800 HP Chevrolet Nova Drag Races 600 HP Toyota MR2, Someone Gets Gapped

I used to be a big Honda fan when I was still in Junior High, and most of my colleagues would only be interested in BMWs, so I would hear a lot of smack talk whenever the topic of cars would come up. But one of the most interesting rivalries is probably that between American muscle car owners and Japanese sports car owners. You get to hear a lot of phrases like: "There's no replacement for displacement", or other derogatory engine size references that we all know.

And while you can pretty much anticipate the outcome of a straight line race between two cars just by looking at their horsepower levels, I was still curious to see how things would go down for this challenge. Because it's not that common to see a K-swapped Toyota MR2 going up against a Chevrolet Nova that's fitted with a massive 9.8-liter V8 engine. Looking at the specs is bound to help you figure out which way this is going.

First up, it's Stuart and his MR2. There's no longer a Toyota unit under the bonnet, but at least he's still running a boosted setup. The car is capable of a claimed 750 horsepower figure, but for today's race, it's running with a safer setup of just under 600 horsepower. The main advantage of this Japanese sports car is its weight, as it comes in at just 2,601 lbs (1,180 kg), which is a lot lighter than its adversary.

Owen is the man driving the Chevy Nova, and his car is purposedly built to be fast at the drag strip, which is kind of a big deal if you consider all the implications. With such a big engine, his Nova is packing just under 800 horsepower, and its Transbrake Turbo400 transmission is also a big plus. It does have a downside though, as it weighs in at 3,968 lbs (1,800 kg), but let's not forget that all that power is being transferred to the tarmac via a set of drag slicks.

For the first test of the day, both cars are getting their 0 to 60 mph (96,56 km/h) times recorded. The MR2 is up first, and it requires 3,88 seconds to reach the target speed, which just goes to show it's not slow by any means. But if Stuart had any hopes of winning this challenge, they were shattered as soon as Owen launches his Nova, taking just 2,75 seconds to reach the same speed. For the next test, the MR2 does a quarter-mile (402 meters) run.

And it does that run in 12,28 seconds, which is somehow slower than I had expected. Due to the short track they're on, the Nova only goes for a 1/8 mile (201 meters) run, and it needs 6,92 seconds to complete that. Even after going off-throttle, the Chevrolet crosses the quarter-mile finish line with a time of 11,11 seconds, which once again leaves no hope for the MR2. But they do line-up for a 1/8 mile (201 meters) run, and the result of the first run is quite shocking.

It looks as if the small MR2 can keep up with the Nova to the finish line, but we later get a hint that the big muscle car was probably holding back, for lack of a more sensible explanation. But the last run of the day puts an end to the debate, as the Nova simply obliterates its Japanese opponent, by what seems to be a 10 car length gap. I guess the best thing to do now is to bring in a more serious opponent for the Nova, and see how that goes.