Sam, the host of the Sam CarLegion channel on YouTube, has prepared a drag-and-roll race skirmish with American and Japanese DNA in abundance. Also, he's making his bid to save the manuals, so both of these sports cars have six-speed 'row-your-own' stick shifters.
With the 2024 Ford Mustang finally available at dealerships, there's an increasing abundance of GTs and Dark Horses ready to do everything the heart desires. Of course, some of them have already started doing that pesky Mustang thing – which is crashing as soon as their owners forget about the pony car background and think their V8 muscle is authentic sports car material.
However, others do the sensible thing – they go for quarter-mile drag races and leave plenty of space between them and their opponents. We have seen quite a few prepped skirmishes between Mustang GTs and Dark Horses going up against representatives of Team GM or the Mopar side of things. But what if a Canadian decides to do the unthinkable and pit the bulky Mustang GT against a nimble Japanese sports car?
If you want to see that, look no further than Sam's latest feature from the usual windy location, which now benefits from a fresh coat of tarmac. It's no dragstrip, though, so nailing a good start from a dig still requires a lot of experience and wits from the driver behind the wheel. Plus, interestingly, Sam has pitted a yellow-like-mustard 2024 Ford Mustang GT with the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 and 480 horsepower against a 2023 Nissan Z with the equally iconic 3.0-liter VR30DDTT and just 400 horsepower.
The thing is simple, though – while the Ford Mustang GT is not as heavyweight as an SRT Hellcat from the Mopar side of the muscle car world, it's still a hulk compared to the light and elegant Nissan Z. On the other hand, Sam did enjoy a day out with the entire family in the Mustang GT because it has four real seats. Now, back to the race at hand, one final detail will make you shiver down your spine – both of these are equipped with six-speed manual transmissions.
First, after the traditional rev battle (easily won by the Mustang GT), let us check out a couple of rolls – from 50 kph/32 mph and another one from 70 kph (43 mph), which is something you can do in real life when on the highway, for example. And here comes the first batch of surprises – initially, Sam eats his classic 'there's no replacement for displacement' quote because he barely wins the first roll against the Z. Then, just a little later, his jaw drops when the little Japanese sports car beats the meaty American V8!
Wait, wait, the drama is not over yet - now we have a trio of digs. The first one spills absolute disaster for Sam's Ford Mustang GT because he spins the rear wheels a lot, nails a horrendous launch, and gets soundly beaten by the nimble Z. Second and third times are the charm, though, as his experience kicks in and doesn't botch the launches anymore, putting the Nissan in its rightful place behind the higher-powered Mustang GT. How's that for some fun surprises?
Now, hopefully, we will soon see him also bring the all-new 2024 Nissan Z Nismo for a lovely trio with the Toyota GR Supra and a Ford Mustang Dark Horse. That would indeed reveal a nice layer of drag and roll races, don't you think?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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