for a performance car was the 1965 Coronet 426 street wedge I bought from work to flip in 1973.
Looked good, but what a dog even after a new clutch good tune up. High 14's.

My 65 426 Plymouth was a dog to but a little better than yours. Mid to high 13's with gears, headers, and M/T 7 inch slicks. It was an automatic with a stock converter. I drove it to work so I couldnt get real crazy with stuff. . Just an over grown 383.

[KEN BUGAJ]

My 67 Corvette 327/250 4 speed
All Stock it was a DOG !

[Michael Kilduff]

I had two that would qualify as the worst performance cars I ever owned.
1981 corvette and a 1980 Indy Pace Car Trans Am.
At least the TA handled great and looked good. Not sure what that turbo was for, asthetics maybe?

[smracer2002]

70 Charger 318 2bbl/904/2.xx gears and 275/60/15 tires
in the back.

12.31 in the 1/8, low gear all the way out.

[Paul Ceasrine]

1970 Pontiac GTO.
400/350HP, 4-speed
With the 'Endura' color-coated bumper.
Hood-mounted tach (which didn't work)
3.23 open-end rear.
Could have plastered that car with;
'Here's a 15.90' car'
'Wide-Track'!!! The front-end suspension was the worst.
Car ate ball-joints and wore out front tires like crazy!
Had to rotate the tires every 2500 miles / every oil change.

[hemidup]

73 340 Dart Sport. Off the showroom ran a 15.50, then the work started.

[LittleBubba]

as mike said. certainly not in the performance category but my first car to go down the track was a 68' malibu with a 250 straight six and a glide went a best of 18.20's at etown (when it was about 40 degrees out at approx -1,500' lol)

[Steve Polhill]

Uhhhhhh A 1982 Ford Escort LOL. Hmm wait that might be the best and the worst.