While few things on four wheels have the raw power and sportiness of the atemporal Shelby Cobra, it’s also true that we have seen very few of them at the dragstrip. So, here is a little blue-and-white treat.
Nimble and prone to major powertrain modifications, the Cobra has all the makings of a great platform. If you treat it right and do not manage to injure (or worse) yourself in the process of taming it. Sure, some would even go as far as saying that Cobras are not for the faint of heart. True, all so true.
Anyway, a brave soul dared to look down the quarter-mile lane and stare glory in the face. The latter stared back and sent a white “knight” in shining armor to show the Cobra owner who’s boss. Well, sort of, as we kind of get poetic around these little rascals. So, it was actually a Cadillac ATS-V.
Both lined up for a very cool old-school versus (almost) the new kid on the dragstrip block skirmish in the video embedded below. It arrived courtesy of the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel on YouTube from Orlando, Florida (Orlando Speed World Dragway). Frankly, we are glad this battle took place during the day, as we could admire the timeless lines of the Cobra even better.
The latter managed to secure the lead as it passed the Christmas tree, but the first moments of rejoicing were soon followed by the harrowing knowledge that it might have run out of steam closer to the finish line. As such, things did not go as planned, with the Caddy ultimately snatching the victory with an 11.01s pass to Cobra’s 11.42s result.
By the way, the ATS-V also lined up with a tuned BMW 335i later (from the 0:51 mark), possibly just to make sure it continues its victory streak. As if in response, the latter then made short work of a green Fox Body Ford Mustang from the 1:20 mark. And that was the action-riddled, quarter-mile wrap on this feature.
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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