The first 1/4 mile match up of this series is the 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger vs. the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 Hemi.

The first thing you should notice is how closely the new Challenger resembles the old. Dodge's designers did a phenomenal job of clearly representing the old Challenger but still making it look modern and clean.

Since, 0-60 times weren't talked of much in the 60's and 70's, I decided to compare 1/4 mile times to see which is really faster (also, old muscle cars smoked the tires so much, a 1/4 mile time is much more accurate than 0-60).

Let's first see what's under the hoods. The 1970 Hemi Challenger was equipped with a 426 ci (7 liter) Hemi V8 producing 425 HP and 490 lbs/ft of torque. The new 2009 Hemi Challenger SRT-8 is fitted with a 6.1 liter (372 ci) Hemi V8 producing 425 HP and 420 lbs/ft of torque.

1/4 mile accelaration:

2009 Challenger SRT-8 = 13.3 sec
1970 Hemi Challenger = 13.0 sec

Now before my inbox get's flooded with emails, I've read numerous figures posted by Challenger fanatics, and the 1970 Challenger time is as accurate as I could get (some said 12.9, 12.95, 13.0, 13.1)

So there you have it, 1970 technology wins when it comes to going fast in a straight line. Luckily, we have come a LONG way in handling and braking.

Check back to see my next 1/4 mile match up, The 1968/69 Chevrolet Corvette L88 vs. 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06