Watch a 2019 Mustang GT take on its arch-rival, the Chevrolet Camaro SS, in a quarter-mile drag race.
Like Pepsi and Coke, like Duracell and Energizer, like 1960s America and the USSR, no greater rivalry has ever existed than between the Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro. And until the Camaro breathes its last in 2023 (according to rumors), we’re going to report on every time these two juggernauts come head to head in a drag race.
Once again, we return to Mission Park Raceway in sunny BC, Canada to witness a clash of titans. In the right corner is the Chevrolet Camaro 1SS 1LE, a track-tuned performance version of the Camaro with magnetic ride suspension, Brembo brakes, and an electronic limited-slip differential.
Under its hood is the venerable LT1 6.2-L V8 engine with 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. Zero to sixty takes a little over 4 seconds thanks to a 6-speed manual transmission, which keeps total weight just under 3,700 lbs.
And in the left corner, we have the Ford Mustang GT. Under its hood is the equally venerable 5.0-L Coyote V8 with 460 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. The GT has Ford’s 10-speed manual feeding power to the rear wheels and gives the GT a zero to sixty time of just 4 seconds flat. The GT also weighs in at around 3,700 lbs, making these two cars about as equal as they can be.
The big difference is one is a manual and the other is an automatic. And unfortunately, humans just aren’t as good at switching gears as computers are these days.
You can tell right off the line the Camaro is in trouble just by the sound of the tire squeal. The Mustang then pulls ahead and the Camaro can’t even come close to catching up.
Our Mustang ran the quarter-mile in 12.65 seconds while the Camaro took almost a full second longer to finish.
But our Camaro driver comes back for round two just to prove that the first run wasn’t a depressing fluke. Check out the video above to see what happens and also a bonus video of a Mustang GT fighting another GT with a manual transmission.