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Tesla Model S Vs. Challenger Hellcat Redeye Drag Race Is Tighter Than Tights

The Tesla Model S, particularly with the latest updates (which aren't really all that new anymore) such as the Raven motor up front, eats Hellcats for breakfast.
Tesla Model S Performance vs. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Tesla Model S Performance vs. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat RedeyeTesla Model S Performance vs. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat RedeyeTesla Model S Performance vs. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat RedeyeTesla Model S Performance vs. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye
Well, as long as it's a quarter-mile race or shorter. Anything over that distance and the Hellcat gets enough room to cancel its only major disadvantage, which is the fact that the mighty 6.2-liter V8 and the eight-speed transmission only spin the rear wheels.

The 2021 Hellcat has just received a 10 hp power boost bringing its output to 717 hp, but that still falls way short of what the Redeye offers. The rabid Hellcat extracts 797 hp out of the same 6.2-liter V8 engine, which is enough to make it the most powerful option in the lineup now that the Demon is gone.

Putting the Tesla Model S Performance and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye next to each other provides a very conflicting sight. Our eyes tell us that one car is clearly much quicker than the other, while our brains, knowing all the numbers and the previous drag races witnessed, they are more reserved when it comes to placing bets.

And our brains are right. In the 1/8-mile, the Tesla Model S Performance has almost no stock contenders, and definitely none with a rear-wheel-drive setup. Double the distance and its supremacy starts to wane. It leaves plenty of yards for something with enough horsepower to reel the EV in and edge the win. The question is, can the 797 hp RWD Hellcat Redeye do it?

This particular American muscle has another thing on its side: a pair of Mickey Thompson Street S/S Drag tires. With so much power funneled toward those rear tires, they could sure do with a larger contact patch, particularly during that vital early stage of the race where the tiniest slip can decide the outcome of the entire run. According to the video's description, the Hellcat also has an aftermarket high-flow air filter and a missing rear seat for a bit of weight saving. The Tesla, on the other hand, is at its usual stock.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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