Kind folks, what we have here is a good old-fashioned all-American feud that dates back to the Middle Ages. Well, that's if the United States existed in medieval times, but let's not get lost in the details and see how much a Ford Mustang Mach 1 regretted going against a Dodge Challenger Hellcat in a quarter-mile drag race.
In short, and most likely, to no one's surprise, the Hellcat beat the Mach 1 to a pulp. The Challenger crossed the finish line in 11.11 seconds, going at 123.63 mph or 198.96 kph, while the Mustang took 13.47 seconds to get there at a considerably slower speed, 108.66 mph (174.87 kph).
Since the first Mach 1 came alive in 1969, it has phased in and out of existence. Most recently, the track-ready muscle car came equipped with a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 engine that produced up to 470 horsepower with 410 lb-ft (556 Nm) of torque.
For better or worse, the Mach 1 was replaced in 2024 by a different beast, the Mustang Dark Horse trim. Starting at just over $60k, it's packing the 4th-gen Coyote NA V8 mill that produces 500 horsepower and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm) of torque.
Throw in a few extra bucks, 4,000 to be almost exact, and you can opt for the Dark Horse Premium edition with a 6-speed manual, or take out even more money from your pocket for the 10-speed automatic gearbox, nicely rounding the damages to $67,000.
Photo: Wheels Plus
On the opposite lane, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat doesn't have a care in the world with its 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine. Starting with an MSRP of $71,295, the SRT Hellcat with RWD-only and a 6-speed manual transmission system produces 717 horsepower and 656 lb-ft of torque. For European countries, that's 727 ps and 889 Nm.
If your bank account allows it, you can go for the ultimate $91,300 Challenger configuration, the SRT Super Stock, which comes with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and, of course, RWD. The 6.2-liter mill generates 807 hp (818 ps) with 707 lb-ft (958 Nm) of torque.
In our case, it didn't really matter which Hellcat the Mustang faced. Luckily, aside from the raw power and torque these gorgeous American machines produce, there were no excuses to be dished out for losing, such as driver error and whatnot. They both did the pre-race warmup, unlike in another video filmed by the "Wheels Plus" videographer. Oh, boy, was that a doozy.
On the very same Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a Mustang S550 raced an S650, and the older-gen muscle car won in 11.98 seconds, while the 2024 model crossed the line after 12.69 seconds. The verdict is that the new kid on the block didn't warm up its tires, whereas its opponent knew what he was doing. The speed strap caught them both at 115 mph or 185 kph, but a loss is still a loss.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News