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2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Races McLaren 570S, How Many Car Lengths?

A 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 might not strike you as the ideal competitor for a race against a baby supercar such as the McLaren 570S Spider. Yet this didn't keep the driver of such a muscle from duking it out with the British missile.
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Races McLaren 570S 4 photos
Photo: Auto Glory/YouTube
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Races McLaren 570S2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Races McLaren 570S2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Races McLaren 570S
The two velocity toys got together during a meet held last month, with the enthusiasts behind the wheels deciding to see which could reach the horizon quicker.

The matter was settled using two rolling start runs, with the hostilities kicking off at 60 mph (96 kph). Needless to say, you shouldn't allow such street brawls to serve as an example - make sure you head over to the drag strip when you feel it's your time to race, so you can keep things on the safe side.

Who knows? Perhaps it was the age of the open-top machine that determined the muscle car driver to engage in the fight. After all, the 570S, a Sports Series model that entered production in 2015, is set to be replaced by the Artura later this month. The newcomer will leave the twin-turbo V8 engine behind for a hybridized twin-turbo V6, in a first for the Woking automaker.

With the exception of its slightly less muscular sibling, the 540C, the 570S is the least powerful Macca out there. The output of its twin-turbo 3.8L V8 sits well below that of the GT500's supercharged 5.2-liter V8: we're talking 562 vs. 760 ponies.

Of course, we can't deny a pair of key advantages the mid-engined machine packs over its front-engined challenger, namely aerodynamics and a scale footprint difference of over 900 lbs (400 kg). Then again, the beasts are evenly matched in the transmission department since both feature seven-speed dual-clutch trannies.

Now, the piece of footage below, which YouTuber Auto Glory captured from the passenger seat of the GT500, actually involves two battles. In addition to the one discussed above, we have a bit of a debate on the number of car lengths secured by the winner during the first race, which seems to dominate the comments section of the clip.

So, with the vlogger mentioning one car length in the clip, a commenter begged to differ: "[...] that’s two car lengths, not one. If your front bumper was at his rear bumper, that would be one car." And the YouTuber's reply came swiftly: "Yes, you are technically right. When I said one car I was referring to the gap between his rear bumper and our front. But you're right."

So, how do you count your car lengths, folks - is it the size of the gap between the two vehicles or the distance the one that got ahead traveled from the initial side-by-side position?

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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