Seeing supercars race down the quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds is cool and all, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned head-to-head between a couple of golden-era muscle cars, am I right? Tough luck if you don’t agree; I’m still doing this.
If you’re still reading this, get ready to see two of the coolest and most iconic muscle cars battle for quarter-mile glory. They’re rather slow by modern standards, but they’re packing them old-school, naturally aspirated V8 engines we all love.
In one lane, we have the absolutely legendary 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. Redesigned for the 1968 model year, the Charger hit showrooms with a more traditional muscle car appearance (compared to its fastback predecessor) and a then-new R/T performance trim. This Charger packs the base 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 engine, but don’t let that fool you. This Mopar is no slouch.
Although it didn’t deliver as much oomph as the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI, the 440 RB had an impressive 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm) of torque at its disposal. This rig also features the four-speed manual, arguably the most desirable transmission from that era.
In the other lane, we have a Buick Grand Sport. The GS option debuted in 1965, shortly after Buick joined the midsize market with the Skylark. The GS badge was eventually used on various nameplates and made a comeback in the modern era, but I’m here to talk about the 1970 version. That year, Buick replaced the 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8 with the mighty 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) mill.
This powerplant wasn’t the most potent V8 out there at 350 horsepower, but it delivered more torque than any other American production engine at the time. Specifically, it punished the rear wheels with a whopping 510 pound-feet (691 Nm) of twist. The driver of this Buick enjoys all that torque with a row-your-own four-speed manual.
On paper, these vehicles are very similar performance-wise. However, they participate in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series (PSMCDR), which allows drivetrain modifications. This pretty much means that power ratings are likely to be higher than stock. Even so, the encounter is pretty close.
The first race sees the muscle cars cover the distance in about 14.1 seconds. However, the Buick GS charged off the line during the red light, so the Dodge Charger was awarded the win. The second run sees the Buick taking a clear win, again with a 14-second run. The third and deciding race is even closer, with the cars only 0.01 seconds apart. The Charger R/T nails the slightly quicker quarter-mile, but the GS 455 crosses the line first to take the round and the overall win. Watch the drama unfold in the video below.