Those who are deeply passionate about the art of straight-line dragstrip quarter-mile acceleration know very well that – at all times – we should always expect the most unexpected. Well, here is an eloquent example.
Most innocent automotive fans probably have a vision of low-slung dragsters (aka ‘diggers’) that fly out of their lane like true land rockets. However, dragstrip facilities can be found all around the world, even if the most famous of them all reside in the United States. Over there, 1/8-mile and quarter-mile battles have achieved such a tremendous cult following that virtually anything can be used to live on the cutting edge of the ET and traps speeds – with two, four, or more wheels.
And no worries, we also have an example of that. But now let us focus on how quarter-mile enthusiasts from other parts of the world resolve the issue of a lack of dedicated dragstrip facilities. As always, the good folks over at Drag Car 4K are eager to show us that traditional 1/4-mile drag racing is also deeply beloved on the Old Continent and that some people just need an empty stretch of tarmac to get down to business.
Airport-based events are quite common in Europe, and this feature (uploaded on January 18th) was filmed last summer somewhere in Hungary. And do not think those guys are lacking cool rides to battle each other. After a string of quirky shenanigans (there was even a Fiat Panda vs. lifted Ford F-350 Super Duty, among others), now it is time for the craziest encounter of them all. As such, a classic Volkswagen Golf MkI was prepared to duke it out with the iconic AC/Shelby Cobra!
Naturally, those two are a couple of different leagues apart. However, this battle was bound to become interesting because the crimson Golf was actually a swapped 1.9 TDI hero that was not afraid to roll some coal when trying to defeat its opponent. To its right side, meanwhile, stood the incredible AC/Shelby Cobra, equipped with a proud 427ci American V8 (seven liters of displacement, gosh!). This was not just a battle of diesel versus gasoline, but also of the front-wheel drive against classic RWD.
And it was certainly one for the ages, as both drivers seemed to know what they were doing and had a great start, despite the unprepped surface. Or, rather, it was a skirmish for the fumes, as the quirky little MkI Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI quickly spilled enough smoke to cloud the battlefield and make it impossible to visually determine the winner.
Luckily, the videographer has behind-the-scenes access to the scoreboard – but we are not going to spill the beans on this one. Last but not least, we said something about two wheels, right? So, here is also the host of the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel going out of his comfort zone for some hyper naked versus superbike quarter-mile drag racing. Enjoy!
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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