Which is the better muscle car?
Many consider the Pontiac GTO to be the first muscle car, meaning it has a special place in their heart. However, the Chevelle is well-loved by many of the same people, making a drag race between a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 and a 1965 Pontiac GTO so interesting. Choosing which one will be victorious might seem like quite the task, so let’s look at the two cars more closely before watching the race.
The 1965 Pontiac GTO comes with a 389ci Tri-Power V8 rated by the factory at 360-horsepower at 5200 rpm and a monstrous 424 lb.-ft. of torque at 3600 rpm. This particular car comes with a manual transmission, which is truly a thing of beauty and will test the driver’s 3-pedal prowess. In the rear are 3.90 gears for some pretty good get-up-and-go. It’s going to need that, since this Pontiac tips the scale at 3,710 pounds with the driver inside. Aside from all that, the red over red color scheme is just delicious, ensuring this dream car will turn plenty of heads at any cruise or car meet. However, looks won’t make it quicker on the track and it’s facing some stiff competition.
When it comes to the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, this thing means business with a 454ci LS6 V8. Yes, that’s right, an engine many consider a holy grail of sorts with an earth-crushing 450-hp and it wasn’t installed later but has the build sheet displayed to prove this thing was one of the few to roll out of the factory with this configuration. Hopefully you’ve got a hold of yourself, because the Chevelle hasn’t won yet, unless maybe you’re talking about winning your heart. Anyway, the engine is also rated at 500 lb.-ft. of torque, plus there’s a Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission and a set of 4.10 gears in the rear. Yes, oh yes, this beauty should just explode off the line and the driver doesn’t risk flubbing gear transitions to boot. However, with the driver inside, this Chevelle is a bit porky at 3,840 pounds.
Now, the big question: which of these classic GM muscle cars do you think will win on the drag strip? After choosing one, check out the video to see if you guessed right. The racing starts at 6:28 if you want to skip to that part.
