If you know a thing or two about cars, you are aware that old Honda Civics sometimes hide a jaw-dropping amount of power beneath the patina skin. That's even more obvious whenever one lines up at the start line against a punchy model for a quarter-mile drag race.
Speaking of straight-line battles, one such old hatchback was filmed taking a shot at the mighty Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. The Honda Civic in question is part of the fifth generation that saw the light of day between 1991 and 1995, coming to life at multiple factories worldwide, including in the United States and Canada.
It was originally available with straight-four firepower solely, with the engine lineup comprising multiple units that were hooked up to a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. Yet since a straight-four mill is no match to the supercharged V8 powering the aforementioned muscly sedan, this one likely hides a different motor under the hood. Either that or a four-banger that's been modified to the teeth.
We obviously don't know how much power it puts out, but it has to be well over 500 horses if it wants to take a swing at the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. After all, the four-door model boasts in excess of 700 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine and close to 800 horses when it comes to the Redeye model. As a result, it is a ten-second car down the quarter mile in ideal conditions with a perfect takeoff, sending shivers down the spines of real supercars.
The drag race in question appears to have been recorded at the Island Dragway in New Jersey, presumably not long ago, with the video making its way to most people's favorite streaming platform earlier in the week. The footage is only half a minute long and shows the head-to-head battle between the old Honda Civic and the newer Dodge Charger in the Hellcat configuration.
As you can assume, we won't ruin the outcome by revealing which of the two was declared the big winner at the end of the quarter-mile drag races. However, we will tell you that it was very close, with one car completing the run in 11.29 seconds and the other in 11.55 seconds. The former was clocked at 132 miles per hour (212 kph) at the end of the quarter mile, and the latter had an exit speed in excess of 123 mph (198 kph).
Can you spot the winner by looking at these times and knowing that the balance theoretically tilts in favor of the Dodge? Head on down and hit that play button to see if you were right, and drop a line afterward to tell us what you think of the outcome.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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