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2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Hellcat, Skills Make a World of Difference

Big V8s, superchargers whining, rear-wheel drive. The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat are pretty similar in these respects, and both of them are pretty hard to launch with minimal wheelspin. The question is, which is the quicker car over the quarter mile?
2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat 6 photos
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Drag Races Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
In the first race, the HEMI-engined brute crosses the line first because Sam CarLegion isn’t accustomed to launching the Predator-engined muscle car. Second time out on the track, the owner of the Shelby GT500 shows the Hellcat how it’s done. In the roll, the Ford Motor Company’s most powerful series-production car shows who’s boss once again, which is only natural.

You see, the Challenger in the featured clip is the narrow-body variant. It’s fitted with 20- by 9.5-inch wheels that flaunt 275/40 ZR20 rubber shoes, either all-season performance tires or summer tires as per the online configurator. The Mustang, on the other hand, is rocking wider wheels and wider tires. It’s obvious the Shelby GT500 is lighter as well, namely 4,171 pounds (1,892 kilograms) as opposed to 4,436 pounds (2,021 kilograms).

The differences aren’t quite over yet. Take, for instance, the ZF 8HP automatic transmission of the Dodge versus the Tremec TR-9070 double-clutch affair of the Ford. We also have to remind ourselves that Dodge uses a pushrod V8 while Ford uses a DOHC valvetrain for their Voodoo-based snarling V8.

In terms of output numbers, the Hellcat is much obliged to crank out 717 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 656 pound-feet (889 Nm) of torque at 4,800 revolutions per minute. The Predator, on the other hand, is rated at 760 ponies at 7,300 rpm and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) at 5,000 rpm.

Had the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 been challenged by the Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the most hardcore new Challenger available today, the conclusion to these drag races might have been very different.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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