Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. Hellcat Redeye vs. Camaro ZL1 1LE Drag Race

By Dave Ashton

It’s hardly original staging a muscle car drag race and it’s not exactly the most scientific way to prove which car is best, but as Ford have decided to release a 2020 version of the Mustang Shelby GT500, it’s a pre-requisite to stage a line-up test.

Edmunds are the guys who have arranged this little side-by-side comparison, which features the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE, up against the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. All three vehicles have the pre-requisite pony/muscle car DNA, but also different mentalities. The Redeye is the most obvious full on muscle car, while the other two have more of a slants to the sports car market.

But, this is a straightforward drag race and no matter how well each of these vehicles can go around a corner, it’s how fast they can go from A to B that accounts.

For starters, the Dodge has the most power under the hood with 797HP and 707 pound-feet of torque, which is about 3 billion kW in new money or we would like to think so. The GT500 is the next most powerful with 760Hp and 625 lb-ft of torque, the Camaro coming last having 650HP and 650 lb-ft. of torque. So, the Dodge has the most initial umph, but it also has to shift the most weight at 4,527 pounds, with the Mustang coming second and the Camaro third in these stats.

It’s obviously best to watch the short video to see the outcome, but for those who can’t wait, each car started off the line with launch control enabled. Each vehicle looked a little jerky off the line, but once they got going, the GT500 was the one to start making up ground and eventually crossed the finishing line first. Then the Camaro, than the Challenger.

After a few runs, the results were the same. Does this mean the GT500 is the best of the three? That depends on if you want to judge the vehicles on just one drag race. Although the Redeye has the most power, it also weighs the most, but it was only a touch behind the other two. The Camaro is also a good performer, but it’s the GT500 that seems to be balancing the power to weight ratio the best.

These cars in reality are shaping up to be completely different beasts. You got to love the Red Eye for its simply outlandish performance and muscle car aesthetics, while the Camaro wants to be a full on sports car which just so happens to have a V8. You could argue the same for the GT500, but with the extra horsepower levels than the Camaro and lighter weight than the Dodge, it’s a good happy medium between the two.

Let us know your thoughts on this little drag race in the comments and does it prove anything or not.

 

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