[VIDEO] 1969 Chevy Nova SS396 Hits Drag Strip Against 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

What’s better – more power, or less weight? In the world of drag racing, it can be a bit of a toss-up, but now, we’re seeing this battle play out with a drag race between a 1969 Chevy Nova SS396 and 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi.

This video includes a walk around and specs for both vehicles, as well as some racing action towards the end. Notably, the video also gets back to some of the humor that Cars And Zebras is known for.

Let’s start with the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. The big news here is under the hood, where the Dodge comes equipped with a 426 cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine with a compression ratio of 10.28:1. Output was underrated at 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, feeding the rear wheels by way of a four-speed manual transmission and 3.54 rear gears. That’s some decent power, but curb weight is rated at a hefty 4,078 pounds with driver onboard.

In the other lane is a 1969 Chevy Nova SS396, which features the 396 cubic-inch V8 L78. As the video hosts points out, this V8 comes equipped with a range of exciting goodies, including a solid lifter cam, forged crank and rods, an aluminum intake manifold, Holley 780 cfm carb, and a compression ratio of 11.0:1. Output was rated at 375 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 415 pound-feet of torque, although those numbers were likely underrated as well. Putting it all to the rear axle is a three-speed automatic transmission with a high-stall torque converter, heavy-duty flex plate, strengthened clutch packs, and 6,400-rpm shift points. A set of 4.10 gears are in back.

While output is lower in the Chevy Nova, the curb weight is significantly lower as well, tipping the scales at 3,620 pounds with driver onboard.

It’ll be interesting to see which of these machines will come out on top. Hit play to see for yourself. Racing action gets moving around the 3-minute, 32-second mark. To note, both cars participate in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series.