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Hennessey Supercharged Shelby GT350 Drag Races Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Hennessey Performance Engineering is a byword for ridiculous builds such as the Goliath 6x6 pickup truck, but the Texas-based tuner also likes to settle things on the strip for our entertainment. In the following video, Alex from HPE treats us to a Mopar vs. Blue Oval showdown that can only be described as a loud matchup.
Hellcat Charger vs Supercharged GT350 STREET RACE! 52 photos
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
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First time out on the track, Hennessey compares a blown Charger to a Shelby GT350R. From a rolling start, the Dodge has the upper hand for pretty obvious reasons. The Ford Mustang may have a screamin’ engine, but the Voodoo V8 doesn’t benefit from the forced induction of the Hellcat.

On paper, the difference is even more obvious. 527 horsepower and 429 pound-feet versus 707 ponies and 650 torques, to be more precise. The question is, can the Dodge hold on if the Voodoo gets supercharged?

Enter a different Ford Mustang, a Shelby GT350 without the R but with the HPE850 upgrade. A 3.0-liter blower opens the list of improvements over the stock car, followed by high-flower everything from the intake to the throttle body and injectors. All told, Hennessey can extract 858 horsepower and 673 pound-feet for a quarter-mile time of 10.8 seconds at 133 mph (214 km/h).

Pitted against the same Charger Hellcat as before, the tables turn in the pony car’s favor right off the bat. From the moment the two drivers go pedal to the metal, the Shelby GT350 with the HPE350 package walks away from the Dodge like nobody’s business despite the slightly slower stick shift.

“Sad reacts only for Dodge fans” may be the case on this occasion, but do remember how much more the Hellcat engine has to offer. Think of the Redeye and Super Stock specifications, then compare those two with the Predator V8 in the Shelby GT500. All stock, Mopar obviously has the edge.

On that note, 2020 is the final model year for the GT350 and GT350R because Ford wanted to make room for the Mach 1 variant. Current or future owners interested in the HPE850 need the shell out approximately $24,500 including labor, which is a lot of money over the already expensive starting price of the flat-plane crankshaft twins. Excluding freight, make that $60k and $73k.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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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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