Modern cars may be significantly quicker than their classic counterparts at the drag strip, but nothing beats a pair of old muscle cars fighting for V8 glory on the ole quarter-mile. Especially if the cars in question are a 1970 Pontiac GTO and a 1969 Dodge Super Bee.
Coming straight from the golden muscle car era, these beefed-up coupes have it all. Big V8s under the hood, stunning looks, and collectible status.
In the first lane, we have a 1970 Pontiac GTO "The Judge," powered by a massive, 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) Ram Air IV V8 rated at a solid 370 horsepower and 445 pound-feet (603 Nm) of torque. This Poncho uses an old-school, four-speed manual with a pistol grip shifter to lay all that oomph to the ground and it's as green as they get.
Just check out that metallic green exterior with yellow accents and the matching upholstery inside the cabin. It doesn't get better than this! If you're nuts for green, that is.
The second lane sees a 1969 Dodge Super Bee pull in for burnouts and a quarter-mile run. But it's not just any Super Bee. This buzzer sports an A12 package, which includes a heavy-duty radiator, fiberglass lift-off hood, and steel wheels wrapped in redline tires.
Power? Well, the Super Bee hides an even bigger engine between the front wheels. We're talking about a 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 good for a whopping 390 horsepower and 490 pound-feet (664 Nm) of twist. But while the GTO flaunts a manual gearbox, the Super Bee packs a three-speed Torqueflight automatic.
Before you hit play, you should also know that both cars are quite rare in this configuration. Pontiac assembled only 627 GTOs with the Ram Air IV and manual transmission in 1970, while Dodge built only 661 Super Bees with the automatic in 1969. So it's safe to say that this is a rather rare encounter at the drag strip.
Unsurprisingly, the Super Bee takes the win against the GTO. Thanks to a more powerful V8 and a 200-pound weight advantage, the Mopar crosses the finish line after 11.96 seconds, with a trap speed of 115.5 mph (185.8 kph). The GTO is far from slow, but it has to settle for a 12.11-second ET at 114.6 mph (184.4 kph). Quite impressive given the slow start.
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
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News