NHRA racing is fun and all, but it can become stale due to the strict regulations imposed on every series. Racing outside a pro league is where things become a lot more interesting, as you can stumble across unlikely battles. You know, like a drag race between a 1950s rat rod and a 1980s G-body wagon.
In this week’s most unlikely straight-line duel, we have a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air going against a 1980s Chevy Malibu station wagon. Two cars from eras that produced radically different rigs. The Bel Air is one of the most stylish cars from the 1950s, while the fourth-generation Malibu is one of the boxiest station wagons out there.
These cars are very different builds too. The Bel Air is a proper rat rod. Boasting a faded matte black paint with a rusty front clip and trunk lid, the Tri Five looks like it just came out of storage after a few decades. The Malibu, on the other hand, is a really clean build. Ignore the drag-spec wheels, and it’s a really nice restomod.
The gap gets even bigger when we look under the hood. The video doesn’t actually provide footage of the engines, but it seems that while the Malibu features a nitrous-fed V8, the Bel Air sports a more traditional, naturally aspirated setup. Both cars pack big-block V8s of the Chevy variety.
There’s not much info to run by, but based on the limited intel we get from the video, the Malibu should win this drag race. There’s a bet going on, too, so both parties are motivated to run their quickest sprints.
As the lights go green, it becomes obvious that the Malibu has more power traveling to the rear wheels. The wagon goes front wheels up, but it has just enough traction to get in front. The Bel Air driver gets a good launch too, so it’s only inches behind.
But something goes wrong with the Malibu after a few seconds and, as it loses a bit of momentum, the rat rod gets in front and takes the win. My best guess would be that the Malibu’s nitrous system turned off for some reason, so the wagon driver lost its most important advantage halfway through the run.
Still, both cars are impressively fast. It’s a thrilling run overall, and it’s actually cool to see an old rat rod smoke a more modern G-body GM. But I haven’t lost a bet here, so I might be biased.