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825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, It All Goes South

There are enemies, and then there are arch-enemies. But we're only interested in battles that are "fought" on the race track. And drag racing is sometimes the best way of settling a dispute between two drivers. Just as the Toyota Supra is one of Nissan Skyline's arch-enemies, so is the Dodge Challenger to the Ford Mustang.
825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South 12 photos
Photo: Throttle House
825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South825-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South
And today, we're looking at two of the most spectacular versions of both cars. They're both about to go head-to-head in a straight-line acceleration challenge. The Shelby Super Snake will be trying to exorcise the Dodge Demon. But I can't help shake the feeling that it may regret having the nerve to step up. After all, the Demon was built with drag-racing in mind. And the Super Snake also has the downside of being a convertible.

Looking over the specs of these two vehicles, that feeling will only grow stronger. Both the Demon and the Super Snake are powered by supercharged engines. And they're both RWD. But the Demon's running a 6.2-liter unit, which is slightly bigger than what the Super Snake has to offer. The Shelby is rated at 825 horsepower, which is 17 more than you get in the Dodge. But the tables turn after you get to see the torque figures.

The Demon's V8 pumps out 717 lb-ft (972 Nm) of torque, while the Super Snake is only good for 630 lb-ft (854 Nm). Ironically, it was Carroll Shelby that once said, "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races." Looking at the price tags for the two contenders, you'll notice that the Shelby is almost twice as expensive. The question is, will the stock Demon be capable of defeating its opponent at the drag strip?

825\-HP Super Snake Drag Races Demon, it All Goes South
Photo: Throttle House
Both cars are running on 94-octane, and this is a no-prep track. So it's as close as you can get to simulating a street race but without breaking the law. The Shelby is off to a better start. And it manages to get in front, at least for a short while. But the Demon comes back in full force, supercharger whining like crazy. It crosses the finish line in 1st, about two car lengths ahead of the Shelby.

Right after the first run, the Mustang runs into a small problem. Going into Limp Mode isn't exactly encouraging when stepping up to a drag strip monster like the Demon. After allowing the car to cool down, it seems to be running fine once again, but for how long? For the second run, the drivers opt for a rolling start. The Demon starts pulling away from the very first moment.

The gap is similar to what we saw in the first run. I can't help but wonder how a Super Snake owner is going to feel like seeing this race. You can't deny the exclusivity of a Super Snake model. But if you're more interested in getting good results at the track, doesn't it make more sense to buy a GT500 and work your way up from there? To make things worse, the Super Snake goes into limp mode once more as it tries to go up against a stock Audi S4.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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