Do you what's better than seeing restored muscle cars paraded at classic car shows? Seeing them race against each other for quarter-mile glory. Yup, you guessed it, it's time for yet another duel of the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR) variety.
This time around, it's between one of the greatest Ford Mustangs built in the muscle car era and a not-so-spectacular Chevrolet Corvette from the Malaise era. The former is a Boss 302, a high-performance Mustang that Ford introduced in 1969 to homologate an engine for the SCCA Trans-Am racing series.
Launched alongside the most powerful Boss 429, the Boss 302 came with a 302-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) Hi-Po V8 rated at 290 horsepower. In addition to that, it also featured a unique front spoiler and rear deck wing, louvered rear window, and unique reflective stripes.
Since Ford built thousands of them, the 1970 Boss 302 isn't exactly rare, but it's a desirable muscle car that changes hands for six-figure sums at public auctions. And they rarely pop up at the drag strip.
In the other lane, we have a C3-generation Chevrolet Corvette of the 25th Anniversary variety. Introduced in 1978, it looks the part in a two-tone color scheme with red accent stripes, but it's far from impressive in the drivetrain department.
That's because Chevrolet had removed all big-block V8s from the Corvette lineup by the late 1970s, leaving only a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) small-block to motivate its halo offering. The base V8 was good for 185 horsepower in 1978, but the 'Vette you see here comes with the slightly beefed-up unit good for 220 net horses.
On paper, it looks like the Mustang has more oomph to throw around, but Ford used gross horsepower ratings in 1970. There's no accurate way to do a conversion, but 290 gross horsepower should be about 230 net horses. This means that the Corvette is pretty much as powerful as the Boss 302.
But factory output figures aren't all that important here because both cars compete in a series that allows quite a few modifications under the hood. So while the vehicles may look stock, they could pack way more oomph. I don't have any numbers to run by, but many PSMCDR competitors hit the track with at least 500 horsepower.
It might not be the case here based on quarter-mile sprints, but the Corvette is notably quicker than the Mustang. The Chevy wins the first race with a 15.15-second pass, more than 0.2 clicks faster. It then covers the distance in 15.23 seconds, almost a full second quicker than the Boss 302. See the drama unfold in the video below. This footage was shot at the 29th Annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in September 2023.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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