1968 Dodge Coronet R/T Drags ‘Modern’ Honda Civic Coupe, Teaches a Quick Lesson

Fans of quarter-mile dragstrip action are pretty used to the tropes of ‘Old vs new’ or ‘America vs Import’ by now. But how about something that is not among the usual suspects from the Big Detroit Three, no matter the age of the model? Also, how about a feisty JDM-style tuned vehicle getting proper quarter-mile schooling from something ‘older than life’?

Well, no worries, all will be served on a dark silver platter during this new video embedded below (and uploaded on December 3rd). The protagonist of this short Orlando Speed World Dragway excerpt is something you “don’t see at the dragstrip every day,” as per user comments: a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T. According to the description, the author thinks this fifth-gen Coronet is a boosted affair, but no one can be sure.

Also, just in case anyone asks why the Coronet is a rare sight at the dragstrip, let us remember this chameleonic nameplate was not always intended as a muscle car and instead was born in 1949 as a full-size car with lots of body styles. Over the years, it evolved from top to bottom of the line, and indeed also made a name for itself across the muscle car establishment with versions like the Super Bee and iconic V8 engines.

Back to the ‘modern’ encounter, the antagonist is a modified, spirited Honda Civic Coupe (an MK5, as far as I can tell, feel free to correct me if my eyes were mistaken) that to JDM fans might have seemed like the favorite in this kind of ‘Old vs New’ brawl. Alas, everyone was in for a cool surprise, as the stunning-green Coronet R/T pulled a 10.28s pass against its opponent’s 11.25s ET. As always, this is another great example of why we should be expecting the unexpected…