Here’s a factory test of  the 1966 Chevrolet full-sized cars that features a drag race with Chevy’s leading competitors.

In this factory-to-dealer sales film for the 1966 Chevrolet full-sized line, the Caprice and Impala are tested head-to-head against the bow-tie brand’s leading competitors, namely the Ford LTD and Plymouth Fury. The instrumented demonstrations include interior sound level, fuel economy, and acceleration. Big surprise: In tests conducted by Chevrolet, the Chevys come out on top every time. We’re probably a little more cynical than the typical Chevrolet salesman of 1966, so we can’t help but wonder if maybe there wasn’t a thumb on the scales. Indpendent third-party tests might come up with different results, and for sure they would carry more weight.

That said, the acceleration tests seem credible. First, a ’66 Caprice with the new 396 cubic-inch, 325 hp V8 lines up against a Ford LTD with the trusty 390 CID V8, and the Chevy wins convincingly. Fair enough. The 390 had been around for a few years and here it was tuned  for comfort, not for speed.

For the grand finale, an Impala Super Sport coupe with the high-performance 427 Turbo Jet V8 lines up against an entire row of big-block Detroit sedans on a dry lake, where it steadily walks away. We can believe that. The Turbo Jet hipo V8, aka L72 package, boasted 11.0:1 compression, a sporty solid-lifter cam, and a big Holley four-barrrel, and  it was one of the hottest performance engines from the Motor City in the Sixties. In any event, it’s an entertaining exercise. Video below.