1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Drag Races 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Instantly Regrets It

Rated at 425 horsepower and 490 pound-feet (664 Nm) of torque, the Hemi 'Cuda was a top contender at the drag strip. But it also had plenty of rivals to give it a good run for its money. The Chevrolet Chevelle was one of them. Available with the 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) L72 good for 425 horsepower and the 454-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) LS6 rated at 450 horses, the Chevelle was no slouch.

But the Chevy you'll see take on the Hemi 'Cuda in the video below isn't one of those cars. This 1969 Chevelle is of the SS396 variety, meaning it packs a 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) big-block V8 that cranks out 375 horsepower and 415-pound-feet (563 Nm) of twist. On paper, it shouldn't stand a chance against the Hemi-powered Mopar.

But these muscle cars are no longer completely stock. Don't let the factory look fool you; these cars compete in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series, which allows a long list of drivetrain modifications.

As a result, they're notably more powerful than their stock counterparts and usually run the quarter-mile at least two seconds quicker than they did back in the day. I don't know how powerful these cars are in their current setups, but this drag race shows that the Chevelle is now at least as potent as the Hemi 'Cuda. The duel is actually very close, but the Chevy comes up on top at the end of a three-race battle.

The Chevelle pulls a somewhat surprising win during the first race, crossing the finish line in 11.76 seconds, less than a tenth-second quicker than the Plymouth. The second race sees the Barracuda pull the quicker sprint, while the Chevelle got the red light for leaving too soon from the starting line.

The third race sees the Hemi 'Cuda hit the red light, but the Chevelle still manages to win by scoring its quickest ET in this duel at 11.67 seconds. The Plymouth runs the distance in 11.73 clicks. Needless to say, whoever tuned this Chevelle did a mighty fine job.

Oh, and you should also know that the Chevy you see here is one of only 67 cars fitted with the L89 V8 and automatic transmission in 1969. The Hemi 'Cuda is pretty rare, too, as Plymouth sold only 652 hardtops in this configuration in 1970.

This footage was recorded at the 27th Annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race event in 2021, but it made it on the Interwebz just now. So hit the play button below and enjoy the V8 drama.