When it comes to muscle cars, there are two opposing camps – classic versus modern. And while many of us enjoy both, seeing a clash between old-school muscle cars and modern muscle is always a sight to behold. YouTube channel Wheels has done a great job at compiling some of the most epic muscle car drag battles. In this case, it’s a near-nine-minute video of some awesome cars battling it out at the quarter-mile, and there are a few cool movie references in there for good measure.

The first race immediately gives us two-lane Blacktop vibes as a blown, 1955 Chevy Bel Air goes up against a C7 Corvette. Both cars run in the low-10s at 131 mph for the classic Chevy and 140 mph for the more aerodynamic C7 Corvette. The Chevy duel is quickly followed up by a duo of Dodge Challengers – a late-model and what looks to be a 1973 – both of which run within less of a second of each other.

We get a little bit of everything, Chevy on Ford, MOPAR vs MOPAR, and even Christine makes an appearance. We don’t like to spoil it for you, but we will say that the red 1959 Plymouth Fury gave a Challenger Hellcat more than a run for its money. Among the contenders, there was also a heavily modified 1973 Chevy Nova, which reminded us of the 1970 Nova used in the movie Death Proof with its matt dark-grey finish. Of course, the only things missing were the Skull decal on the front hood and the demented stunt driver, played by Kurt Russel.

As you will see in the video, some of the drag races were quite close while others were more decisive. The moral of the story is, never underestimate classic muscle. While it’s difficult to say, which camp won more races, classic or modern, the video clearly shows the performance advantages of not having to comply with modern-day emissions and safety regulations, which is something weighing down on modern vehicles.

While most modern muscle cars are trying to cater to a broader audience, with many of them becoming slightly more European in the process, old-school American muscle cars rely on the proven go-fast formula from the 1960s. Sure, modern American sports cars and muscle cars can take corners at high speeds, but there’s nothing wrong with simply going very fast in a straight line. Which camp are you from, modern muscle or classic muscle?