Despite being discontinued, Camaro ZL1s, Hellcats, and Shelby GT500s thrill fans at dragstrips, proving their power with jaw-dropping nine-second runs.
As muscle car enthusiasts watch the traditional American icons disappear from the showrooms, fans are left to savor the legacy of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 on the local quarter-mile dragstrip. With only the seventh-generation S650 Ford Mustang still in production, the Camaro and Charger have ended their production runs, making these high-powered muscle cars all the more thrilling to see in action.
While the sixth-generation Camaro has bid farewell, General Motors shows no intention of bringing a replacement to market soon. Similarly, the Dodge Charger and Challenger were also discontinued last year, with Stellantis now planning a reboot with a new Dodge Charger on the STLA Large architecture featuring electric options and a twin-turbo inline-six for the “Sixpack” models. Even the Ford Mustang lineup has shifted, focusing on the new Dark Horse and limited-production GTD but leaving the Shelby nameplate absent for now.
For those loyal to the horsepower-packed icons, the dragstrip has become a place to see these defunct legends come alive. YouTubers like Drag Racing and Car Stuff have captured the intense action, bringing together these former showroom kings in epic showdowns at tracks like Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway and Bradenton Motorsports Park.
The action kicks off with a green Chevy Camaro ZL1 facing a similarly green Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Both equipped with aftermarket wheels and black hoods, they tear down the strip with the Camaro finishing in an impressive 9.5 seconds at 150 mph, leaving the Hellcat trailing at 10.2 seconds and 135 mph. The thrill continues as a blue Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and a white Camaro ZL1 match each other with a time of 10.48 seconds, with the ZL1 taking the win by a hair due to a slightly better reaction time.
In the following race, a Dodge Charger with silver and blue stripes takes on a yellow Camaro, clocking 10.23 seconds compared to the Camaro’s 11.93. The drama continues as a black Camaro ZL1 outruns a white Chevy truck with a 9.42-second run, while the truck finishes at 11.23 seconds. The finale brings another Shelby GT500, which blazes through the track in 9.92 seconds, defeating a Camaro ZL1 that clocks in at 10.86 seconds.
These adrenaline-filled matchups spark debate among fans: Was General Motors too quick to end Camaro production without a successor in sight? And did Stellantis act prematurely in reimagining the Dodge Charger as an EV and inline-six platform? As these American muscle legends push boundaries on the dragstrip, enthusiasts can’t help but wonder if these powerhouses will ever return to their former glory—or if their legacy will live on solely in thrilling dragstrip duels.
