Turbocharged V8 and supercharged V8 go head-to-head to see which boosted Chevy is better.
This battle between old and new Chevrolet performance cars comes to us from the YouTube channel of the National No Prep Racing Association and it features a 1980 Malibu taking on a late 4th generation Camaro. Both cars are built to dominate the drag strip, with one car running a turbocharged system while the other runs a supercharged setup.
The Competitors
This battle takes place between a 4th generation Chevrolet Camaro in the right lane and a 1980 Chevrolet Malibu in the left lane. There aren’t many details on either car, but we know that the Camaro has a big single turbo setup, presumably feeding compressed air to some variety of LSX engine.
The Malibu doesn’t have a hood, so we can see that it has a big Procharger setup that feeds what appears to be a big block Chevy V8.
Finally, both cars have skinny front drag wheel setups and fat drag radials out back, with a parachute hanging off of the rear end. There is little question that both of these Chevy cars are built to blast down the track, and that is exactly what they do.
The Battle
The video begins by giving us a quick look at both cars before each does a smoky burnout. As the two roll out of the burnout box, the Malibu stalls, leaving the Camaro waiting at the staging beams while the driver tries to get the boxy classic to fire up. Fortunately, it does restart, so the Malibu pulls to the line to face the turbocharged Camaro.
When the green lights drop, the Malibu leaves the line with the front wheels up and it appears to have an early lead, but the Camaro quickly pulls into the lead and runs away to get the win light.
"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.
