The LS-powered Firebird makes short work of the LT-powered Camaro.
This week’s featured Kill Story video was originally shared to the forum in a thread by “455GTO” from the JLws6CA YouTube channel. It’s a battle between the F-Body and the Alpha, each with power adders. One is a fourth-gen Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 and the other is a sixth-gen Chevrolet Camaro SS. However, it’s their mod lists lead to a far different race than we would get with these cars in stock form.
The competitors
The Pontiac Firebird in the near lane is owned and driven by the OP. Under the hood is an LS-based V8 measuring 403 cubic-inches. That engine is built for a big nitrous setup and on this particular run, the Trans Am is relying on a 250-shot. That big power is being sent to the big Hoosier slicks via a 4L80 automatic transmission.
The Camaro SS is powered by the new LT1 V8, fitted with a MagnaCharger and sending somewhere in the area of 730 horsepower to the rear wheels. We do not know what transmission the Camaro has, but based on how smoothly it appears to get from gear to gear, we are going to guess that it is an automatic.
The race
When the green lights drop, the white Camaro gets a great launch and jumps out to a brief early lead. However, the bottled 4g Firebird quickly comes tearing around the Chevy and it pulls hard through the top end – running a 9.846 at nearly 139 miles per hour.
After getting that great launch, the Camaro seemingly ran into some issues on the big end, running a balmy 11.328 at just 94 miles per hour. The owner of the Firebird points out that the blown Camaro had been running low tens earlier in the day, so something must have gone wrong on this run.
Even with the Camaro running into problems, this is a great race between a couple of high-powered GM F-bodies, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
