1996 American V-8 Muscle Cars

The words “factory special” have a significant meaning to hot rodders. Thirty years ago the term conjured images of acid-dipped sheetmetal, big-cube mills and semisecret test runs down Woodward Avenue. Yet in today’s world, where the V8/rear-wheel-drive layout is nearing extinction, the term “factory special” has been almost lost to the hot rodding world. Almost.

In 1996 there are three cars—two from GM, one from Ford—that, at least in ’90s terms, qualify as factory specials. They are limited-edition high-performance cars, each with power peaks in excess of 300 horsepower. All are available through factory-authorized dealerships. And while none of them is a purpose-built drag-race car like some of the specials of the past (can you say “Hemi Dart”?), they all borrow names from those thrilling days of yesteryear so you won’t miss the connection to their predecessors.

To fully examine the Chevrolet Camaro Z28 SS, the Ford Mustang Cobra SVT and the Pontiac Firebird WS6, we gathered the three cars together for a comprehensive test session on the streets of Detroit and at nearby Milan Dragway. We wouldn’t be satisfied with the “you test one here, we’ll test one there and compare them” stories that other magazines have produced, and we knew you wouldn’t either. No, we wanted same-day, same-driver, same-track results.

What came out of our flog-fest was interesting: While all three cars have spec sheets that look similar, each has a very distinct personality. Read on and find the factory special that suits you best.