The Chevrolet Chevelle has never had any beef with the Ford Mustang. The two are not direct rivals per se. If you need an alternative to the Mustang, Chevy will gladly point you in the direction of the Camaro. However, that doesn’t mean the Chevelle hasn’t scared plenty of other muscle cars with its performance and popularity over the years.
The Chevelle used to be one of Chevrolet’s most successful models, offering several body styles across three different generations between 1964 and 1977. Once billed “America’s most popular mid-size car”, the Chevelle also excelled as a 2-door coupe, and cars designed between 1969 and 1972 were absolute head-turners.
In this video, we’re dealing with a 1971 model, which is important to note because, during that model year, Chevy gave the Chevelle new front and rear end designs. At the front, it featured large single-unit headlights, a wider grille, and a different bumper. You can easily tell a ‘71 model apart from its predecessors.
Now, this particular 1971 Chevelle has been tuned out of its mind, packing a 6.0 LS truck motor with a single turbocharger running on low boost, mind you.
Its opponent, a 2016 Ford Mustang GT with comp cams, ported heads, full bolt-on stuff, plus some weight reduction, although the uploader didn’t get into any specifics here. The Ford is running on E85, and it’s equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, which means the driver has to put in some work.
Unfortunately, we don’t know anything about horsepower and torque figures – for either car. What I can tell you is that a stock 2016 Mustang 5.0 would utilize a 302 ci V8 with 435 hp (441 ps) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque. Safe to say this thing packs a lot more pulling power thanks to all of its modifications.
In the end though, it was the Chevelle that impressed most, easily winning multiple straight-line battles against this considerably more modern foe.
Editor's note:
We do not condone street racing because it is illegal and dangerous. Please drive safe and use your local drag strip for any straight line duels.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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