Nissan GT-Rs Drag Shelby GT350 and Tuned Mustang GT, Someone Gets Blown Away

Sure, both are classic two-door sports cars. The iconic Ford Mustang is even the originator of a new class of automobiles, as back in 1964, it established the ‘pony’ car niche. Today, it has already reached its seventh generation, with the (S650) 2024 model year expected to hit nationwide dealerships as soon as possible later this year.

Meanwhile, Nissan just announced yet another refresh for the R35 GT-R high-performance grand tourer, a nameplate that has been around since 1969 if we also count the five Skyline GT-R iterations that preceded its production introduction from back in December of 2007. That would be almost 16 years ago, during which time, the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged VR38DETT V6-powered GT-R has seen the passing of no less than three Mustang generations!

Alas, that does not mean people are not going to try and pit them against each other. And the best way to do it – also the only safe way to do it – is within the confines of a racing circuit. Again, the ‘Stang might not hold a candle against the GT-R on a winding track, especially if we talk about earlier iterations. But when it comes to quarter-mile dragstrip shenanigans, we always love to expect the unexpected. As such, here is a new feature from the videographer behind the Wheels channel on YouTube.

He is a huge fan of ‘Thunder Mountain’ - aka the Bandimere Speedway facilities located near Morrison and Lakewood in Colorado, and the latest upload (from January 17th) focuses on a couple of feisty R35 Nissan GT-Rs duking it out with a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, as well as a “modded” Mustang GT, according to the description. Well, it is quite safe to say that we were surprised, indeed – though not for the most positive reasons, at least during the initial skirmish that put everything into perspective.

Apparently lacking any tire warming, the GT-R and Shelby GT350 were both rather skittish off the mark. The Nissan was even more so but it managed to quickly recoup the Blue Oval’s lead and fly past it by the time both were clear of the Christmas tree’s zone. In the end, even the GT-R looked way faster than it really was (probably all thanks to the cool twin-turbo and V8 soundtracks), as it snatched victory with a rather disappointing 12.14s (at 104 mph/167 kph) to 13.7s (at 109 mph/175 kph) result.

Luckily, the second battle seen from the 1:07 mark was a bit subtler from the gray visual standpoint but also a lot feistier. And the photo finish showed close, low elevens after the ETs and trap speeds were tallied!