You've got to hand it to the Hoonigan team (RIP Ken Block). After the sudden exit of the most cherished automotive trio in mainstream media; Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond – they've brought a new exciting twist into automotive media with their This vs. That drag race series. It's been an American affair for the longest time, but on a much more recent update, the crew took their shenanigans on the road to Australia.
Forget what you've heard about Australia; Boomerangs, Kangaroos that can take a punch, cute Koalas, and the local's sense of humor (often sarcastic and dry).
Like the U.S. of A, it has a very active tuner car scene. If you've been following our stories, you probably read about the brutish Australian 1,744-hp (1,768 ps) '99 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR running low 8s on the quarter-mile at this year's annual GT-R Challenge in Cootamundra Airport, New South Wales, Australia.
For anyone looking at the Australian map, Cootamundra is just another little country town, four hours out of Sydney. But to gear heads and hard hitters, the Airport is a battleground for some of the deadliest track weapons out on the continent.
On their most recent upload, Hoonigan put together an 850 hp (862 ps) Holden VF Commodore, a.k.a Burnout Monster, versus an 800 hp (811 ps) Pro Drift S15 Nissan Silvia.
Simply put, it was a battle between a burnout car and a drift car.
On the left corner was a 2014 Holden VF Commodore with a humongous blower upfront. According to the owner, Hinchy, it's a methanol-drinking mad-looking beast. It runs an Australian-spec LS engine (GM's Performance LY6 6-liter cast iron block) dyno'd at 850 hp (862 ps).
"On the engine dyno, it made just under a thousand horsepower, way more than what's necessary to blow the tires off," Hinchy confessed about his car's power output.
On the right corner was a 2001 S15 Nissan Silvia owned by Matty Hill. The Nissan Silvia is prevalent around automotive circles for being a badass drifter(S-Chassis). As expected, Matty's unit is built to take aggressive sharp turns and blow smoke-shredding rubber.
But here's the kicker. This Aussie S15 isn't running the turbo 2-liter inline 4-cylinder SR20DET, but a more familiar havoc-maker, Toyota's legendary 2JZ powerplant. Paired to a NASCAR transmission, it makes 800 hp (811 ps).
The mods include a Borg Warner 9180 turbo, Elwood Parts intake manifold, and a built block (the initial short block had rust around the rings). It's also running a rear-mount radiator for weight reduction and to help cool the fuel cell.
"I started competing in early 2013, and then I moved my way up and progressively got better, started winning comps, and then I thought, well, let's give it a shot and see how it goes. It really took off. I got a major sponsorship in 2016, went overseas, and didn't look back," Matty revealed.
Who crosses the finish line first is what matters at the end of the day. When it comes to Hoonigan's This Vs. That series, contenders get two shots to bag a win. A third race is only slotted when there's a tie.
The first round was your typical 1,000 ft drag race. The 2014 Holden VF Commodore took one hell of a beating by the Nissan S15 Silvia (lost by several cars).
The second race was a 1,000 ft (loser gets a head start). The Holden VF Commodore saved its reputation by thrashing the 2001 S15 Silvia.
Are you curious about who won the final race? We will let you enjoy the last puzzle piece in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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