1999 Comparison of Camaro SS, Trans Am, Mustang Cobra 

I'd still choose the 30th Anniversary T/A.

2020 and that Trans Am is still one sexy looking beast!

WS6s are so underrated. They could wipe the floor with a lot of other cars of the time. I would love to own a WS6. They can handle pretty well too

I a Ford guy and I had to own a WS6 because I just drool over them every time I see one.

i still drive my 2002 WS6 Trans AM....One of the best cars GM ever made !!!

Nothing beats the Trans Am with T Tops

I was one of those 16 year olds they talk about in the video.. lol And what did I do as soon as I could afford it? I bought one of those Trans Am's...

Trans Am all the way!! Should have tested hard tops, removes lots of weight and the TA came with better suspension.

ill probably get hated on for this. but the 99 cobra they had was before ford recalled ALL 1999 cobras. they changed manifold, exhaust ect. they were busted, dyno runs having of a 99 cobra closer to the 99 gt power, so they stopped sales and recalled sold units to increase performance

It's funny now that everyone wants a fourth gen firebird

WS.6 Trans Am all the way. God I love Trans Am. Such a beautiful, unique looking car. For me, it's Trans Am or nothing. I had a 1996 TA but sold it in 2010. I'm looking at buying a t-top 30th anniversary TA or a 2002 collector's edition TA, or a bright red 2002. Funny how the Camaro looks a lot like the Chrysler Sebring.

that SS convertible is sweet

As others pointed out, this may have been before Ford recalled all 1999 Cobras and boosted their horsepower to the advertised 320 hp. Went from 285 to 320 hp.

WS6, Period point blank!

Also for anybody who ask the WS6 2001 cost around 32k the anniversary cost 37k so the TA would have been in the same price range as the others.

It was always known that GM was underrating the Firebird and Camaro. 320hp "advertised" but on a chassis dyno they would lay down 295hp. Do the math and a lot of people think they were really putting out 350hp. The same as the Vette.

I'm a working dad living in the suburbs, my wife is a soccer mom. I prefer the look of the Trans Am. This video is just 3 guys' opinion.

I'm more of a fan of the Trans Am, but I love the looks of both of the F-bodies. The paint job on the Trans Am in this test is commemorative of the 1969 release of the Trans Am. Although back then you could get the Trans Am with the White/Blue stripe or Blue/White stripe paint.

Don't understand how the TA could have been last? I guess because its a convertible and not a T-top??? As someone mentioned in the comments, my TA is a 2000 and even to this very day ALOT OF PEOPLE give me very good comments about my car. Also, its very true that I do get a lot of comments from HOT GIRLS!!

Thank you for you comments. Of course, the 4-valve design is inherently superior because of flow efficiency. On the other hand, GM has optimized the 2 valve configuration. Other Facts: 1. Corvette offered the LT5 4 valve engine [Lotus designed] from 1990 to 1995. Production of about 7,000 units. 2. Nurburgring Records have been held by ZR1 [7:19] and Z06 [7:22] at various times. Both are 2 valve designs. 3. Even with 662 hp, the Shelby still can not equal speed of Z06 & ZR1.

99 was a good year for me! The import and domestic scene were in full effect. I was only a kid but I seen it all

In high school i had this issue featuring these cars on its cover. Awesome! I didn't think C/D videotaped this.

The class action law suit was for the 99 Cobra. Ford claimed it made 320, but it only produced about 305.

I'd still take the trans am over the mustang even tho I like that year mustang

man this feels old school already.

I take the Firebird anyday, It looks like the 96 3000GT spider

...and if anybody read the C and D magazine, the Cobra WAS, in fact, one of the vehicles with the unfinished intake manifold casting. Part of around a few thousand other Cobras that year that had the same issue.

the firebird is the best car here by far

i agree. although there was an $8k price difference, the base c5 was well worth the extra money. if you ask me, and i think a lot of people will agree, (with the exception of most ford fan boys, but they don't count anyway) vettes have been and will always be held in a higher regard than mustangs. they're not even in the same class. it's more well respected, i personally believe it looks better and is better quality, and i believe they were able to out perform the terminators on the track.

These old videos are awesome haha. These 4th gen Camaros are awesome. More than respectably fast, handle great and return unbelievably good fuel efficiency. Love that car

Mustangs are almost over populated, you see them everywhere, don't be afraid to jump away from the crowd. Style wise 1. T/A 2. Mustang 3. Camaro. But you have to look at performance too.

Man, weird to see Don Schroeder. RIP. Awesome driver and journalist.

I read this issue in my freshman year of high school. T/A only lost because it was expensive, tacky and didn't handle as well on the track.

I believe there was a recall on this mustang in particular because it was making the power advertised. I forgot what was wrong

The Cobra retreated but his comeback in 2003 was the termination of all discussions

This must have been before the cobra recall

I have literally had all these cars... But I still have my TransAm all blacked out too... There is no way the TransAm got number three it was one of the hottest cars back then I remember, they were just really expensive$34,000 in 1999 is almost $50,000 in today's standard... You know Chevy and Ford paid for this commercial no doubt

The TA is best in my opinion and is also more rare than the other 2. I see camaros and mustangs everyday, but its rare that I see a TA or firebird. Thats why I love my formula, people don't see them often. Only downside is people always calling it a camaro lol.

They did, and the Camaro still beat the Cobra. They reran this test a couple of more times through 2002. I remember reading the test of the SS and WS6 versus the Cobra from 2001 in which the Camaro was the fastest, Trans Am second, and Cobra was far behind. The '93 and the '03/'04 Cobras are the only impressive ones. A friend of mine thought his '94 was badass until I ran neck and neck with my '98 Firebird V6/A4. And I did manage to beat another '94 with the same Firebird.

i love how they get the anniversary edition trans am and then penalize it for the price. although even in regular form it would still be slightly more expensive than the ss. also i'm pretty sure the suspension is identical on both f-bodys.

camaro. ss. 💪💪👍👍👌👌😍😍

youre right it was IRS in 1999. I remember once car and driver said the Mach1 was IRS when it was not.

99 cobras were recalled for not making the factory claimed 320hp! Its very possible the engine was down 40-50hp from that!

MAn this was must see tv back in the day! hot rod, C and D, and Trucks!!!

They said the Camaro had better styling/and looked as if it were going 100mph standing still..really are they blind, I'd miss the Camaro going by it's so plain looking, the TA always has looked better in all years ..it just looks badass.

Where was Dodge when GM and Ford had these bad-ass cars!!!

Not exactly. My 02 GT has the intercooled terminator S/C. The motors themselves are good to about 400 HP, give or take. I've had it for a long time. Well over 10k miles. Last time I checked (I work in a garage too) my motor is absolutely fine. It's just how you run it, and how often.

somebody at my work had the car and driver book of this episode

Ws6 by far

"softer suspension settings" in the T/A ... BS. I owned a 99 WS6 and SS, and the WS6 was easily stiffer off the factory floor. However, they were right in indicating it garnished more attention.

They must have tested a Cobra that didn't have "the fix". For those who don't know, when Ford came out with the new 99 Cobra. There were complaints that the new Cobras weren't making the advertised hp (320 at the crank). Dyno testing showed that the cars were barely making 300 hp. After Ford was threaten with a class action lawsuit they came out with "the fix". The fix consisted of a new intake, new catback muffler system and a computer flash. This bought the car up to it's advertised hp rating. This is why there were no 2000 Cobras build.

Which one of these engines can handle more power, also boost friendly

I had both 02 Firebird WS6 and 01 Camaro SS. The Firebird was superior in almost every way. The quality was truly better, especially the interior. It’s like Chevy put in zero effort and Pontiac went as far as to add round AC vents, much better looking HVAC control display, red interior lighting vs the SS’s piss yellow, nicer seats, higher quality materials and leather, much nicer gauges, even the shift display looked nicer. The styling was better IMO too but mine didn’t have those stripes, which is what puts the car on this episode over the top. They look way better without decals all over the place.

Still shake my head at this. Chevy definitely had these guys in their pockets. We all know that the T/A was fudging the horsepower truth by dittoing the Chevy ratings. I've had variations of all three of these and, convertible handicap aside, the '98-'02 Trans Am WS6 crushes its Chevy sister and every Mustang up to that point. MotorWeek got it right over Car & Driver. Oh yeah, another dirty secret was that the electronically controlled automatic was 0.5 sec. faster both 0-60 and 1/4 mile. Pontiac wasn't kidding when they said "We Build Excitement". Even Fieros with a 3800 Series crushes all Corvettes. You can see why GM killed the third highest selling automotive brand in 2010

True, i didnt know how much hp the term had lol, well thats pretty damn impressive for a 4.6 props to that 'Stang

GM did experiment with supercharged Gen 3 engines that used the standard bottom end. They just didn't implement them because of the cost. Even the LSA in the ZL1 and CTS-V only has a forged crank, not rods or pistons. An LS1 will handle a blower no problem as long as you set it up properly. The hardest part of a blower on an F-body is clearance.

I seem to recall a class action suit as well. Can't recall what ever came of it, however

I've seen stock LS1's running on 7-8 psi with no problems. The stock bottom ends have been proven to more than 600 hp in turbo applications. A friend of mine had an LS1 GTO with a modified STS turbo kit, and nothing more than a cam, valve springs, new injectors, and tuning. The car made 600+ rwhp on pump gas for more than 4 years of extremely hard use, until he finally demodded and sold the car.

I still have that magazine.

I had the magazine to these segment

Wasn’t there a recall on the 1999 cobra because the GT actually made more power?

Most people forget that the 99 Cobra HP wasn't 320, Ford recalled it due to it not even coming close to those numbers. I like the LS1 platform better, but the New Edge body looks better then the F body.

The Trans Am is far better looking than either of the other two

Even the recalled Cobra's were dyno'd and made 260rwhp. Now seeing a stock 99 GT only makes 260hp @ the crank, i find it highly unlikely GT's were beating Cobra's unless they were modified. The only complaints were people who owned 96-98 Cobra's and couldn't tell the difference in hp. After the recall the Cobra made 272rwhp and 320 @ the crank.

I wonder how much money did Chevrolet gave to these people to say that the Camaro is the best over all car!!

The HP rating of LS1s was false. Most made 315RWHP stock Putting them at the 350HP corvette mark.

Just sold my 01 SS for a 14 Mustang GT w/trac pack. Miss the 01 but this new Stang is worlds better. Long live both the Camaro and Mustang. Oh yeah, owned a 95 Trans Am too :)

Hey man procharger makes a 8 psi kit for lt1 whit twin coolers to run reliable 450hp to 460hp on stock bottom end.

I read that after an investigation, they found the engine was producing the advertised power on engine stand. But in car, the tail pipe, as it crossed over rear end, constricted exhaust flow enough to decrease power. Whether that was really the cause, I don't know. I have magazines from that time. I will check soon.

I own a 30th anniversary TA and there is no comparison with the camaro or the mustang on this year!!! I'm a mustang lover and I own a 1973 Mach 1. You can park this cars side by side and the TA will always stand out of the crowd!!

The more 'primitive" axle is typically better for acceleration. it's stronger and there's less wheel hop.this is why so many serious drag racers use a solid axle.

There are plenty of supercharger kits available for Gen 3 V8's, including the LS1. The LS6 has a little too high of compression for a blowe, but it's been done before. And what part of the LS1 will blow out with boost? Even the LSA can make in excess of 600 bhp, and the only difference between an LSA bottom end and LS1 bottom end is a forged steel crank. same type of rods and pistons as the LS1.

I just like talking to people who know ther stuff! which is your favorite srt. charger srt8, cheroke str8,300c srt8 ,ram srt10,viper srt10,crossfire srt6,magnum srt8,or neon srt4

TRANS AM is #1 !!!!

Sorry haters, LS engines are light weight, make good power even with small mods, easy to work on, reliable, plenty of aftermarket parts, get good MPG etc...

ford had a statement said the 99 cobras weren't producing what there was supposed to that's why they didn't make them in 2000 and went back make them in 2001

The thing I find amusing is that most people don't realize that the Cobra was produced as competition for the Corvette, not the F-bodies.

A $50 mod to the RamAir will make it even faster. Sure it’s not as good as the SS on the track but it’s more than competitive on the street

You're forgetting the valvetrain geometry. 32 valves 4 cams vs 16 valves and 1 cam. They both get the job done in completely different ways. The dohc is taller and typically the same weight or heavier than the smaller compact pushrod plant. I personally love the brawny torque curve from the extra cubes underneath. I'd be disappointed to see GM abandon the pushrod powerplant because they've done more with it than anyone on the face of the planet.

Ah yeah the good ol days. I had a 98' WS6 sebring silver t56 car. They weren't perfect but for the money the bang for your buck was there.

Trans Am is #1 I own 4 today.. 2 lt1 and 2 ls1 along with a ls1 Camaro lol... I love my f bodies haha

The Camaro SS was an SLP upgraded car, which is why in handles better than the WS6 Trans Am. The Firehawks are the Equivalent of the Chevy SS, I believe the hood scoops are a little more functional in the Pontiacs the way the intakes are set up.

They shouldve gotten one without the limited edition graphics and wheels. That would bring the price closer. I love f-bodys. Camaros and trans ams. I own a 97z28 but i personally think the trans am is a more attractive car.

@insatiableTy i didnt lie. i got the E/T slip right here. and no my car wasnt stock i was running a 75 shot of nitrous. funny thing is, the WS6 was running 100+ of nitrous. i dont have a video because i raced him almost 2 years ago in Kentucky at a Mustang Show in Somerset, KY. i yanked him out of the line and pulled him across the lights. sold the car shortly after to build a caged car to run low 5's in an 1/8th with a 347 stroker SBF.

the GT was said to out run the Cobra, owners were pissed...there supposedly was a small recall for the intake & exhaust to uncap the horsepower but it was still slow until the Terminator rolled in ‘03, by that the f-bodies had went on a hiatus. the Terminators would annihilate anything f-body stock.

just happened to notice I said L76 instead of lq4. The l76 replaced them and has aluminum block... just to clarify.

The Complete History of the Battle between Chevy And Ford muscle cars 1968-2015 www.caranddriver.com/features/g15383592/lookin-for-a-fight-the-complete-history-of-our-camaro-vs-mustang-comparison-tests/ -------- 1999 Camaro Z28 vs. Ford Mustang GT No. 12 in a Long Series: It doesn't get much more all-American than this. TONY SWAN FEB 1, 1999 Pony-car fans have more to be excited about today than they’ve had in 40 years-not only are both the Mustang GT and Camaro SS above the 400-hp threshold, but there’s even a horsepower war raging between the V-6 editions. Next week, we’ll post comparison tests between both the current eights and the sixes, but for now, enjoy this series of past encounters between two of Detroit’s most storied cars. The challenge in forming a rational opinion of the Z28 lies in seeing past its prodigious power. For the uninitiated, this will probably require a minimum of two hours behind the wheel-or perhaps two years, who knows?-before some of the not-so-endearing elements become tan­gible through the red haze of small-block V-8 thrust. Small is a relative word here, of course. The Z28’s 5.7-liter LS1 V-8- a slightly detuned version of the Corvette’s engine -is small compared with GM’s old big-blocks, but its displacement is vast compared with that of most passenger-car engines offered today. Only the lame-duck Rolls/Bentley V-8, the Dodge Viper’s V­-10, and V-12s from Lambo and Mercedes are bigger. With or without overhead cams, it’s easier to get performance-particularly torque -out of bigger engines than smaller ones, which helps to explain the Z28’s decided edge over the Mustang in this essential pony-car commodity. The torque curve is like the Mississippi River-broad, deep, and flat -and augmenting it with six forward gears, rather than five, doesn’t hurt, either. Once the Z28 begins to assert itself, it’s all over. By the time 100 mph comes up-in just 12.6 seconds-the Mustang is 2.3 seconds in arrears, and con­tinues to fall farther behind as speeds soar. www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a15140859/1999-chevrolet-camaro-z28-vs-ford-mustang-gt-archived-comparison/

Sir, you can look "Sophisticated" while I'm passing you on the free way in my Camaro.

I had a 2000 WS6 and my 1999 SS spanked every ta around town, vettes too. Cobras, had two 1998s, 2nd one was pretty quick but the 99-02 cobras were junk.

Trans Am is the best looking, especially when it's all blacked out.

Let me rephrase that. They base all their performance lines engine options on what they are using in the vette. Which is coinciding with what they are building for their trucks. The LQ9's of yesteryear and the L76 are similar architecture to the LSx series, but with iron blocks and intake/camshafts designed more for lowend. The LSx engines will only be found first and foremost in the corvette, then filters out to the rest of the product line from there.

The Trans Am was an awesome car all around. It looked way better than the Camaro.

They should have used the TA and camaro with t-tops. Convertibles are hideous on any car.

It’s weird though I love my Camaros but everyone I know including me agrees that the late 90s trans am and especially the ws6 is one of the sexiest cars ever made behind Chevelle and late 60s model firebirds

That's gonna be my first car

They have went DOHC. look at the northstars and the LT5 zr1 vette in the early 90's. They base all their engine options on what they put in the vette and the vette uses a pushrod plant to help maintain its balance it has. If it had a tall ohc it'd need to be a MR setup which would require a complete redesign of the Y body chassis. The advantage of building on a pushrod plant is the ability to stuff more cubes without sacrificing weight and engine height. Which offsets the better VE from the OHC

your both right, but they offered a fix, and now i know mine beats a 99 gt with full exhaust and 3.73 gears

im quite aware, im refering to displacement

Love the 90s

T-Tops FTW!!!