LS-Swapped 1959 Cadillac Gives Challenger a Scare at the Drag Strip: Track Time Tuesday

A proper LSA swap makes this massive land yacht of a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado decently quick down the quarter-mile.

Cadillacs were the epitome of luxury and style back in the day, but one thing that they were not is, well, very fast. Massive boats on wheels like the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado weighed literal tons, after all, even if they were packing huge engines under their mile-long hood, and didn’t offer enough in the way of power to compensate. Besides, nobody actually runs these hugely finned creations at the track, right? Well, the owner of this particular 1959 Cadillac Eldorado didn’t get that memo, but then again, this car isn’t running a stock Caddy powerplant, either.

Rather, in this video from YouTuber Cars and Zebras, we learn that the massive and yacht is the recipient of an LS swap in the form of a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 that was lifted from a 2013 Cadillac CTS-V. It produces a healthy 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque, which it sends to the rear wheels via a 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission and 3.73 gears, which should help move its 4,500-pound mass (according to the owner, original weight was around 5k) a bit quicker down the track.

In the other lane, the Caddy’s foe on this particular outing is a 2021 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 Widebody, which comes equipped with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that was factory rated to produce 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. Problem is, even though it may not look as large, the Challenger is also quite heavy as it tips the scales at 4,300 pounds. And that makes for one interesting drag race between these two very different machines.

In the first race, things are pretty even until around midway down the track, when the Challenger begins to pull ahead a bit. By the time both cars cross the finish line, it takes the win with an 11.96-second run at 113 mph versus the Caddy’s 12.95 at 95 mph. It’s unclear what sort of mods the Challenger has been treated to, but it does have some, which makes this run all the more impressive. With a few tweaks, the gigantic vintage Eldorado could likely run right with it, if not beat it outright, and how entertaining would that be?

Join the LS1Tech forums now!

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.