Fast & Furious Toyota Supra v Dodge Charger: DRAG RACE

Overview

Matt Watson recreates the opening street races from the first Fast & Furious and then runs a standing quarter-mile knockout drag tournament between iconic movie cars (mostly replicas) to see how they actually perform. The event mixes short rolling races (to pick winners) with standing quarter-mile drag races, plus lots of banter, clutch jokes and chaotic moments.

Format

• Short rolling races to determine matchups/winners.
• Standing quarter-mile drag races to decide the tournament progression and final results.
• Commentary, driver banter, and on-the-fly repairs/adjustments between runs.

Standout moments & reactions

• The Mazda RX-7 (rotary) spectacularly blew its engine on the first rolling race — huge smoke, tow truck, groans and the resigned acceptance: rotaries are fragile.
• The Honda Civic was hampered by an automatic gearbox lag (Blake complained about a delayed kick-down), so it was never a real contender.

• Matt’s running commentary was full of one-liners and movie callbacks, such as:

  “Too soon, Junior.” “I felt like I was pulling out of my grandmother’s driveway.” “Winning’s winning.” “I don’t have friends. I got family.” “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.”

• The Peterson Automotive Museum car (the actual movie car used in two films, valued around $250k) ran strong and was a fan favorite. Matt was only allowed to drive it under museum rules.

• The Honda S2000 (supercharged with VTEC in their build) impressed with screaming VTEC and a decisive mid-run victory over lower-powered cars.
• The Nissan R33 Skyline was a surprise bruiser in the rolling runs but was ultimately beaten in the standing quarter-mile by higher-power cars; there were playful excuses about skipped gears and a “book of excuses.”
• The replica Dodge Charger (massive 7.2L supercharged V8, ~500+ hp) delivered brutal mid-range shove and won several matchups — heavy-feeling but monstrously strong off the line.
• Final shock: the Toyota Supra won the standing quarter-mile. Everyone was stunned until it was revealed the car had a V8 swap (a 4.0L Lexus V8), bringing output to roughly 300 hp/400 Nm — explaining its upset over the Charger.

Funny / memorable bits

• A door fell out mid-race, adding brief physical comedy.
• Tires overheated and spun on launches, prompting jokes about “grandma-style” launches and complaints about restrictions on launching the museum car hard.
• Drivers and Matt traded playful insults: “Go and rev up your loving JDM POS,” “wanker engine,” and other digs about relative power and heritage.

Official quarter-mile times (standing)

1. Toyota Supra (winner) — 14.0 s
   • Later found to have a V8 swap (4.0L Lexus V8), explaining the upset over the Charger.
2. Dodge Charger — 14.3 s
3. Nissan Skyline R33 GTR — 14.6 s
4. Honda S2000 — 15.6 s
5. Acura Integra — 16.0 s
6. Mitsubishi Eclipse — 17.5 s
7. Honda Civic — 19.3 s (slowest; limited by automatic gearbox)

Final notes

• Most cars were fairly stock replicas, except for the museum car(s) and the Supra’s unexpected V8 swap.
• Big thanks were given to Sean (the builder/owner who brought many cars) and the Peterson Automotive Museum for lending cars and helping make the stunt possible.

People featured

• Matt Watson (presenter)
• Sean (car builder/owner, racer)
• Alex (driving the Eclipse, “Paul Walker” role)
• Blake (driving the Civic)
• Sam (racing driver / starter)