For several weeks now, the guys over at The Fast Lane Truck have been pitching their new 2021 Ram TRX against multiple other trucks, trying to find out which one is the fastest in a straight-line acceleration contest. But their newest "Run What You Brung" episode shows them doing something slightly different. Now some of you may see this race as comparing apples to oranges, but the idea isn't all that bad.
They've brought a very serious contender for the Ram TRX. We're looking at a Shelby GT500. Yes, a supercharged, 5.2-liter V8-powered muscle car. The Shelby GT500 is an amazing machine in every sense, and it brings 760 horsepower to the table and a maximum torque of 625 lb-ft (847 Nm). A dual-clutch, 7-speed automatic gearbox is in place, but given the cold weather outside, the GT500 is facing a huge challenge, due to it having rear-wheel-drive.
In the other corner, the Ram TRX, albeit some 2100 lbs (952 kg) heavier than the GT500, has the benefit of using an all-wheel-drive setup. The TRX's engine is also slightly larger, at 6.2-liters. So, even though the Ram TRX only has 702 horsepower, it does come with more torque - 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) to be more specific. If this was a race down the drag strip, on the quarter-mile (402 m), I am almost certain that the Ram TRX would have lost.
But this is the real world, it's cold outside, the track isn't treated with VHT, and to make things worse, the reviewer can't really afford to do a burnout in the Shelby to warm up the tires, as the car belongs to someone else, and doing something like that just wouldn't be common courtesy. Before getting to see the actual race, our ears are treated to an exhaust-battle, but you'll have to decide a winner for yourself.
The Shelby GT500 gets a first practice run, and it becomes clear that putting all of the power down is going to be downright impossible. For the first official run, it gets a terrible start, and the Ram TRX immediately lunges forward winning the race by several car lengths.
A rematch is in order, and this time the GT500 uses its launch control for a better start. The Ram TRX is completely unfaded as it rushes across the finish line, gapping the Shelby once again. As this is not an actual drag strip, the only problem the TRX has is stopping after the race is over. The conclusion is that the challenge is going to be repeated under better traction conditions in the not so distant future, that should be more conclusive!
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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