MovieChat Forums > No Man's Land (1987) Discussion > How Could a IROC Z-28 Keep Up With a 911...

How Could a IROC Z-28 Keep Up With a 911 Porshe

posted 17 years ago by gsxrhawaii-1
19 replies | jump to latest

The film is bolstered by some spectacular car chase sequences that are plausible in a way that modern sequences rarely are. They all involve Porsche 911's and if there is ever any incredulity it comes from these sequences only. Could an Oldsmobile ever keep pace with a works Porsche? How could an Iroc Z ever hope to keep up...

Give me a break. The car has NOTHING to do with it, it's the nut behind the wheel. I'm a Sprint car racer, won 3 state championships and trust me I could run and hide from a Porshe in a IROC no problem. Possibly even in a Olds. This reviewer needs a reality check.... a Porshe 911 is a glorified Volkswagon...

"My GF is Bi-Sexual, Buy Her Something, she gets real Sexual"

[–] WilliamZoom 16 years ago

The fastest IROC camaros were mid 14 sec cars in the 1/4 and handle ok for what they were but any 5.0 mustang with a 5 speed would kill them. A regular 911 was around 200 hp and handle great, If its a 911 turbo they would kill a stock iroc or mustang in a straight line or any turn you can find. As for sprint car racing big deal keep making left turns. Sounds like another keyboard hero story to me. Im sure Dale Earnhardt jr is on here also. lol.... X

[–] volvoglt 16 years ago

Would you still outrun the Porsche if Michael Shumacher drove it? ;-)

[–] WilliamZoom 16 years ago

Im sure that goob could outrun it if jesus was driving...X

[–] Apollyon_Crash 15 years ago

First of all, the Camaro wasn't an IROC, it was a 1982-1984 Z/28.

And second, stock for stock, the 930 Turbo is a much faster car. However, Camaro fans can be quick to point out that the Camaro in the film is definitely NOT stock. Camaros have an advantage over Porsches when it comes to aftermarket support...not to mention, a higher displacement engine, which means a higher ceiling for available horsepower when modified.

Therefore, the fact that the Camaro kept up with the Porsche isn't really surprising, except to people who don't know anything about V8 performance.

[–] WilliamZoom 14 years ago

Well i hate to tell you that when this movie was made there was no aftermarket. Yes the smallblock chevy can be made to do alot but in the mid 80s Corvettes were not even the best GM had to offer thats why the Grandnationals were the fastest cars they built. How do you know that Camaro was modified??? Because it had different wheels on it? You think changing the wheels makes it faster LoL. X

[–] popcorn-butter 14 years ago

there certainly was an aftermarket! People have been modifying their cars for decades before this film too. Ever hear of Edelbrock, Hedman, Holly to name just a few out of scores that were around in the day.

[–] WilliamZoom 14 years ago

Yeah and all those companies including Holley ''correct spelling'' were not involved with newer vehicles at the time. I was in the scene during that time and remember it well. Edelbrock was making manifolds for flat heads and older hotrods but nothing that was being used on new cars. Holley builds carbs but those werent legal for a California road legal car and neither were hedman headers. Emissions equipment was still a new thing and making cars fast and still run clean was just starting. It wasnt until 87 buick Ttypes and grandnationals with sfi came out that gm had something to work with and 87 5.0 mustangs changed everything. Pick up a mid 80s hotrod or car craft magazine and youll see nothing but old cars and the only new cars features had ugly paint Kraco stereos and american racing wheels. X

[–] Apollyon_Crash 14 years ago

No aftermarket parts for the small block Chevy V8? No suspension kits for the 3rd generation F-body in the 1980s? Sir, if you were around in the 1980s, as you claim, I can only assume that the passage of time has clouded your judgement.

The Camaro had aftermarket wheels and a tougher-than-stock sounding exhaust note, meaning it's most likely meant to be a souped-up car in the film. Whether or not the actual car(s) used in the film were modified or not is irrelevant, since the chase wasn't real.

[–] WilliamZoom 14 years ago

LoL on the exhaust note LOL, You must be new to movie making because that sound is dubbed in while they edit the movie. 1984/85 depending when the movie was filmed was the 1st year that Camaros had fuel injection which was dubbed ''crossfire'' injection which was nothing more than 2 throttle bodies mounted diagnal on the intake.It sucked and no one ever made any power with it. It wasnt until Tuned port fuel injection came out where they did anything and eventually a company called accel invented something called the super ram intake for it other wise the only thing you could do is port and polish the factory intake and it still ran like crap. Only way one of those F body junkers could keep up with a porsche is with a ton of nitrous and it would never handle with the porsche no matter what was done to it back then. Now days anything is possible with enough money in hand but not then. It was just movie making and the domestic car chasing a foreign car for suspense value. Just so you know, those camaros 1/4 mile times were Mid 15s to low 16s depending on driver and where the car was tested. Those turbo Porsches ran mid to low 13s. Non turbos ran mid to high 14s.X

[–] Apollyon_Crash 14 years ago

"LoL on the exhaust note LOL, You must be new to movie making because that sound is dubbed in while they edit the movie."

Which has *what* exactly to do with my point? The car is meant to be souped up, hence they dub in a tough-sounding exhaust note. As I JUST SAID IN MY PREVIOUS POST, whether or not the Camaro USED in the movie was souped up IN REAL LIFE or not is irrelevant, since the car chase WASN'T REAL. Do you think they dubbed in a tough-sounding exhaust note and added aftermarket wheels to the Camaro so everyone would think it was stock?

"1984/85 depending when the movie was filmed was the 1st year that Camaros had fuel injection which was dubbed 'crossfire' injection"

Actually 1982 and early 1983 were the years the Crossfire injection was offered on the Camaro; it was rated at 165 hp and was replaced late in 1983 by the 190 hp carbureted L69 305.

"which was nothing more than 2 throttle bodies mounted diagnal on the intake.It sucked and no one ever made any power with it."

Irrelevant, considering how few Camaros were equipped with Crossfire injection. The vast majority of early third generation Z/28s carried the LG4 carbureted 305, which made 150 horsepower in stock trim. Quite a few more carried the L69. Since these were traditional carbureted small block V8s, they were very upgradeable from the start.

"Only way one of those F body junkers could keep up with a porsche is with a ton of nitrous and it would never handle with the porsche no matter what was done to it back then."

1. Hardly anyone ran nitrous on the street in the 1980s.

2. Upgraded compression, forced induction, freer-flowing heads, and even full engine swaps were more than possible in a Camaro in the 1980s.

3. The third gen Camaro was HUGE in IMSA racing from the model's introduction in 1982, and there were TONS of suspension kits available by 1987. A stock Porsche 930 wouldn't have been much of an issue for a properly built F-body, even then.

"Just so you know, those camaros 1/4 mile times were Mid 15s to low 16s depending on driver and where the car was tested. Those turbo Porsches ran mid to low 13s. Non turbos ran mid to high 14s.X"

I do know, considering I used to own a Camaro of that vintage. And once again, the bad guys' Camaro in the film was implied to not be stock.

[–] WilliamZoom 14 years ago

Imsa cars were full on race cars nothing more nothing less. Yeah they could have swapped to a big block or put a big ass blower on the car sticking out of the hood but it wouldnt have been emissions legal in the peoples republic of California. I dont know how many times ive heard movies edited where a person jumps into a chevy and its clearly a small block ford starting up and taking off. Its sound effects nothing more! Theres no question someone with a pile of money could make a Camaro run with a Porsche but back then it would have taken a alot more than was available for a STREET LEGAL car. As for people running nitrous on street cars in the 80s are you joking?? My father was running it during the late 70s and knows Mike Thermos the original owner of NOS personally.

[–] Apollyon_Crash 14 years ago

The Guldstrand Camaro of 1982 had bolt-on upgrades to its engine, and was a street-registered California car:

http://www.thirdgen.org/hotrod-shootout-camaro-july1982
http://www.thirdgen.org/hotrod-shootout-camaro-prep-july1982

The competition required the car to be limited at 185 hp on the chassis dyno...otherwise it could have gone for quite a bit more. Keep in mind, this is when the cars were FIRST introduced.

By way of comparison, with the introduction of TPI in 1985 (a more-than-possible swap in the timeframe of this movie), 14 seconds flat were possible with just basic bolt ons: http://www.thirdgen.org/slptpibuild-hpp-feb89

As for nitrous: Your father was an exception. Racers used it and a handful of street guys used it, but it wasn't a heavily marketed, fashionable street upgrade until the early 1990s or thereabouts.

[–] WilliamZoom 14 years ago

Ok so professional drivers running a Mustang and Camaro around a race track trying to sell parts doesnt raise a red flag with you? I guess you never heard of Herb Adams and Maier racing then? The Camaro had a non emissions legal carb on it and the heat risers blocked off and also the electronic controlled distributor was removed. ALL ARE NOT LEGAL ON A POLLUTION CONTROLLED VEHICLE.... Not to mention that it doesnt have catalytic converters on it.... In California that is a crime fitting a fireing squad. That is why it was a track only test. Its very easy to prep a set of tires for a skid pad test to up the lateral Gs and ive seen it done. Now you also have professional drivers running them but hey oh well. Now you mention the SLP firebird that was running 14.00 in the 1/4 in 1989! Well that was in 1989 not 87 when the movie was released and not in 86 or 85 when it was filmed. Those parts were literally being built by SLP in 89. Slp was a mopar oriented shop before this, its not like that stuff was available and more than likely Hotrod magazine was the 1st place that stuff was ever seen because of the way the writers talked about it. Like i said if you spend enough money you can make anything fast but a Turbo Porsche was still half a second faster in the 1/4. Having a Nitrous bottle mounted in your car is fashionable but knowing how to tune and use it isnt. BTW that is probably the slowest website ive seen in a long time... X

[–] SSteveL 13 years ago

Why must a car be depicted in a film as street legal?

People ignore the law in real life, too. I know of 4th-gen-Camaro (1993-02) owners who ran their cars on the street without cats and/or EGR.

P.S. I haven't seen the movie in question; I mention this in case the car is supposed to be street legal.

[–] WilliamZoom 12 years ago

Watch the movie.

X

[–] Randy-144 14 years ago

I saw that movie today on TV and what is way more improbable than a Camaro keeping pace with a Porsche 911 is a Lincoln Continental doing so. The Lincoln, weighing in at 4,500 – 5,300 lbs, was in front of the Camaro and kept pace with the Porsche on the streets until crashing into another car.

[–] reager21 10 years ago

I used to have an 82 930/911 turbo very similar to the car in the film. There was lots of turbo lag in those cars. I remember trying to pull a hole shot and got a half spin on the rear tires before it booged down. Great car if you can keep the turbo in boost. The 4 speed was also long in gears which didn't help. These cars were made to be rolling before you could use any performance. I would also like to point out the Euro cars had 300hp from the factory. Even back then it wouldn't take much for a few mods on a Camaro to keep pace on the street... The highway was another matter all together.

[–] ChrisCuda 8 years ago

You nailed it. My uncle was GM of a Porsche dealership back in the day. I remember him taking me for a spin in a 1976 930 turbo 4speed. Incredibly long gears and as you stated you had to get it up and going first. We hit the hwy and we were cruising at 80mph in 2nd gear!! A car built for top end cruising on the Autobahn rather than stop light to stop light racing. It would certainly out handle the Camaro to a certain extent. My dad had an '83 Z-28 automatic w/the crossfire FI. I thought it was pretty fast until I bought an '88 Mustang GT 5.0 5speed. The 5.0 absolutely re-ignited the muscle car wars.

[–] jason-brooks15 8 years ago

I think that the Porsche would out-handle the Z28 but i guess in the real world it depends on the driver...