The landscape across the American pony and muscle car sector is feeling a bit deserted these days. Luckily, we can always entertain ourselves with some high-performance European sports car quarrels in the meantime.
Currently, the S650 seventh generation 2024 Ford Mustang alone keeps the banner alive due to the recent decommissioning of various rivals. More precisely, General Motors decided to end production of the sixth-generation Camaro in Convertible form in November 2023 and as a coupe in December – and there's no successor planned, at least for now.
Secondly, Stellantis also ordained Dodge to cease manufacturing – also in December – of the current Dodge Charger four-door muscle sedan and Dodge Challenger coupe. The Charger is coming back as the 2025 Charger Daytona with EV power under the hood, according to the latest teaser – but that won't happen until late this year. So, what are we supposed to do before that happens and the Mustang and Charger skirmishes resume?
Of course, there are many other options to play with sports cars, from the little Mazda MX-5 Miata to the recently updated 2024 Nissan GT-R and anything in between. However, if you don't like the Japanese options, there are always some additional choices – from Europe, for example. And, under the right guidance, those too can entertain at the local quarter-mile dragstrip.
But there is no need to take our word for granted as we have an eloquent example from the videographer behind the Wheels Plus channel on YouTube, who is a big fan of Bandimere Speedway in Colorado and The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but also loves Canada's Mission Raceway Park on many occasions.
This time around, the location known across NHRA as Thunder by the River wasn't the scene of any America versus import brawls, as usual. Instead, a white coupe of the Mercedes-AMG variety (it looks like an AMG C 63) was ready to put on a quarter-mile show against a crimson Lamborghini Huracan and another white knight in shining armor that looked like a Ferrari 458.
Equipped with white-wall Nitto tires, black wheels, and sporting a host of green details on the grille or the brake calipers, the Mercedes-AMG coupe promised to put on a good show – but only if the driver is paying attention to the Christmas tree. That didn't happen when the German coupe brawled with the mid-engine V10-equipped Lambo Huracan, and the latter won both the audience's approval about the high-pitched soundtrack and also the overall victory – with 11.27 versus 12.23s ETs.
Secondly, the driver probably decided to be a little more attentive, and when the time came to go on a second skirmish against the Ferrari, it wasn't again taken by surprise anymore. Instead, it was its turn to deliver the beating – 11.69s at 128 mph versus 11.81s at 119 mph. So, which one of these three was your favorite?
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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