We always love the original road tests from Car and Track and welcome the folksy baritone of host Bud Lindemann, but this one seemed to feel, well…forced. Car and Track initially gushes over the Camaro’s on-track performance while only seconds later toss in comments that undercut their original praise.

For example, Lindemann explains that the ’71 Camaro’s 350 produces “somewhere around 245 horsepower; this is ‘approximate’ because Chevrolet engineers say that there can be a 15 horsepower variation between two engines built in the same day.”

This is an astounding revelation in the way of GM’s level of quality control – or glaring lack there of – during these years. The news on the skid pad was just as dire.

Braking tests – even with the large disc brake option – brought the Camaro to a halt from 70 miles per hour in a shocking 196 feet, all the while fighting to keep the rear end from sliding around. Through the cones, the Camaro did its best, thanks in part to its Hugger Package which provided better springs and front and rear sway bars.

Despite the evidence stating otherwise, Car and Track held to its assessment that the Camaro was a step in the right direction. Lindemann ended his review by saying, [in regards to the trend in softer suspension] “I hope we don’t lose (cars like the Camaro) to a thing called ‘progress.'”