An Italian sedan proves its turbocharged mettle against a tuned American muscle car in an all-out quarter-mile brawl.
In a series of head-to-head drag races on Canadian soil, a modified Chevrolet Camaro SS with 510 horsepower found itself consistently outpaced by a stock Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio — an Italian four-door that refused to play by the rules of traditional muscle car hierarchy.
Captured by automotive YouTuber Sam Z. Xhepaj of the Sam CarLegion channel, the races pitted a classic American V8 bruiser against a twin-turbocharged V6-powered sedan. The matchup highlighted just how deceptive appearances — and engine specs — can be when speed is on the line.
The Camaro SS, a last hurrah of Chevrolet’s now-discontinued pony car, came equipped with a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8, six-speed Tremec manual transmission, and post-factory upgrades that included no-lift-shift tuning. Output was bumped to an estimated 510 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque, edging it slightly above stock figures.
But the Italian competitor came armed with more than just charm. The Giulia Quadrifoglio's 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 produced 505 horsepower and 443 lb-ft, paired with a swift-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. While the Camaro driver was working through gears manually, the Alfa simply surged forward, making up for its smaller displacement with forced induction and refined launch control.
In repeated quarter-mile races, the Giulia consistently outpaced the Camaro. The Italian sedan clocked a best of 12.3 seconds, while the Camaro lagged behind with a 12.6-second pass. Zero-to-60 mph times echoed the same theme: 3.9 seconds for the Alfa, compared to 4.1 for the Chevy.
Even a mid-speed roll race — traditionally friendlier to manual muscle cars — failed to yield a win for the Camaro, though it managed to stay within striking distance.
Ultimately, the contest offered a stark reminder: brute force alone isn’t always enough. In the realm of modern performance, the finesse of turbocharging, gearing, and power delivery can make all the difference — even when facing down a classic V8 with a chip on its shoulder.