Classic American Muscle v. 300ZX (in 1/4 mile)

A few of us are sitting around drinking beer and talking cars. We have a question that we would like to ask all the people here on Automotiveforums.com as to their opinion.

In the 1/4 mile, and only the 1/4 mile. What would win in a race, a classic American Muscle car, (something like a classic 69-72 454, 396, 502, 442 Chevelle, Camaro, Charger, Olds. or something similar), any classic American big block engine against a Nissan 300zx.

Two part Question:

Part 1
Both cars Street Legal.

Part 2
Now with both cars you can spend as much money as possible and put as many mods as possible (Super Charged, Turbo...). Bottom line is which care could be faster in the 1/4, classic American Muscle (Big Block) or the 300ZX.

Thanks for the Help

I would say the Big Block...the Z's not a drag strip monster like say the Supra or RX7 can be...but there is a non street legal Z that's in the 7's...

For a 1/4 mile race I would think it would be pretty tough for the Z to beat the big block. If you really are going to keep the street legal then you are going to have to use aftermarket parts that keep the car street legal. The muscle car is going to have a huge advantage there. Companies have been making parts to make them faster drag racers for 40+ years.

Im sure someone will tell me I'm an idiot and explain why but I dont think this race would be that close.

To me there is one answer to this, which comes to me as the age old import vs. domestic/turbo vs. v8 debate...
Ok, with unlimited funds, I'd say the answer is a tie. Even though we argue this back and forth, and logic would dictate that the BIGGER motor would win, that argument has limits, one's pockets... remove this, and you open-up a limitless equation.
I mean, by the end of the spending you could pretty much have every single part in the engine replaced with a custom space-shuttle titanium replacement etc etc. I mean, with unlimited funds, I'd have to say the sky is the limit, you can build a 1500HP V8, or a 1500HP V6TT.

Strictly for the 1/4 mile big displacement engines will always be better. Especially combined with modern technology. Lets take a 528 Hemi for example: Pair it up with two modern and efficient turbochargers and you can get to 1500HP somewhat easily.


On the other hand take a 300ZX engine and try to make 1500 HP it will be very very difficult and that engine will barelly be reliable for a run or two.

Also if the sky is the limit for mods we don't need to look further that top fuelers. They run 500 Ci hemi style engines and are in the high 3's and low 4's with over 6000HP. There is no car with the 300ZX or any other relativelly low displacement engine coming even close.


In the real world where handling matters, the polar momentum of a big block will cause huge problems and here is where modern, compact, high efficiency engines come in.

But in the 1/4 big engines still rule.

well aren't the fastest times for "regular" cars 6-7 seconds... there are Supras running 7 sec I6 Turbo's and there are huge v8's running the same thing... that is the point I was trying to make... in the context of regular cars and not top fuel or funny cars.

well aren't the fastest times for "regular" cars 6-7 seconds... there are Supras running 7 sec I6 Turbo's and there are huge v8's running the same thing... that is the point I was trying to make... in the context of regular cars and not top fuel or funny cars.


well i already made my point about "regular" cars. 1500 HP is about the absolute max you can get out of relativelly small displacement engines such as 2jz, RB26. I doubt a VQ30 could even get there. And any of those engines at those powr levels is going to be good only for a few runs. On the other hand a hemi 528 twin turbo would get to 1500 hp quite easily, in comparison, and still be somewhat reliable.

The point of top fuelers was to show the absolute max potential. Only hemi style v8 can reach that level. There is no RB26/2jz/VQ30 at that level period

Grand Nationals and Supras can break 1000, and they aren't V8s...I've never seen any other V6 get that high, though.

NOTE: Supra is not a V6

ROFL my bad, what am I thinking. I meant to say 6-cylinders, not V6's. :P

What is the absolute fstest regular car... somewhere in 6 secs right?

just a little nit pick, the 300zx has a vg30 not vq30. anyways, i believe muscle will always come out on top at the drags. especially against a 300zx. a 300zx wasn't made for the 1/4 mile, they were made more for the track. strictly for drag strip, muscle would win. oh yeah, the lingenfelter corvette does the 1/4 in 6.? seconds.

Lingenfelter in Street trim does 8.95. so I guess an all-out drag lingenfelter could hit 6... I also saw the world's fastest Camaro, it was old school has 2000HP and was doin 6's. I'm saying, 6 sec is the limit for normal cars.

you wont be able to tell. with endless amounts of money for mods you cant say that one will be faster than the other. with that money you can modify the non legal parts to be street legal, so theres no way to tell

the muscle car should win, no emissions takes street legal to a whole new level. However the Z wins in handling and interior.

muscle cars would eat that import alive on the strip with unlimited mods
especially since you can puy stuff like superchargers, NOX etc and a sixties car would be perfectly legal still too much emission restriction on the newer z-car. Also there is "no replacement for displacement :evillol:

Zcars arent initially made for drag, more than anything handling but the Z32 are boats from the 3200-3400 lbs they push around. american muscle on this one

60's muscles are hideous, anybody still wondering where all the steel went? :iceslolan except for 'vettes, they're beaut.

Since we're hating imports here, I'd like to see typical nose-heavy American muscle on the twisties track against a stock 300ZX TT. Totally different animals guys, comparing would prove nothing.

Muscle Owns The Strip.

did you know you can fit a NOS in a crx ricer? and it will do "shooo" "shooo" instead of "vroooom" "vrooooom." you can have tons of fun with it in the strip. :rofl:

did you know you can fit a NOS in a crx ricer? and it will do "shooo" "shooo" instead of "vroooom" "vrooooom." you can have tons of fun with it in the strip. :rofl:


If you have nothing to contribute don't bother posting.

that was a sarcasm if you didn't get it. since there's a bias here.

Edit: When the Z32 came out, I believe it was one of the best sports car of its class for 4-5 consecutive years. It also beat Corvette in the tracks when it was introduced. Not bad for $35-$40K sports car. Although I think the price range was why the car didn't sell so much in the end.

60's muscles are hideous, anybody still wondering where all the steel went? :iceslolan except for 'vettes, they're beaut.

Since we're hating imports here, I'd like to see typical nose-heavy American muscle on the twisties track against a stock 300ZX TT. Totally different animals guys, comparing would prove nothing.

Hideous? :screwy: Hardly


http://www.pakshak.com/images/69gto_1.jpg
http://www.musclecarnationals.com/gallery/camaro/67camaro2rs0803.jpg
http://www.musclecarnationals.com/gallery/442/70442-3.jpg
http://tachrev.com/JPEG_Images/68RAII-01.jpg

vs

http://www.canit.se/~glenn/files/crx.jpg
http://www.nysynet.dk/0924-car-89-roed-for1.jpg
http://press.nissan-global.com/COMMON/IMAGES/HISTORY/Z/LOW/z31.jpg
http://w1.913.telia.com/~u91302010/bilder/mk3/Supra.jpg

Yeah man, those domestics are hideous compared to the obvious beauty that is japanese engineering.

:wtf: are you comapring muscle cars with CRX and Corollas? :rofl: Compare it with other Japanese Sports Cars. And yes, that 300 ZX looks way better, hell, even 240Z looks way better. But I'll say this, Shelby GT, and GTO, and Corvette are probably the only good looking ones.

Anyway, what was RELEVANT in this thread, 60's muscles vs 90s 300ZX:

http://www.easymachines.com/300zx/pictures/015.jpg

http://lynx.dac.neu.edu/g/grobinso/300zx.jpg

why mention twisties? thread says 1/4 mile. muslce owns the strip period.

looks are opinion.

agreed, but it's extremely redundant and absurd question to ask. just about every muscles will win the strip against japanese sports car. but real capabilities of sports cars/race cars don't just rely on straightline speeds, it also depends on handling at great speeds. what good is power without control? so that deseves a mention when you're comparing Z32 with something else. why else high-end European super cars cost so damn much, they're not just about looking pretty and blowing off straightline speed against Corvettes on a freeway.

I think reliability in a 1500hp car shouldn't even be a concern because its not going to be in any means reliable. Even if the big block can withstand more, both engines only have to withstand blowing for the very small amount of time the quarter mile run will last.

If anybody has ever watched NHRA when the Top Fuel drag cars do their runs you may know that the chances of every cylinder still firing at the end of the quarter is minimal.

This is a stupid, and old question. Be original. By the way, I saw a 67 Camaro RS that pulled in 2500+ HP, 5.97883 1/4, and actually gave a Top Fueler a challenge.

The reason this thread was created because a bunch of us were drinking one night and someone that owns a Z says that the Z can smoke any Classic Muscle car in the 1/4 mile, and the 1/4 mile was the only issue we were talking about. (there was a lot of beer drinking going on that night).