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Here’s an unlikely but interesting automotive showdown. We don’t often see classic Porsches get involved in drag racing, but that hasn’t stopped these old 911 owners from having fun. As for the competition, it’s just the average 30 year old Honda Civic. No problem for 911, right?
Admittedly, Honda is far than average. As you can easily see in the latest Hoonigan this vs. It video, the hatchback engine is so fat there’s not even room for the hood. This factory is borrowed from the old Integra, and we won’t bore you with a long list of upgrades. Be aware that, with a large turbo pushing air into the cylinders, it is estimated to put out about 600 horsepower to the wheels. It is thought that the Honda tires were spinning during dyno testing. So yeah, it’s got some serious power for this race.
Luckily, so are Porsches. Technically, this is a 1978 911 but was created as a tribute to the 1973 911 Targa Florio race car. In this case, restaurant is also an apt description as there is a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six at the rear which makes 595 hp. It’s still air-conditioned, and the owners love carving canyons on the weekends. Despite its race car vibe, this is a legit street car complete with working air conditioning. Also, it carries most of its weight on the drive wheels. That could be a factor in this competition.
What we mean is of course a factor. In the first of three races, the Civic got a healthy jump from the start but struggled with traction for nearly the entire 1,000-foot run. That much power in a front-wheel drive car on road tires is a handful on a prepared drag strip, let alone an unprepared runway. As a result, we had a very tight race with a Porsche racer trying hard at the very end to win by half a car’s distance.
Race two saw a balanced rollout among the competitors, but Honda couldn’t connect. Meanwhile, the 911 makes good use of all the available power, and crosses the line several car lengths ahead of the Civic. With two wins out of three, the event win fell to 911. However, a bonus race was held with the car starting evenly from 40 mph. This helps Honda with traction, but is it enough for the hatchback to claim at least one win against a classic Porsche?
For more 911 love, check out the Rambling About Cars podcast where we cover the new Porsche 911 Sport Classic.
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