The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat reigned supreme at the drag strip for a couple of years but is no longer the dominant force it once was as new production cars and tweaked tuner cars have started to show it up.
In the latest, and perhaps most embarrassing smackdown against the Hellcat, a dingy Mitsubishi Galant has managed to outsprint the brutal muscle car in the U.S.
We were sent this clip by a reader and while it is short on details about the Galant in question, it shows the punchy four-cylinder sedan taking home a comfortable win down the quarter mile, all despite missing second gear for a brief moment.
Never underestimate the Japanese…
If you look closely at the clip, you’ll notice very little wheelspin from the Galant, indicating that it is one of the all-wheel drive models which were sold in select markets.
Despite the vehicle’s docile looks, it was actually offered from the factory in a number of high-performance guises, especially through the latest 1980s and early 1990s. The most powerful engine sold with the Galant was the twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter 6A12TT V6 that featured double-overhead cams and delivered 237 hp at 6000 rpm and 228 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm.
While we have no confirmation about what engine is powering this Galant, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was this powertrain, outfitted with a plethora of aftermarket modifications to lift power well beyond the 300 hp mark.
The Japanese sedan managed to run an 11.762-second quarter mile at 126 mph (202 km/h). On a good day, the Hellcat can set low-11 second quarter mile times but evidently, the driver didn’t get the best out of it.
Update: As some of our astute readers have mentioned, the Galant in question appears to be fitted with the formidable 4G63 four-cylinder, also used in the Evo.