I enjoyed reading the Mar. '03 shootout article on the SuperNova. It shows how easily an 11-second ride can be built. It's great to see you actually track testing the combination. Other magazines cop out to the rear-wheel horsepower number, but you just can't simulate aero drag, traction, and all the other factors that affect e.t. Great job! I believe you gave the small-block every advantage possible and it still went slower. The small-block does have an advantage in packaging. It's a good motor for the street-rod crowd.David Mizellvia e-mail
You compared a red-headed big-block to a blonde small-block. They had different displacements with different torque curves and different weight distribution. Then you asked the question, do you prefer blondes or redheads? Put a 427 small-block and a 427 big-block in the Nova and ask the question, do you prefer a heavy redhead with big lungs or a lightweight blonde who screams?Lionel MumperEast Kingston, NH
When I saw the cover blurb on the "Big-Block vs. Small-Block" article, I thought the question I have been wondering about for years would finally be answered in a scientific and understandable manner. Now having read it, I am compelled to write to express my disappointment and frustration. What on Earth is the point of comparing a 427 to a 509? A 350 versus 427 would have been a closer match, and anyone who knows which end of a dipstick to read could accurately predict the outcome of that comparison!Stan DelagardelleWaterloo, IA
It's precisely because anyone could predict the outcome of a clichd 350 versus 454 or 427 small-block versus 427 big-block comparison that we chose to compare a big-inch small-block with a big-inch big-block, and we purposely maximized the weight difference between the two engines to sharpen the comparison. There is no "apples to apples" comparison that can be made between big-blocks and small-blocks, because big-blocks will always weigh more and have better-flowing heads. But our test showed that a stout small-block can still run with a torquey big-block.
I feel that removing the hood on the big-block setup on the SuperNova gave it an unfair advantage over the small-block. The big-block was breathing fresh, cool air while the small-block was breathing the hot air under the hood. I realize you didn't know you were going to take the hood off for the big-block until the small-block was out, but you should have used a nonfunctional cowl hood to make it more fair.Dennisvia e-mail
Actually, we didn't know we were going to take the hood off until we got to the track, and by then it was way too late to get a cowl hood in time to make our deadline.
Shootout I thought a rollbar was required to run 11.99 or faster at the strip. Apparently this is not the case as you have been running 11s with SuperNova without a rollbar. Are you exempt from the rules because you are Car Craft? Maybe tech inspection is just a joke and the rules don't really have to be followed.Jim McIntoshTroy, MIWhat's required at the strip is up to the track operator, and in our case, when we rent the track for testing with a car that runs faster than 12.0s, we're required to have an ambulance stationed on site during our testing session. Yes, the SuperNova should have a rollbar to run at an NHRA-sanctioned track, and it's on our to-do list. Until then, are you telling us you've never had a car that was in violation of some safety regulation?