I miss the days back in the early 90s when I would go to the book store and read all the car magazines. I didn't have a computer and couldn't afford to buy all the magazines. Good times!

Fire Bird doing 190 in 1995 on a LT1. Insane

"The harder you run it, the better it'll be", easily my favorite Lingenfelter quote. I have this on VHS but I'm so happy to see it on KZfaq. I remember behind the scenes Vortech was bitching about Lingenfelter running without cats and John said, "Well, we can always put a blower on it and see how fast it'll go." 😆

Those S351's are still beasts today, very cool car.

I'm amazed that with only 400hp the camaro hit pretty much 180mph. Impressive even for now.

Gotta love those Pontiac Trans Ams! I had many of them the last 45 years & never lost to a crowd surfing rustang

I have a 85 Corvette with a Lingenfelter 383 tuned port injected motor. Ran 11.60 at 118mph in a 1500 DA a few weeks ago. Motor was put in 29 years ago. Still runs great!

This is the track where the 1990 ZR-1 set its records. I just happen to have #2822 in my driveway. Cool cars , Cool video , great way to spend a rainy day.👍👍🏁🏁

I "put" my $ on the modded ZR1 to be fastest then the Hen.Viper 2nd but the firebird blew me away! That was really cool to watch

Shoot I miss the 90s so much.

Man! That lingenfelter was no joke! 192! Holy shit! He was an amazing engine builder! Shame he’s left us! That car, NA, beat out boosted cars in top speed! Unbelievable! That’s my style! When you’re NA and beating boosted cars you’re really doing something!

Rest in Peace John Lingenfelter. All our heroes are gone.

I miss these types of videos. Now it's all hype and overexagerations mixed in with sponserships for something completely unrelated. Thank you for sharing this with us!

Man.... I still have stacks and stacks of old R&T mags in the garage.. crazy nostalgia of playing R&T Need For Speed on an original DOS computer floppy or 3DO... Wow, i just shot back 30 years.. Never a day in my life i can remember where i wasn't obsessed with cars and motorsport ...

Phil Hill is a legend! Very cool to se him driving some of my favorite cars!

Even today, the C4 is impressive. So many people loved to hate on then. I have an older customer that had a C6. He found a red C4 and dumped the C6. I've seen it a few times. He absolutely loves it. And I absolutely fell in love with it too. Maybe I can convince him to give me first refusal if he decides to get something else. 😍😂

I have seen this before, but I love it anyway, one of the few tests done where the comments were at least reasonably accurate. Watching a lot of this type of thing when it was new in the 90's, many of the publications had immense bias towards a couple brands and would make any excuse they thought people would swallow to put things in their "rankings". I will say, the comments they make in the video about the "tweaks" Saleen did are laughably understated. Saleen bought V6 base model coupes, pulled the entire drivetrain out, removed the entire suspension, beefed the chassis, put his own racecraft suspension in, and then dropped a 5.8W supercharged engine in(Ford never had the balls to use a 351w) with custom heads and Saleen designed intake. It took the "everyday sporty coupe" Ford had designed and turned it into a real sports car. keep in mind too, of all of these, only Ford had the idea that their car should be operated in midwestern winters, snow and all. Block heaters, rear window defrost..... look at the cars as the camera pnas by and look at the clearance underneath them lol. Mustang looks like an SUV. I am not hating, I own a 94GT(sold to my boy now) and I love the car, but it almost doesn't belong in this lineup. Oh, and in my area you could buy a year end model closeout Mustang for about $14k. A Camaro, or especially a Firebird? Dealers played the supply/demand game and were charging people up to $35k for a loaded out trans-am. There's a reason Ford sold a quarter million Mustangs in '94. ZR1 is king of the hill. That thing is a marvel. Supercar for 1/3 the price tag. Put GM on the world's radar.

That was a fun blast from the past! Cool to see Phil Hill also.

Great video! The 90’s were just starting to pump out fast street cars. I had a vortech V3si equipped 98 C5. That was a very capable and dependable setup. Good power and and as the video stated very linear power. The V3 added 175 WHP at 9psi. Now days a 3200 lb 580 bhp car is just run of the mill in the world of fast street cars. We live in very good times.

The LT1 Firebird Formula will always be my favorite body style of 4th gen. Very sleek and simple design

There is no way in hell I would've ever taken my 97 WS6 to 192 mph lol. Holy christ man

No door mirrors on the Lingenfelter bird. Made it a ringer 😎

This was at the Firestone test track in Fort Stockton, TX. I remember buying the issue as a kid and seeing my hometown on the cover. Was really cool!

UNBELIEVABLE that I was able to find this. I used to have this on VHS

Aerodynamics is everything when it comes to speed! The natural breathing Lingenfelter Firebird blew everybody's doors! It wasn't horsepower it was aerodynamics!

Funny to think the first NFS game was Road & Track Presents: The Need For Speed. Different time for sure.

Just think In 2022 a viper can push 2000hp and even the LT1 can lay down 1000hp. Gotta love where the technology has come from.

Viper lover here. All of these cars are beautiful.

Awesome. I own a completely stock pampered low mile '94 Z28 and I absolutely love it!! Great old video.... I remember this on TV and in the magazine! Good times.

I was blown away by the Lingenfelter Firebird hitting over 190 being naturally aspirated. I was also disappointed in the Hennessey Viper only hitting 174. Regardless, this was a very enjoyable video

I grew up with all these cars and have built so many myself. I now have an Audi RS3 and when stock, I ran a 11.7 stock and 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. Tuned runs low 10’s and 0-60 in 3 seconds flat. Amazing for only a five cylinder and I daily drive in the winter. Technology is an amazing thing. I will always have these legendary muscle cars in my blood. It was my car life.

It's bittersweet seeing old John Lingenfelter again....🥲

Damn its been over 25yrs since ive seen this video way to make us feel old. Lol

I couldn't wait for Saturday so TNN would air Road and Track

I remember going to the video store and renting vhs tapes of shit like this back in the 80s and 90s. My wife would get a movie and I would get something like this about cars.

Thanks for uploading, fantastic film.

I always loved those OZ Montecarlo rims on that Camaro...

This old man is just spitting out wisdom. all the vipers sure aren't hurting him just setting him up lol 😅

That S351 still is a Beast!! I love that car, also the Viper!! Those things are still turning heads to this very day!! Good old Carroll Shelby,, rest In piece!!❤️❤️❤️

I'd take em all still till this day!!! Those are gems! Straight up unicorns

That stock ZR1 hitting 178...damn

I was there with Doug :). Great memory and a great time in American Performance.

Saleen 351 Mustang 🤗😎

RIP John Lingenfelter, I knew his car would be the fastest

Hey thanks for posting this, I have been looking for it for a long time. Phil Hill, was such a great man.

14:09 best part of video. the sound is to die for

The Doug Rippie modified ZR-1's / LT-5 engines didn't receive much publicity- I only heard about them over a decade later but he did some masterful work on this platform. I remember his 440 cu/in engine package putting a smile on my face when I saw the specs & watched a few videos of this rare & powerful performer-

I've never heard of A Rippie Corvette before. My '02 Camaro SS is fun enough for me. That 'Felter Firebird really made me smile.

When Road & Track was the best car magazine. I used to read them all the time. If it wasn't R&T, I had no interest in it. Always had some RT magazines in my backpack.

Having owned a 2002 Firehawk TA ( SLP) and a 98 SS Camaro I can say they were fast cars , particularly the Firehawk that needed a guy to show up at my house in NY dressed in black who did not give his name or a card ( refused actually) and made a deal with me . He would fix the issue I was fighting first with my dealer about and then calling GM who responded quickly by sending the no named man right to my door who said if I dont ask any more questions he would not onky fix the bog I was getting after going wide open cruising at aprox 70 mph . He explained that these Firehawks were over tuned initially and could not meet govt testing so an alternate ECU tune was put on them and the vast majority of drivers didnt notice . He said i will flash the REAL TUNE and not only will the timing pull or fuel or both that were problems for me personally would no longer exist but that I would be much happier all around. He asked that I kindly wait in my house while he did his thing in my driveway if I agreed to ask no more questions as well as that he was never at my house of which I did . He was there for a total of 30 minutes at best . Rang the bell , said you will now be very pleased with engine performance and got in his rental car to go to the airport and back to detroit . That car was a ripper and despite being heavier then my Moms C5 with a live rear axle after I got the real tune that flunked CARB testing and had the denatured denatured one used to allow cars to get to dealers with most owners not noticing the Firehawk as a stock car bought from a Pontiac dealer made C5 owners cry with the larger wheels and sticky summer onky Firestone Firehawk tires put on the SLP car compared to regular TA or the WS6 TAs . Nobody who ever road in that car back in the early 2000s believed that I bought the car from a dealer that way and didnt modify it . Both my F bodies despite the valid knocks on interior plastics , rear bumper panel gaps particular,y on the SS , lack of seats able to hold you great compared to the Gs created when cornering hard and some cheesey styling cues on all pontiacs of that period IMO were really enjoyable stock cars that as street cars handled and braked better then given credit for . Yes , if you lived in NY and hit a sweeper at 90-100 + mph with a bump during the turn the rear end would leave the ground with the live rear axel and land with a little chirp but if you just stayed in it it didnt actuall upset the car and added IMO to the thrill . Extremely easy to drive with right foot and great break away charecferistics to where i never swapped ends in either despite drifting turns before it was a popular sport and throttle modulation and input always broght the car back unlike my previous fox bodies that liked to swap ends at my skill level and one good stop from top speed at 130 whatever would mean redoing the brakes . 6 th gear on Hwy would return well into the 30s on the HWY . Those F Bodies ( Slp cars) fealt like a 60s muscle car and were not refined, crashy , a bit of cabin noise ( which NEVER bothered me) but they DID ACTUALLY turn and stop for what they were and the price and were easy to drive fast and pretty forgiving . If you enjoyed throttle over steer without snap if you had some experience they were fun street cars if you didnt ask more then they could give with repeated braking . You could hustle them pretty well if you trusted the flying rear and found it part of the experience . The Aero was excellent , the Ls1s despite daily workouts never fealt much different with 0 miles or 100k in my experience with maintenance and my clutch and trans worked fine for 100K of all kinds of parking lot high speed drifting , clutch kicks , burnouts and holeshots . They were fun . The Monsoon Stereo was at least loud and good for blasting hard rock / metal soundtrack to cover up noises and they were fun and good value for a factory hoon mobile . Nothing ever went bad with power windows or anything one might expect as I am told about GM cars of the time with miles , i didnt experience those issues . I REALLY NEVER cared about the fisher price interior as i was always driving these cars with no attention to anything but guages and road . The Lingenberry Firebird here was a car i wish i would have owned with the less goofy body style of the formula .

Thanks for posting this. Brings back memories of reading these magazines and getting lost in the stories they told about the car they wrote about. Good times

That was just amazing. God bless the 90's

I've been looking for this video for a few years. Thanks for the upload

Basically a stock Firebird stable at 192, amazing.

I had this tape. Been lookin for it for years. The formula and saleen were my favorites in this video 🤘🤘 I'm a Ford guy. But I'd love to own the lingenfelter personally. Saw it at the world of wheels here in Boston back in 1995. It's a nasty car 🤘🤘

Dude stayed unbiased to the very end

This is a wonderful video... had never seen it before!

this is great. thank you for the awesome upload.

Man I love these modern American Muscles 💪 Dodge Viper my dream car !!

Thanks for this 🍻

The viper being 3 mph slower than the Camaro and Mustang!😂😂😂

This is awesome thx for posting

The good ole days of comparison test with the heavy hitters of customizing.

Wow! I had this VHS and it got damaged in late 96 in my grandmother basement, which got flooded. Thanks for the upload.

Thanks, I will watch this one a million times. Always loved these tests. I think that test track is where Don Shroeder passed away in a RennTech SL7.4. I would also love to find Road and Track's 0-150-0 episode. Unfortunetly I cannot find the magazine.

Awesome! Never saw this! I still have this magazine article

😃👍 thanks the best test drive..

Hah. This is great. I actually still have this vhs video tucked away in my closet. Bought it brand new in 95.

That viper is so nostalgic

stock Z28 camaro 155... solid performer in my book. LT1 was one of the best in it's day.

I loved this era!

I was born in 95. This is just great !! They don’t make video the way they use to.

This truly brought a tear to my eye

Great video!

Great upload!

My buddy had an 86 Z51 'vette with the lingenfelter boxed intake 383. He also had a Viper with the 450 HP motor. Told me the 'vette was easily faster through the 1/4 mile than the Viper even after giving up 105 cubic inches.

I was looking for this. Just found it's way into my recommendations

Those are impressive numbers ever for todays standards!

Video was super sick👌🏿👍🏿👍🏿👊🏿🔥🔥🔥💯🇨🇦

This was a fun video to watch,some nice cars. I have a neighbor that has 2017 Dodge Viper he says has 650 hp. I can't quite wrap my head around why a car needs that much power and why he would pay that much money for a car he hardly ever drives. I've gotten a couple of rides in it over years and it is a mind blowing experience to say the least. 0 to 60 in 3 seconds he claims.

i used to skip lunch and buy road and track magazines once a month for 4 years in highschool lol. i love hearing these guys talk about cars

I remember clear as day when this article came out!

Always loved these shootouts.

I was 1 years old when this came out, and I already loved cars

These cars were boss back in the day.

Best video ever I use to have the VHS 📼😉

When he got in the mustang, everybody put on a helmet.

I owned a 96' Z28 so this was very interesting to watch.

The stock ZR1 was impressive

The production was so cheesy back then. 🤣 But I miss the 90s.

Almost 30 years later ... Amazing

Perfect video! I dig it and can relate to every single car here: Folks had a 01 yellow Mustang GT convertible I had a 383 stoker Firebird in my cars playlist Viper is my dream car and have old SuperSnake vid from TNN here, etc!

Damn... I had this tape on VHS!!

Golden age of modern muscle cars. Loved it! Thanks for posting.

That was awesome!

That unassuming white Camaro rocking along at 170, nice.

C4 ZR1 will always be King 🐐

Man that firebird threw me for a loop, 192 mph 😀

Can't believe I'm just now seeing this for the first time! I wasn't aware this was ever available on VHS. I remember this run, though, and I still have the magazine from when this came out. In one of the other tests, Lingenfelter's Bird did a little over 193 MPH.

Great video!😊🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦