Two of the most powerful modern American muscle cars slug it out with only one rolling away victorious…
American muscle is far from dead as evidenced by the plethora of high-flying machines we have on roads and tracks today. It’s quite the time to be alive if you root for the red, white, and blue in performance. With that in mind we bring to you a drag race between a Dodge Challenger Hellcat and a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, two of the most powerful and capable modern American muscle cars on the market today.
Watch a Dodge Hellcat drag race European supercars here.
Sure, a Super Stock or Redeye would be even better than a Hellcat, but this kitty in factory form is nothing to laugh at. If this car is stock, which it’s doubtful that it’s exactly as it rolled off the factory line, the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 pushes a nice 717-horsepower and 656 lb.-ft. of torque. That sure sounds nice, both on paper and with a nice burble, but the sad reality is Hellcats often times struggle with hooking up and putting that power to the blacktop.
In other words, what really makes a difference is if the owner of this kitty modified it to improve traction, especially off the line. All the power in the world won’t help if you’re uselessly spinning the tires once the Christmas tree signals go.
The Hellcat faces some stiff competition with the Camaro ZL1. Sure, the supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 whips out 650-hp and 650 lb.-ft. of torque. Yes, it’s outgunned mostly when it comes to horsepower, but ZL1s typically are quick off the line and can pull strong through a quarter mile.
Another factor favoring the ZL1 over the Hellcat is curb weight. The Mopar tips the scale at over 4,400 lbs., so it’s not exactly a lightweight. The Chevy on the other hand slides in at about 4,000 lbs. Also, keep in mind we don’t know what kinds of mods either car is running, but both are supposed to be street legal.
Which do you think will win? Check out this race to see who wins and by how much.
