Charger SRT Hellcat

Make
Dodge
Segment
Sedan

America loves a classic quarter-mile drag race just as much as it loves a good underdog story. We've all seen that fancy new muscle car pull up to a sleeper and get absolutely destroyed. These days you can't trust most cars built before 1990: if it's older than 30 years and it's in good condition, the chances are high that it will have something powerful living under the hood. This wisdom clearly did not trickle down to the owner of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, or the unsuspecting guy in the Cadillac CTS-V who both line up up to race this clean 1971 Ford Torino GT.

The Ford Torino was never a big name in the muscle car scene of the 70s, but some still found these executive luxury lounges appealing. The most powerful Torino of the 70s was powered by a 7.0-liter Cobra Jet V8 producing a claimed 370 horsepower (some believed it was more like 440 or 460). That was enough for a 14.7 second quarter mile run, but wouldn't be nearly enough to take on a Hellcat or Cadillac CTS-V. To put things into perspective, a standard Hellcat pushes 717 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, while a CTS-V makes 640 hp and 610 lb-ft. In the video we can see the old Ford take on a Charger Hellcat in its first race. The Torino ends up running a 9.373 at 149 mph, absolutely destroying the Dodge's time of 9.685 at 138.2 mph.

Next up, the Torino finds a mean-looking black Cadillac CTS-V. The Torino leaps ahead at the start and continues to gap the Caddy. The Torino ends up running a 9.312 at 150 mph compared to the 10.710 second run of the CTS-V. Finally the sleeper races a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. This is a much closer race: the Torino runs a 9.40 second quarter, with the Challenger missing the win by only 0.051 seconds. What your parents always say is true: respect your elders.