Can a drag strip encounter between the land missile that is the McLaren 765LT and a 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that has been pushed into four-digit muscle territory be labeled as a friendly match? Of course it can, these are the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) guys training together in anticipation of the EV community's next step, which the tri-motor Tesla Model S Plaid should deliver by the end of the year.
On many occasions, vloggers turn to the aftermarket community before taking their machines to social media, but this is far from your standard YouTube brawl.
As such, the first camp, which is represented by the Drag Times YT channel, brought a bone stock McLaren 765LT to the fight. It did run on Toyo R888R tires, but it reportedly delivered similar 1/4-mile numbers on the factory rubber (think: non-Corsa Pirelli P Zero).
And the supercar duked it out with the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 development car of tuner/builder Palm Beach Dyno. While we've already seen the pony and the mid-engined animal at work, both seem to have upped the ante meanwhile, since we are now looking at a pair of 9.3s cars.
Previous dyno runs have unsurprisingly shown that the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 of the 765LT punches well above the official output number of 754 hp. As for how this Ford sprints on a dyno, it has been taken to about 1,250 hp (1,100 wheel horsepower, since this is what the dyno read).
That's quite a jump from the not-exactly-restrained factory output of 760 hp. And the jump comes from a ported blower with more added boost, a pretty liberal exhaust setup, and a race gas tune, among others. The clutches and the rear diff? They're still stock!
Now, the curb weight comparison of the two might explain why they play in the same league since the muscle car is over 1,200 lbs (544 kg) chunkier than the supercar. Speaking of which, this Mustang has skipped the factory carbon fiber Track Package, replacing the $18,500 option with an aftermarket treatment that uses the wonder material for the hood, wheels and front seats, while, not unlike the said pack, this removes the rear seats.
Sure, the midship configuration of the 765 Longtail should ensure better launches, but the front-engined American toy features racing slicks at the back. And with both packing dual-clutch units, the "friendly" bit mentioned in the intro might not be what it seems.
Now, if you're looking for the quicker/faster car (elapsed time vs. trap speed), make sure to check out the timestamps included in the video below, since this is how one determines the actual winner; we're looking a multi-run shenanigan here, with the initial plan involving a three-race encounter.
However, you'll see the drivers keeping track of which machine reaches the finish line first, which also involves their reaction times.
Regardless of how you go about keeping tabs, while the duel mentioned above kicks off at the 5:37 point, there's a bonus battle seeing the GT500 duking it out with a modded 765LT at the 11:55 timestamp. Now, the modded McLaren features custom downpipes and a tune, a setup that doesn't sound too different from the one of the 8-second Longtail example we recently discussed.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News