It’s a classic muscle car shootout as a Dodge Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack takes on a Ford Mustang GT.
Now, this is the kind of fight we like to see: two modern American muscle cars with comparable stats and big V8 engines duking it out for drag race supremacy.
On the left is a Ford Mustang GT. Powered by a 5.0-L Coyote V8 engine, the GT has 460 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque on tap. Zero to sixty is in and around 4 seconds with a limited top speed of 157 mph.
The modern Mustang can come with 10-speed automatic transmission, but a true drag racer uses the 6-speed manual to become one with their car.
On the right is the 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack. Under the hood is Dodge’s beloved 6.4-L HEMI V8 with 485 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque. It’ll need those extra horses because the Challenger weighs a good 700 lbs more than the Mustang.
Power is routed to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, which makes shifting quite a bit easier. Purists complain that the automatic transmission is cheating, but that’s usually only after they lose to an automatic.
RELATED: WATCH A POWERFUL TAHOE RACE A WEAKER MUSTANG GT
Both cars squeal their tires off the line, but you can tell by the way the Mustang is shifting that it’s definitely the 6-speed manual version. You can also tell by how long those tires squeal, and how they continue to squeal with each shift.
Meanwhile, the Challenger driver struggles a tiny bit off the line but maintains a smooth acceleration as they speed down the track. The Mustang seems to finally catch its stride, utilizing the Mustang’s superior power-to-weight ratio to slowly claw back into contention, but it’s too little too late.
The Mustang finishes in 13.52 seconds at 108.94 mph, while the Challenger runs a 13.33 at 109.42 mph.
We’re sure that the Mustang owner was shouting about the Challenger’s 8-speed automatic after the race, too. Maybe next time he'll get that 10-speed instead.
NEXT: WATCH A HELLCAT RACE MUSTANGS AND DODGE DEMON IN DRAG ACTION
