Drag races are what American muscle cars are made for, and they do it extremely well, but what happens when you put two of the most recognizable names in the business head-to-head in a drag race with a twist (literally)?
Well, that’s exactly what the good people at Edmunds wanted to find out, so they organized a nice little shootout between the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost and their long-term 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, filmed everything, and uploaded the video on their YouTube channel (which is embedded at the top of this page).
As for the numbers, the black-only Challenger – which is a last-call special edition made in just 300 units – is powered by Dodge’s well-known 6.2-liter V8 that makes 807 horsepower and 707 pound-feet of torque (958 Newton-meters), sending all its oomph to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Black Ghost also weighs a hefty 4,476 pounds (2,030 kilograms).
On the other side of the asphalt, the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 is powered by a smaller 5.2-liter V8 that makes 760 hp and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm), all of which goes to the back wheels through a seven-speed auto.
So, the Ford is down on power, torque, and number of transmission gears, but it’s also a bit lighter than the Challenger, tipping the scales at 4,168 lbs (1,890 kg).
After looking at the figures, it looks like the Dodge is the sure winner, but as is sometimes the case with drag races, power isn’t always everything. What’s more, this isn’t a typical drag race, but a U-Drag race, where the two cars speed down a straight line, then brake, make a U-turn, and put the pedal to the metal again on the way back to the start/finish line.
In other words, acceleration, top speed, braking power, and a bit of handling are all put to the test. Oh, and there’s something else, too: after the first run, drivers swap cars and go again, just to be sure that it’s all fair.
In the end, all I can say is that the Mustang, with its smaller and less powerful V8, went from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, while the more powerful and menacing Challenger Black Ghost was clocked at the same speed one full second slower.
As always, though, go ahead and watch the video above and then head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.