Defunct Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Drags Surviving R35 Nissan GT-R, Obliteration Follows

For starters, they're both relics in terms of modern automotive industry terms – following along the Nissan Skyline GT-R lineage, which kicked off back in 1969 – the R35 Nissan GT-R started production in December 2007, and it's still going strong with the Japanese automaker recently unveiling the 2025 model year. Likewise, the third-generation Dodge Challenger was almost as old as manufacturing, which started in April 2008 in Canada at the Brampton, Ontario-based Brampton Assembly facility.

On the other hand, they're also worlds apart when it comes to their driving spirit – one is motivated by the iconic 3.8-liter twin-turbo VR38DETT V6, while the other is best known for its Hemi series of naturally aspirated and supercharged V8 engines. However, until its demise in December 2023, when production ceased (there's still inventory), the Challenger was also offered with a V6 – although the 3.6-liter Pentastar mill clearly can't compete on the same level as the GT-R powertrain.

Speaking of competition, the R35 Nissan GT-R has always been a darling of JDM fans, even in North America, hence its numerous appearances on the scene of local quarter-mile dragstrips and many related events. It's so popular that you can never know if it's stock, a 'sleeper,' or an all-out monster. Instead, all you can do is hope for the best action scenario, especially when the other opponent is a now-defunct Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat sporting the mighty supercharged Hemi V8. Here, let us give you an eloquent example. So, the videographer behind the Wheels Plus channel on YouTube is a big fan of The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada and Bandimere Speedway in Colorado but also loves some good action at MRP in Canada

Mission Raceway Park – also known as MRP or 'Thunder by the River' – is an auto racing facility located in Mission, British Columbia, Canada, packing an NHRA-sanctioned quarter-mile dragstrip, a nine-turn road course, as well as a motocross track. On this occasion, the videographer focused on just a single race – the meeting between an all-black R35 Nissan GT-R sitting in the left lane and a gray Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat doing the pre-race burnout right beside it in the 'farmer lane.' Obviously, this is anyone's guess, as the Hellcat has more power, but the R35 is nimbler and potentially 'lethal' at the strip.

Well, as it turns out, this 'domestic versus import' drag race encounter is a classic case of Mopar wiseness – the Dodge driver put those chrome wheels to good use and darted out of its starting position a lot faster than the GT-R opponent. In the end, also compounding the reaction times, the Hellcat obliterated the R35's better performance off the mark (10.44s at 154 mph versus 10.89s at 127 mph). Or are you one of those fans who don't care about RTs and only want to see the end result on the electronic scoreboard?