A new video has surfaced showing a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat taking on a Nissan GTR Nismo in a quarter mile drag race, with the most powerful American muscle car of all time dueling with the best performance Japanese supercar of all time – with pretty surprising results.
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat rocked the American performance world when it debuted last year with a new 707 horsepower supercharged Hemi V8. That figure makes it the most powerful American production car of all time and the 6th most powerful production car in the entire world while also being the quickest American production car ever. The Hellcat Challenger is a big deal.
The 2015 Nissan GTR Nismo is almost as big of a deal and based on its Nürburgring record, it is a bigger deal than the 707 horsepower Challenger, even though the GTR “only” has 600 horsepower. Fortunately, with the advanced all-wheel drive system and the lightning quick automated transmission, the Nismo GTR is one of the quickest cars in the world from 0-60, hitting the mark in just 2.7 seconds per company figures. That makes it a little quicker than the official times of the big, heavy Challenger, but there is a difference between manufacturer’s figures and real world numbers. This is why performance car owners go drag racing and in this case, the outcome is very different from what the press release times would suggest.
Crank up your speakers and enjoy watching the big, bad Challenger outrun Japan’s greatest performance car ever.
"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.
