From now on, whenever you think about anything “old school” going up against something that’s modern, this clip right here might just spring to mind.
The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is as “old school” as it gets. Sure, they made cars before 1969, which means that if you’re just looking for something old, there are plenty of automobiles to choose from. But the term “old school” also refers to something being cool and classy in today’s times.
For the record, 1969 was the year in which the Camaro’s grille was redesigned, along with new rear quarter panels and a few other elements that made it one of the lowest, widest and most aggressive-looking Camaros in history.
We’re willing to bet that back then nobody would have imagined a Camaro putting down 1,200 HP with the help of a twin turbocharged power unit.
But here we are, face to face with what is probably one of the fastest classic muscle cars in the world – and what better way to test it then putting it against a modern 2012 Camaro ZL1, itself capable of putting down 1,300 HP.
This video is less about the drag race itself and more about the spectacle of power. The sheer force of these cars is enough to keep you glued to the screen, even if race footage isn’t as conclusive as we would have liked. But from what we can tell, the 69 model is accelerating a little bit faster once it starts shifting gears – though it seems to brake way before the 2012 Camaro during the first race.
The 2nd time around tells a completely different story with the newer model not only pulling ahead through the gears, but also reaching a higher top speed on the straight.