Porsche 911 Turbo S Drag Races Ford Shelby Mustang GT500, Both Run Nines

They are both among the top representatives of their countries' automotive culture, which is probably why apart from being quick two-door coupes, there are more things setting them apart than bringing them together.

Let's start with the engines. The 911 Turbo S - a member of the 991.2 generation, in this case - uses a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six with 580 PS (572 hp) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. The power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a solution that's become the norm for all modern sports cars. The newer version of the 911 Turbo S would have brought even better numbers for the German contender with 650 PS (641 hp) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque but, at this point, we don't yet know if the extra power is needed or the 991.2 has enough to beat the American rival.

On paper, it sure doesn't. The Shelby GT500 gets a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with no less than 760 hp and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) of twisting power, enough to put even the 992 Turbo S to shame. It also gets a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, meaning gear shifts will not act as a handicap. The only two downsides for the Shelby are the fact it's rear-wheel-drive-only and the extra 700 pounds (about 320 kg) it has to carry around.

They are two very different machines that use distinct strategies to prevail over their opponents: the Porsche launches at them right from the off, forcing a chase that may or may not succeed, while the GT500 needs a bit of time to find its feet, but once it does there are very few cars out there that can outpace it.

We're not going to spoil which of the two ways of tackling a drag race won in this case, but we will tell you they both had nine-second runs. Granted, one of them didn't go under the ten-second mark in the race against the other, but even if it had, it still wouldn't have been enough to grab the win. As for our respect, they both already had it from the start.