Two Old School Japanese Monsters Face Off in a Neck-to-Neck Drag Race

The 1997 Toyota Chaser has a 3.0-liter straight-six engine that outputs 810 horsepower (821 ps). The new engine it rocks was built entirely by the driver, and he also fitted the single turbocharger, the custom fuel system, the new manual six-speed gearbox, along with every other modification the Chaser went through.

It weighs 3,307 lbs. (1,500 kg), and pushing all that forward is its rear-wheel drive system.

Now for the much older Nissan Datsun 280Z, that’s a blast from the 1976 past. It’s powered by a 6.0-liter V8 capable of outputting 950 horsepower (963 ps). Aside from the engine, it was also heavily modified with the likes of a single turbocharger, an intake fuel system, twin dump valves and wastegates, as well as a six-speed manual transmission.

Aside from packing more horsepower, the Nissan also has a smaller waistline, weighing in at 2,645 lbs. (1,200 kg). Propelling it forward is its rear-wheel drive.

On paper, it sounds like the 280Z should have no problems beating the Chaser. However, it wasn't as simple as that.

In the first race, they both went off from the finish line at the same time. The 950-hp (963-ps) Nissan was in the lead for almost the entire race, but as they went on, the 810-hp (821-ps) Toyota caught up just before the finish line. It was a photo finish, with the Chaser crossing the line a split second earlier than its competitor.

After the Toyota driver recovered from a post-win leg cramp, they lined up for round two. The start was brilliant again for both drivers. During the entire race, they were neck-to-neck. Until the very last second, when the Datsun won this time by a hair.

Unfortunately, there was no third try to determine a clear winner because the Toyota Chaser broke down as soon as it crossed the finish line. The launches were too much for it.

At the end of the day, they seemed pretty evenly matched, and that made for quite a show to watch.