Imports versus domestics is a classic automotive rivalry, and with the latest renaissance of Japanese performance cars, we get to experience it all over again. To see how they fare against each other, Throttle House staged a series of races between the Nissan Z, Ford Mustang GT, and Dodge Challenger Scat Pack.
All three cars make at least 400 horsepower, so the playing field should be relatively even. They’re also all manual and rear-wheel drive, so none should really have any significant advantages when it comes to getting off the line.
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The Nissan Z makes 400 hp (406 PS / 298 kW) and 350 lb-ft (475 Nm) of torque from a twin-turbo 3.0L V6, and it weighs around 3,500 lbs (1,588 kg). The Mustang GT makes 450 hp (456 PS / 336 kW) and 410 lb-ft (556 Nm) of torque from a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8, and it weighs around 3,700 lbs (1,678 kg). Finally, there’s the Challenger Scat Pack, whose naturally aspirated 6.4L V8 makes the most power at 485 hp (492 PS / 362 kW) and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm) of torque; however, it’s also the heaviest of the bunch with a curb weight of around 4,300 lbs (1,950 kg).
In the drag race, the light Z got away first, but its competitors quickly pulled ahead. In the end, it was the Mustang that finished first with the Challenger right on its bumper, then the Z about a car length behind. The roll race was a bit of a different story. This time around, the Z was actually able to hold on to its advantage for quite some time, but ultimately lost ground to the Mustang. The finishing result was essentially the same as the drag race, just with the Dodge and Nissan’s places swapped.