Pontiac Trans Am Sleeper Drag Races Dodge Viper, a Moon-Sized Gap Appears

Both the Poncho and its V10-animated drag strip companion entered service in the 1990s before retiring after the 2002 model year. Oh, and while we're listing similarities, they're both red.

On a more serious note, this is where the common points of the two American toys end, especially since the Trans Am seems to be the only one given a major aftermarket overhaul.

The piece of footage at the bottom of the page, which comes from the Drag Racing and Car Stuff YouTube channel, shows the machines duking it out at the Street Car Takeover event held over the weekend at the US131 Motorsports Park in Michigan.

Now, the Gen II Viper appears to sport aftermarket wheels and tires, as well as a diffuser. However, if we take a look at the quarter-mile time of this GTS model, whose 8.0-liter engine delivers 450 hp (456 PS) and 490 lb-ft (664 Nm), it seems that no engine mods have been installed.

There are very few details about this Gen IV Trans Am, aside from the obvious turbo soundtrack. However, if we check out the 1,320-ft numbers of the coupe, we'll notice its tech side has been seriously massaged.

And, since the only potential visual clue towards that boost (pun intended) comes from the wheels and tires, this Pontiac is a sleeper.

Note that the video also showcases the Viper racing what appears to be a 2019 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 (yes, this is the 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0L V6 expected to power the upcoming Nissan Z).

However, this is an index class battle, with the big W going to the vehicle that gets the closest to the designated time, which sits at 12s for this run. And—spoiler alert—sometimes the difference between the competitors can be as little as 0.001s.