Which Of These Cars Screams You?

A cautionary tale of two cars.

The contenders are:

On the left is a 1956 356A Porsche.

On the right is a 1967 Chevrolet El Camino.

The owner of the Porsche had the car freshly repainted before returning from Vietnam. The Porsche was stored in Los Angeles, CA. It looked and ran so well with a special exhaust system. It had less than 30,000 miles on it.

The Porsche and its owner were traveling back to Tacoma, WA, where he was stationed at McChord AFB. Just before going to Vietnam, he had purchased the car for fun. His collection already included a 66 Burgandy E-Type Jaguar convertible,

As he returned to Washington, he encountered a later model, Porsche (1960 356 C model). Well, you know boys and their toys, their side-by-side drive led to faster speeds. The speed limit was fifty-five (double nickels); they initially stayed close to the limit. Then with the nod of each driver, the speed gradually claimed to sixty, seventy, working hard for eighty.

The cars were nearing Teton Pass, the highest part of the road known as the Grapevine. The elevation was 4,400 ft, the road was clear, and just as they reached the sign declaring the height, the 1956 Porsche hit 98 mph, and the other Porsche quickly passed.

At 98 mph, the car was near its 108 mph limit on a flat road. The small Porsche engine that was 74 hp, and naturally aspirated, 1.6 Liter 8v Flat 4; threw a piston…