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A Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger line up for a drag Battle. Which will prove to be the ultimate Muscle Car?
by Dim Angelov, on LISTEN 04:03Few things are as American as a drag race between a Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and a Dodge Challenger. Carwow of all people has managed to get modified examples of each of these three icons for a good, old-fashion, quarter-mile drag race. All three Muscle cars have been modified and pack some serious power (for UK standards). Who will win this all-American drag race?
All American Drag Race
Matt – the host – sits in a Supercharged Ford Mustang GT, dubbed the King Cobra.
Its 5.0-liter V-8 puts put 735 horsepower and 510 pound-feet (690 Nm). This being a pre-facelift S550 model, it has the six-speed automatic gearbox, rather than the newer 10-speed.
Power, of course, goes to the rear wheels only, just like on the others. The Mustang isn’t exactly light, as it tips the scales at 3,913 pounds (1,775 kg). That’s more than a Nissan GT-R!
The Camaro’s 6.2-liter pushrod V-8 has also been supercharged. However, unlike the Mustang that has a twin-scroll unit, the Chevy has a Centrifugal supercharger, which gives it more top-end power. The result – 650 horsepower and identical to the Mustang 510 pound-feet (690 Nm). The gearbox here is an eight-speed auto, The Camaro is also the lightest of the three, weighing in at 3,650 pounds (1,656 kg).
The Challenger sits on the oldest platform here, but also has the most displacement.
Its 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 has also received a centrifugal supercharger and puts out an identical 650 horsepower and 510 pound-feet (690 Nm). Like the Camaro, the Challenger has an eight-speed automatic gearbox. However, at 4,188 pounds (1,900 kg), it’s also the heaviest.
At the “soundcheck”, all cars perform amazingly. Few things sound as good as a burbly American V-8. That’s also aided by the fact that none of the cars have soft limiters, which means you can redline at will.
Two races from a dig end with very different results. On the first one, the Mustang took the win, but the Camaro, after a bad start, was catching up fast. The Challenger managed to do a perfect launch from second gear, but started losing ground at the second half of the race.
The second race ended with a convincing win for the Camaro. The Mustang dropped in second, while the Challenger was asked to do a first-gear launch, which turned out to be a bad idea.
The third race was rather close, as the Mustang once again was quickest off the line. The Camaro, however, overtook it and took the win. This time, the Challenger managed to keep up nicely, although it once again ended up last.
What about the rolling ace? From 50 mph, the one-mile race was quite interesting. The Challenger actually reacted the quickest, closely followed by the Mustang. Meanwhile, the Camaro managed to sneak ahead and take the win. What’s surprising is that the Mustang barely managed to beat the Dodge.
In case you care about the braking test, the Mustang one. The heaviest car – Challenger – took the longest to stop, but interestingly enough, the Camaro wasn’t much better.
Regardless, it was an important “scientific” test, although whichever you should go for, ultimately depends on your personal preference. If you want to see “what exactly happened” and hear Mat’s terrible American impression, click on the video below.
