Under the better late than never category . . .
As luck would have it, today's mail finally brought the June 1966 Road & Track issue with the road test of the Tempest with the hot "Sprint" version of this Pontiac OHC six engine. I had ordered the magazine a LONG time ago while researching that engine.
It appears to show that while the Sprint may have been hot compared to some of its contemporaries, it might be a bit challenged on today's roads.
Here are the key statistics from that road test:
Test weight of the vehicle: 3780
Axle ratio: 3.55
0 to 60 mph: 10.0 seconds (not a misprint. ten seconds)
Quarter mile: 17.2 seconds at 82 mph
Maybe good in 1966, but today the Honda Civics do that
One other VERY interesting fact, which I double and triple checked to make sure it was not a misprint: the engine rpm at 60 mph in top gear was 2760 - virtually identical to the rpm of an AD truck with its inline non-OHC six. Apaprently our forefathers weren't afraid to let an engine SPIN in the rpm range where it works best. This engine made peak power at 5200, and could spin to 7000 rpm or so.
Jim G
