Matt Watson and the carwow crew turned an airfield into a Mustang time machine, lining up seven generations of Ford Mustang for an all-out drag race showdown. From classic V8 bruisers to the latest high-tech performance models, this was a quarter-mile battle across decades.
The plan was simple: run elimination heats with a “winner stays on” format, mixing rolling races and standing quarter-mile sprints. Early drama struck when a rare Shelby GT350—on loan from the Petersen Automotive Museum—was sidelined due to engine concerns, leaving the Ford Mustang II King Cobra and Ford Mustang Fox Body GT to kick things off.
Despite modest power figures, the older cars delivered close, character-filled racing, with traction, tuning quirks, and driver skill playing a bigger role than outright horsepower. As the competition moved forward, later generations like the Ford Mustang Bullitt models brought more muscle to the fight, squaring off in tight rolling races and increasingly competitive launches.
The final heat introduced modern firepower: the Ford Mustang Bullitt versus the range-topping Ford Mustang Dark Horse. With advanced gearboxes, launch control, and significantly higher output, the newer cars quickly separated themselves—though not without some playful accusations of jump starts and “creative” launches.
In the end, progress told the story. The Dark Horse dominated with a 12.7-second quarter mile, followed by the 2018 Bullitt at 13.4 seconds. Earlier generations trailed behind, with times stretching into the mid-16-second range.
Beyond the results, the race highlighted the Mustang’s evolution—from raw, analog machines to refined, high-performance tech. Different eras, different strengths—but the same unmistakable V8 spirit roaring down the strip.
Source: carwow
