The Art of Drag Racing: A Tale of Two American Muscle Cars

As I sat in the passenger seat of my friend's Mustang, watching him prepare for the drag racing competition, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nervousness. The car's aluminum dash panel gleamed in the sunlight, and the sound system pulsed with energy. But what caught my attention was the driver's tech - an array of gadgets and gizmos that seemed to be controlling every aspect of the vehicle.

The driver turned to me and said, "I've switched everything off, but it doesn't get the revs up or power in." I asked him if he had worked out his technology yet. He replied, "I've tried everything, but it simply couldn't match the Camaro's performance." The Mustang was quick, but it lacked the Camaro's balance and handling.

As we prepared to head to the drag strip, I noticed that my friend had added a custom steering wheel with an aluminum rim. I asked him if he liked the new look, and he replied, "I do like it actually. Nice steering wheel." The sound of the engine roared to life as we pulled away from the starting line.

The driver hit the throttle, and the car shot forward, gaining speed quickly. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off - perhaps it was the way he was driving, or the sound of the engine. My friend seemed nervous, constantly checking his gauges and adjusting the shift point. I asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head.

As we approached the starting line, my friend's opponent, Jason, pulled up in his Camaro. The two drivers eyed each other, their faces set with determination. The driver of the Mustang turned to me and said, "It's all the noises you make that make me upset. It's all yours." I asked him what he meant, but he just shrugged.

The green flag dropped, and we were off. My friend floored it, feeling a surge of power as the Camaro surged forward. But as we entered the first turn, the Mustang began to understeer, its rear wheels struggling to find traction. The driver corrected, applying gentle pressure to the throttle, but I could see the tension in his body.

The Mustang crossed the finish line in 1 minute 23.1 seconds, a respectable time. But as we pulled over and waited for Jason's car to arrive, my friend was visibly shaken. "I don't know," he said. "It feels faster than it should." I asked him if he was worried, but he just shook his head.

As the results were announced, it became clear that the Camaro had taken the win, crossing the line in 1 minute 20.9 seconds. My friend was disappointed, but not surprised. He knew his car's limitations and had been warned about its tendency to understeer on the limit.

Despite the loss, my friend seemed more at ease than I expected. He turned to me and said, "It's all about the track." We walked over to Jason's car, admiring its sleek design and aggressive stance. As we compared notes with Jason, it became clear that this was more than just a simple drag racing competition - it was a battle of wills between two drivers, each pushing their car to its limits.

As we left the track, I couldn't help but feel impressed by my friend's driving skills and his willingness to push himself to new heights. Despite the loss, he had shown remarkable poise and control, even when faced with the pressure of competition. And as for Jason, it was clear that he was a force to be reckoned with - a master of the American muscle car, with a deep understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

The message from this epic battle between two American muscle cars is clear: the Yanks are coming, and they're not going to be ignored. Germany, take note - the United States has been working tirelessly to create cars that are not only huge fun but also genuinely capable of handling themselves on the track. Watch out, Europe - America's got a new challenger in town, and it's ready to put its money where its mouth is.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennow if you stand on any busy uk street you're bound to see cars from just about every corner of the globe with one notable exception the good old us of a only china japan and germany make more passenger cars than them and yet you hardly ever see american motors on our roads so it seems uncle sam isn't that keen on sending his cars across the pond so if you want one you have to import it yourself or go through one of those specialist independents however maybe all that is about to change take these two for example this is the iconic ford mustang in this 2018 v8 gt form its five liter engine puts out 450 horsepower and gets it to 62 miles an hour in 4.6 seconds and this is the equally awesome chevrolet camaro v8 it has a six liter engine which develops 453 horsepower and it's 62 in 4.4 seconds those statistics are bordering on supercar territory rivaling cars like the porsche 911 carrera and the good news is that both of these muscle cars are now officially imported into the uk complete with full manufacturer warranties but here's the real headline the mustang will set you back just 42 000 pounds while the camaro is even cheaper at 39 grand now to put that into context a closely powered bmw m4 would cost 20 grand more there's just one problem american motors are generally designed for endless straight roads so historically don't have the suspension setups to deal with british bends which is why we're here at rockingham to find out finally if carson over there can cut the mustard over here we've got three torturous tests lined up and not surprisingly we're gonna kick off with a bit of cornering we've set up this tight slalom course followed by these two sweeping bends to get the measure of the cars in slow and fast corners hit it it's all on the stopwatch and tiff's saddled up the mustang this mustang has just had a facelift and it's got an angry external styling and revised interior but what i want to know is what it's like to drive because the facelift has also bought an extra 34 horsepower i think it's gonna need all the help we can get to get 1743 kilos through a slalom three two one hit it oh stole and then he stalled a few more ribs oh he's fighting he's biting it off now we're getting there flip it through the third gear just attach the brakes get on that sword we'll get on that throttle tip get over could be a 15. that could be a 15 record that could be a 15. that could be a 15. it's a 16.7 through the middle section it looks spicy although my estimate was wrong the mustang still handled surprisingly well mind you this car does come with ford's additional sixteen hundred pound magneride adaptive suspension package so like tf my camaro has been updated for 2018. in fact it's 28 stiffer but unlike the fort it doesn't have the optional adaptive damping control and unlike the mustang my chevy only comes in left-hand drive which is an obvious consideration for british roads but at least like tiff i've got a manual gearbox to play with and crucially i'm 100 kilograms lighter which could make a big difference in this test where change of direction is so critical three two one go oh that's not the best start ever pretty good to the soil this is the corner i need to get right oh he's getting aggressive he's getting aggressive wow a bit of understeer but i think that's probably enough point two three slower than the mustang i simply don't believe that i don't believe it i thought you bottled it a bit here no i thought it was quicker there closer it is close i mean there's nothing in it is there well that's one interesting to the ford mustang yeah interesting could be my adaptive damping so you haven't got magneride have you so the mustang is one up but now we're gonna make these cars feel much more at home because if there's one thing that yank tanks love to do is to go fast in a straight line torquey v8s and big fat tires i can't wait so we'll adjourn to our tracks 400 meter finish straight it's the best of three runs to decide which car can put down its 450 horses best and i had high hopes for my mustang because it's got a nifty little trick up its sleeve what you have to do is to get into the drag racing mode drag strip mode combines launch control with a softening of the rear dampers which allows the back end to squat and maximize acceleration would it work well i was about to find out press middle mode launch control okay press that it's got the look of an old man with a brand new high-tech device so he can't work it out rpm okay and whoa now i can go from anywhere from three thousand to five and a half thousand for your launch control settings now i've got none of that drag strip nonsense what i've got is what you really want and a test like this and that's more pulling power tiff's got 527 newton meters of torque but i've got 617 and that's gonna make the difference and this sort of test oh and let's not forget i'm the equivalent of tiff and a kid lighter drag strip ready to go so noodles if you set up all your gizmos i'm gizmo to go son all i have is is being able to control my right foot oh dear i can choose a launch control from between three thousand and five and a half thousand revs i've tried five thousand for my first launch right well i am ready but what i've got to make sure is i don't get too much wheel spin because that will be the killer i might have jumped the start seven hey you jumped the start hey you jumped the start it's not three two go it's three two one go the go is after the one right i was between the one yes you were between the one and the go yeah i'm gonna try four thousand right here my mustang was suffering from too much wheel spin at the start maybe dialing back the launch control would help ah four thousand i'm gonna go four thousand two hundred about halfway okay i'd nip the starter touch but i'd won by miles so i'm calling that one nil meanwhile i'm in stanland look at him he's folded his wing mirrors in to reduce the drag he's so competitive that was a great this is quite a bit quicker so that's 2 nil to the chevrolet camaro i'm relying on launch control that's letting me down and also you're heavier remember that's in normal mode i haven't set anything up that's impressive hey i'll tell you what i tell you what i do give me one more chance one more chunk i'm going to turn that plumbing launch control off and same as you just do a manual yes one more one for that one don't try to run me okay i'd already lost but i wanted the mustang to get a bit of dignity back and out dragged the camaro at least once have you worked out your technology yet i've switched it all off but it doesn't get the revs up get the power in i'm going to nail you it's going old school well we're very much like we are in this one three two one oh no i've got too much wheels but he's gone again i tried everything and been thrashed each time by any other standards the mustang is quick but it simply couldn't match the camaro yeah it means nothing drag racing what do you mean that means nothing it's a test one or one all it'll all be down to the track driving it's one flying lap tiff's going first while i hang on in the passenger seat so what do you think of my stag on board do you like my aluminum dash panel eh i do like it actually nice steering wheel the sound of this bear in mind we've both got v8s sound of this one is a bit more muted and a bit more deep in the car this is a better chassis oh you mean you're worried already though already worried already do i need to worry let's start the whole app and find out here we go let's on that shadow oh straight to the change-up noise oh god here we go oh you turned it a little bit early there tech yeah i like getting up and left the window i never know how quick to go to this she place the move there didn't she now this is the chord i don't like you gotta go deeper than you think i think they cut back then nail it and not run wrong i crest they were there do you know what it is with you it's all the noises you make that make that upset me it's all yours what have you had for lost life bit there look how flat it corners almost amazing really the corner's beautifully flipped man i'm amazed how hard you're on the throttle i don't know it's got good traction yeah everything's switched on like the gearbox nice little stubby gear change these americans they're so in the europeans how to make nice cars i'm in the understeer they're safe steady i'd like a little less understood the nose doesn't quite get in there let's see you're one full power there aren't yeah that's really good i'm really impressed with this oh yeah so the mustang kicks things off with one minute 23.1 seconds time for me and my camaro see what i mean about the noise it's more harsh in here don't you think it seems sort of it feels faster than the stag but it but it's more fidgety i'm not just committed through here and on the power yeah you're not really as relaxed as i was like you're you're working aren't you i understand there yeah the problem is that the only way to get it to turn is get on the throttle right then jp you're warmed up let's see a lap time in this tomorrow can you beat at 23.1 you don't feel too confident about it as we head the line to all right here we go brakes feel good you're staying in third gear third gear here you're going to use the track use your extra torque we're good to use the track as well jason not the curves i know your touring car drivers are like now you're fourth oh feisty stuff so you've got lower gears oh there we go on the power there see i'm just understood killing me a bit there oh i thought i'd pick off too much there that's the stupid line you take can you not buy one with a steering wheel on the right side because i'm feeling a bit strange but i think you're distracting me now it hops and hops and hops it's pretty uncomfortable oh it doesn't like getting the power no i can't get on the power i've got to feed in gently oh oh i can't understand i don't know it sort of feels faster because it's sort of all hyperactive but you've got to feel it's not going to be faster 23.1 to feet as you enter the line and stop the clock at i'd hustle the camaro around over two seconds quicker wow the namaste in spite of feeling a lot more nervous on the limit the chevy's lighter weight and extra torque had beaten the better balance muster so the camaro takes the honours in our head to head but the bigger message here is that america is now building muscle cars that are not only huge fun but can genuinely perform even around corners germany watch out the yanks are coming younow if you stand on any busy uk street you're bound to see cars from just about every corner of the globe with one notable exception the good old us of a only china japan and germany make more passenger cars than them and yet you hardly ever see american motors on our roads so it seems uncle sam isn't that keen on sending his cars across the pond so if you want one you have to import it yourself or go through one of those specialist independents however maybe all that is about to change take these two for example this is the iconic ford mustang in this 2018 v8 gt form its five liter engine puts out 450 horsepower and gets it to 62 miles an hour in 4.6 seconds and this is the equally awesome chevrolet camaro v8 it has a six liter engine which develops 453 horsepower and it's 62 in 4.4 seconds those statistics are bordering on supercar territory rivaling cars like the porsche 911 carrera and the good news is that both of these muscle cars are now officially imported into the uk complete with full manufacturer warranties but here's the real headline the mustang will set you back just 42 000 pounds while the camaro is even cheaper at 39 grand now to put that into context a closely powered bmw m4 would cost 20 grand more there's just one problem american motors are generally designed for endless straight roads so historically don't have the suspension setups to deal with british bends which is why we're here at rockingham to find out finally if carson over there can cut the mustard over here we've got three torturous tests lined up and not surprisingly we're gonna kick off with a bit of cornering we've set up this tight slalom course followed by these two sweeping bends to get the measure of the cars in slow and fast corners hit it it's all on the stopwatch and tiff's saddled up the mustang this mustang has just had a facelift and it's got an angry external styling and revised interior but what i want to know is what it's like to drive because the facelift has also bought an extra 34 horsepower i think it's gonna need all the help we can get to get 1743 kilos through a slalom three two one hit it oh stole and then he stalled a few more ribs oh he's fighting he's biting it off now we're getting there flip it through the third gear just attach the brakes get on that sword we'll get on that throttle tip get over could be a 15. that could be a 15 record that could be a 15. that could be a 15. it's a 16.7 through the middle section it looks spicy although my estimate was wrong the mustang still handled surprisingly well mind you this car does come with ford's additional sixteen hundred pound magneride adaptive suspension package so like tf my camaro has been updated for 2018. in fact it's 28 stiffer but unlike the fort it doesn't have the optional adaptive damping control and unlike the mustang my chevy only comes in left-hand drive which is an obvious consideration for british roads but at least like tiff i've got a manual gearbox to play with and crucially i'm 100 kilograms lighter which could make a big difference in this test where change of direction is so critical three two one go oh that's not the best start ever pretty good to the soil this is the corner i need to get right oh he's getting aggressive he's getting aggressive wow a bit of understeer but i think that's probably enough point two three slower than the mustang i simply don't believe that i don't believe it i thought you bottled it a bit here no i thought it was quicker there closer it is close i mean there's nothing in it is there well that's one interesting to the ford mustang yeah interesting could be my adaptive damping so you haven't got magneride have you so the mustang is one up but now we're gonna make these cars feel much more at home because if there's one thing that yank tanks love to do is to go fast in a straight line torquey v8s and big fat tires i can't wait so we'll adjourn to our tracks 400 meter finish straight it's the best of three runs to decide which car can put down its 450 horses best and i had high hopes for my mustang because it's got a nifty little trick up its sleeve what you have to do is to get into the drag racing mode drag strip mode combines launch control with a softening of the rear dampers which allows the back end to squat and maximize acceleration would it work well i was about to find out press middle mode launch control okay press that it's got the look of an old man with a brand new high-tech device so he can't work it out rpm okay and whoa now i can go from anywhere from three thousand to five and a half thousand for your launch control settings now i've got none of that drag strip nonsense what i've got is what you really want and a test like this and that's more pulling power tiff's got 527 newton meters of torque but i've got 617 and that's gonna make the difference and this sort of test oh and let's not forget i'm the equivalent of tiff and a kid lighter drag strip ready to go so noodles if you set up all your gizmos i'm gizmo to go son all i have is is being able to control my right foot oh dear i can choose a launch control from between three thousand and five and a half thousand revs i've tried five thousand for my first launch right well i am ready but what i've got to make sure is i don't get too much wheel spin because that will be the killer i might have jumped the start seven hey you jumped the start hey you jumped the start it's not three two go it's three two one go the go is after the one right i was between the one yes you were between the one and the go yeah i'm gonna try four thousand right here my mustang was suffering from too much wheel spin at the start maybe dialing back the launch control would help ah four thousand i'm gonna go four thousand two hundred about halfway okay i'd nip the starter touch but i'd won by miles so i'm calling that one nil meanwhile i'm in stanland look at him he's folded his wing mirrors in to reduce the drag he's so competitive that was a great this is quite a bit quicker so that's 2 nil to the chevrolet camaro i'm relying on launch control that's letting me down and also you're heavier remember that's in normal mode i haven't set anything up that's impressive hey i'll tell you what i tell you what i do give me one more chance one more chunk i'm going to turn that plumbing launch control off and same as you just do a manual yes one more one for that one don't try to run me okay i'd already lost but i wanted the mustang to get a bit of dignity back and out dragged the camaro at least once have you worked out your technology yet i've switched it all off but it doesn't get the revs up get the power in i'm going to nail you it's going old school well we're very much like we are in this one three two one oh no i've got too much wheels but he's gone again i tried everything and been thrashed each time by any other standards the mustang is quick but it simply couldn't match the camaro yeah it means nothing drag racing what do you mean that means nothing it's a test one or one all it'll all be down to the track driving it's one flying lap tiff's going first while i hang on in the passenger seat so what do you think of my stag on board do you like my aluminum dash panel eh i do like it actually nice steering wheel the sound of this bear in mind we've both got v8s sound of this one is a bit more muted and a bit more deep in the car this is a better chassis oh you mean you're worried already though already worried already do i need to worry let's start the whole app and find out here we go let's on that shadow oh straight to the change-up noise oh god here we go oh you turned it a little bit early there tech yeah i like getting up and left the window i never know how quick to go to this she place the move there didn't she now this is the chord i don't like you gotta go deeper than you think i think they cut back then nail it and not run wrong i crest they were there do you know what it is with you it's all the noises you make that make that upset me it's all yours what have you had for lost life bit there look how flat it corners almost amazing really the corner's beautifully flipped man i'm amazed how hard you're on the throttle i don't know it's got good traction yeah everything's switched on like the gearbox nice little stubby gear change these americans they're so in the europeans how to make nice cars i'm in the understeer they're safe steady i'd like a little less understood the nose doesn't quite get in there let's see you're one full power there aren't yeah that's really good i'm really impressed with this oh yeah so the mustang kicks things off with one minute 23.1 seconds time for me and my camaro see what i mean about the noise it's more harsh in here don't you think it seems sort of it feels faster than the stag but it but it's more fidgety i'm not just committed through here and on the power yeah you're not really as relaxed as i was like you're you're working aren't you i understand there yeah the problem is that the only way to get it to turn is get on the throttle right then jp you're warmed up let's see a lap time in this tomorrow can you beat at 23.1 you don't feel too confident about it as we head the line to all right here we go brakes feel good you're staying in third gear third gear here you're going to use the track use your extra torque we're good to use the track as well jason not the curves i know your touring car drivers are like now you're fourth oh feisty stuff so you've got lower gears oh there we go on the power there see i'm just understood killing me a bit there oh i thought i'd pick off too much there that's the stupid line you take can you not buy one with a steering wheel on the right side because i'm feeling a bit strange but i think you're distracting me now it hops and hops and hops it's pretty uncomfortable oh it doesn't like getting the power no i can't get on the power i've got to feed in gently oh oh i can't understand i don't know it sort of feels faster because it's sort of all hyperactive but you've got to feel it's not going to be faster 23.1 to feet as you enter the line and stop the clock at i'd hustle the camaro around over two seconds quicker wow the namaste in spite of feeling a lot more nervous on the limit the chevy's lighter weight and extra torque had beaten the better balance muster so the camaro takes the honours in our head to head but the bigger message here is that america is now building muscle cars that are not only huge fun but can genuinely perform even around corners germany watch out the yanks are coming you\n"