That headline isnt a joke –this week’s Mopar Muscle Thursday video features a 1985 Dodge Omni racing on the 8th mile against a 2003/2004 Ford Mustang Cobra. Better known as a Terminator Cobra, this factory supercharged beast was one of the fastest factory stock Mustangs when it was introduced but the Terminator in this video doesn’t stand a chance against the Ugly Old Omni.
Very little is known about the 1985 Dodge Omni that the owner has dubbed the Ugly Old Omni but the brief bit of information on the car’s website indicates that it is powered by a 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. There is no mod list but considering how hard this Omni leaves the starting line and how quickly it rips through the 8th mile – I would bet that this funky little Dodge hatchback has a pretty extensive mod list.
As you may notice the Omni does redlight on this particular run but as it goes through the traps with a time of 7.701 at 91.4 miles per hour to the Cobra’s 9.99 at 67.9 miles per hour – it wouldn’t have made much of a difference as the Mustang couldn’t have beaten the Omni with a time like that anyways. Regardless of the redlight or who got to the finish line first, the fact that this Omni ran 7.701 is incredible on this run and what is even more impressive is this car’s best run ever of 7.513 in the 8th mile. Those 8th mile ETs would translate to quarter mile runs in the mid 11 second range…by a 5-door non-Shelby Dodge Omni.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
