Classic Mustang runs the quarter in the 8s, beating modern muscle rivals at Bradenton's Street Car Takeover.
A decades-old Fox Body Ford Mustang stunned crowds at Bradenton Motorsports Park last weekend by outrunning a fleet of modern muscle cars, including two Dodge Charger Hellcats, a Toyota Supra Mk4, and a newer S550 Mustang GT, during a string of quarter-mile drag races.
Captured by the ImportRace YouTube channel, the event was part of the Street Car Takeover series, a national tour that gathers high-performance street and strip cars for head-to-head competition. But it was the vintage Fox Body coupe — clad in crimson and gray — that stole the spotlight.
Despite its age, the Mustang rocketed through the quarter mile with consistent times in the low 8-second range, signaling extensive performance upgrades beneath its sleeper appearance.
The first challenger, a wide-tired Charger Hellcat, was left in the dust. The Mustang clocked 8.76 seconds at 128 mph, while the Hellcat lagged behind at 9.36 seconds at 150 mph. Next came a S550 Mustang GT, which put up a solid fight but still finished behind: 8.4 seconds at 160 mph to the newer pony’s 9.53 at 142 mph.
As night fell, a second, blacked-out Hellcat sedan nearly caught the Fox Body but lost by fractions of a second. The times: 8.31 seconds at 166 mph to 8.3 seconds at 158 mph — a photo finish.
The final duel was a scene straight out of a Fast and Furious reboot — the Mustang lined up against a white Toyota Supra Mk4 with neon underglow. Fans were on edge for the finale, and though results weren’t immediately posted, spectators agreed: the old Mustang was the undeniable star of the strip.
While the modern S650 Mustang struggles on the sales charts, this vintage Ford proved that with the right build, old-school muscle still has the power to dominate — and turn heads doing it.
