Racing is a drug and we’re hopelessly addicted.
We’re fond of dropping in on Wheels on YouTube every now and again for cool drag racing clips from Mission Raceway Park not far from Vancouver in Canada. A few weeks back the channel put together a neat-o compilation of classic American muscle duking it out at the drag strip. A few days ago that six-minute clip was followed up with another compilation, this time pitting the muscle cars of yesterday against present-day machines. The clip is just over 10 minutes long, and it’s worth a watch simply for the screaming superchargers and baritone V8 growl. After a while, however, you start to get a clearer picture of how performance has evolved over the years. More on that in a bit.
First off, a refresher on the venue. Mission Raceway Park is just north of the U.S. / Canada border and well-positioned to pull in gearheads from both the Vancouver and Seattle areas. Car culture in the Pacific Northwest is robust and active – we’ve seen everything from old and new muscle to Euro sedans and supercars running at this track, so there’s no shortage of variety. Still, a majority of the clips showcase American Muscle, which brings us back to this 10-minute montage.
Mopar passion seems to run deep in the area, as this video is full of Dodge Challengers and Chargers both old and new. The clip kicks off with a parachute-equipped Charger Hellcat squaring off against an old Challenger, and though it’s usually a good idea to bet on the car with the parachute, the race was surprisingly close. Old and new Camaros show up, classic Novas, classic Chevelles, a couple of Mustangs, and even an old Dodge Dart was in the mix. In short, there’s something here for everyone who likes muscle cars.
Here’s where the interesting observation comes in. With a few exceptions, the old school cars generally get the jump at the line with a great launch and brisk 60-foot time. Come half-track, however, that advantage begins to disappear as the new generation comes roaring past. It’s hard to create a better visualization between the two eras than this – the classics packing strong engines with smaller powerbands and short gearing for maximum quarter-mile performance, while modern engines with larger powerbands and taller gearing trade a bit of that starting line punch for never-ending thrust up high. There are exceptions of course, but the overall outcome is rather fascinating to watch.
There are some close races in this montage, and there are some blowouts. As far as we’re concerned, everyone wins just for showing up and having fun.
Source: Wheels via YouTube
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