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Ford Mustang GT Drags Opel Vectra B, Even the V8 Feels Outside of Its Element

I was born during the roaring 1980s, and by the time I was old enough to fall for anything, I quickly developed a big passion for aircraft, cars, and motorbikes. Boats, not so much, frankly.
Ford Mustang GT vs Opel Vectra B on Drag Car 4K 15 photos
Photo: Drag Car 4K / YouTube
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Anyway, I was a little over ten (or so) during the crazy 1990s, and my gold standard in terms of streamlined engine-powered stuff became the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a mid-size car from Opel, and the BMX, of course. Little did I know that having a crush on a carrier-capable supersonic, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft contradicted my fear of big boats.

Or the fact that BMX freestyle came at the expense of many bruises, cuts, and potentially broken bones. But let us stick to the automotive part of the story, as it suits our current purpose. So, my four-door mid-size crush was on the Opel Vectra, particularly the ‘Vectra B’ second generation from 1995 to 2002, because in my young mind, those aero exterior mirror covers had to be the absolute gold standard of streamlined car design!

Again, little did I know that a base Opel Vectra B had no more than a 1.6-liter inline-four mill in the engine bay! No worries, I was quickly and curiously reminded of all that – thanks to the latest feature (uploaded on January 30th) from the good folks over at the Drag Car 4K channel on YouTube, who are always eager to show us that traditional quarter-mile drag racing is also deeply beloved on the Old Continent.

Their latest brawl still comes from an event conducted last summer on an improvised dragstrip and opposes the meager, almost-vintage Opel Vectra B 1.6-liter with the mighty Ford Mustang GT of the fifth-gen S-197 II variety. Dressed up in the lovely Grabber Green (with black stripes) shade, the iconic pony car sure seemed like it had the upper hand, or wheel, or a trump card. Whatever we call it, the 1.6L X16XEL inline-four-powered European sedan clearly stood no chance against the massive 5.0-liter V8.

But, as always, it also needs a bit of passion and flair behind the wheel, not just across the mechanicals. So, a little bit of wheel slip later and no one really seemed to be in a quarter-mile dragstrip hurry, not even the cool-looking V8-powered muscle car. Hence the rather shameful result. Sure, it still won, but the 14.38s quarter mile against a twenty-second-something rival is nothing to write home about. Alas, it still made my day by reminding me of childhood memories!

Hopefully, once the 2024 Ford Mustang starts S650 seventh-generation sales and the spring thaw begins we can get back on domestic soil and check out the nation’s dragstrips welcoming the latest and potentially greatest pony car. After all, probably everyone has big expectations for Mustang vs. C8, Camaro, and Mopar brawls, right? Meanwhile, enjoy ‘a bit’ of Americana shenanigans in the second video embedded below.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

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.
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