It's a modern muscle showdown.
It’s the era of tire screeches, engine roars, and blistering speeds – a time when Dodge Challengers and Ford Mustangs clash in a traditional and exhilarating quarter-mile dragstrip battle, a sight automotive enthusiasts passionately anticipate. However, as we relish these fierce skirmishes, the automotive landscape is shifting. Stellantis mandates the end of the Hemi V8 era for Dodge, leaving the S650 Mustang standing solo in the ICE-powered car club, with Chevy Camaro concluding its production run by 2024.
See horrifying vintage crash test videos here.
The abrupt retirement of the 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger V8s hints at a shifting focus, leaving fans speculating about the future releases, potentially an all-electric Charger Daytona SRT and models equipped with the Hurricane straight-six engine. However, while the automotive world waits in anticipation, the robust clashes between Hellcats and Mustangs continue to captivate the audience.
The Wheels channel on YouTube brings to the spotlight the colossal battles, showcasing events from the Mission Raceway Park in Canada and high-elevation venues like the Bandimere Speedway in Colorado and The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. The high elevation and temperature undeniably impact car performances, making every race a thrilling and unpredictable event, as both Hellcats and Mustang GTs battle for supremacy.
This series of skirmishes pits the supercharged V8 Hellcats against Ford's Coyote V8, a naturally aspirated engine, showcasing intense and unpredictable races. The first encounter sees a white Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat clashing with a vibrant yellow-and-black Ford Mustang GT, possibly an RTR build. After a fierce battle, the Dodge secures a victory, albeit with unimpressive times – 13.48s for Dodge and 14.13s for Ford.
In the subsequent clash, a black Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat faces off against a white Ford Mustang GT. In a remarkable twist, the Mustang takes the lead and maintains it, securing victory according to the track light, contrasting the Expected Times (ETs). The final duel between another white Challenger and Mustang results in an unexpected 13.37s victory for the Mustang!
This surprising turn of events leaves spectators pondering, especially considering the discrepancy in power between the Mustangs and the Hellcats. The latter boast over 700 horsepower, contrasted by the Mustangs’ less than 500 ponies when stock. The supercharged nature of the Hellcats should theoretically mitigate the impact of thin air on their performance compared to their naturally aspirated counterparts.
These nail-biting confrontations underlie the unpredictable nature of dragstrip battles, where despite the evident power disparity, outcomes remain uncertain, leaving someone indeed pondering their performance. These showdowns encapsulate the thrilling spirit of automotive competition, a celebration of speed, power, and engineering, amidst the changing tides of the automotive world.
