Let’s Pick This Race Apart and Weigh the Competitors’ Characteristics
The Cadillac CTS-V is the most powerful factory production sedan ever offered by General Motors, with the supercharged LT4 V8 delivering 640 horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque in a sporty sedan that weighs just over 4,100 lbs. This is the car GM fans predicted would knock the Hellcats off of their pedestal. However in stock form, the Cadillac’s weight advantage isn’t significant enough to overcome the Charger’s advantage in power … but what about a race between a pair of modified cars?
Today’s video features a half-mile roll race between a new Cadillac CTS-V and a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Each car has been modified, and while the Challenger is smaller than the Cadillac, the CTS-V still has a weight advantage of some 300+ pounds.
The Cadillac’s LT4 has been beefed up with a smaller upper pulley (thus more boost), headers, full exhaust, an intake setup, a flex fuel kit, and low-side fuel system.
The Hellcat’s Hemi has been built by Tommy at SRT Autoworks with an upper and lower pulley swap, larger injectors, a Magnaflow exhaust system, a Legmaker cold-air Intake, an E85 conversion, the catalytic convertors have been removed, and the tune was provided by Barth Tuning.
We don’t have power numbers for the Hellcat Challenger or the new CTS-V, but the video below provides all of the details that you should need, as the heavier Dodge simply walks away from the new Caddy.
The two cars hit the starting line at 40 miles per hour, and both hammer the throttle. It sounds like the Challenger might spin the tires a bit, but that doesn’t prevent the Mopar muscle car from quickly pulling away from the blown GM sedan.
In the half-mile, the Challenger tops out at 169.4 miles per hour while the Cadillac could only muster 154.55 miles per hour.
Crank up your speakers and enjoy the whine of the Caddy’s supercharger as the Challenger walks away.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
