Shelby GT500 Drag Races McLaren 720S, Proves a Point

The Brits were definitely ahead of their time. For going fast, you just add lightness and an insanely good turbo V8. You don't need AWD or a V12. So many drag races have shown the 720S is among the few performance vehicles that can keep up with a top Tesla.

There's a new batch of Ferraris out this year, and they have the power+pedigree combo to take down the British legend. But can you do the same thing using an American muscle monster and how much more power would you need for that?

Enter the Shelby GT500. This infamous name needs no introduction, but since we're dealing with an all-new generation, some specs are in order. While the super-pony is among the lightest of its kind, it's no McLaren when it comes to lightness, yet it does have a mighty engine.

Ford is really good at performance V8s, and this supercharged 5.2-liter produces about 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) of torque, both of which are slightly better than the McLaren's official specs, not that you should believe those anyways.

Now that the king of Mustangs is in the hands of Hennessey, we wouldn't be surprised to see a 1,000 horsepower version by next month. That could completely change the outcome of this fight with a McLaren, but maybe we should just let the chips fall where they may and get on with it.

The Texas tuner does three different runs to ensure a fair result. Who are we kidding here, the McLaren has dipped into the high 9s on rare occasions, so the GT500 doesn't stand a chance. But it was pretty close.