Dodge Demon Takes on Shelby Super Snake in Battle of Monster Muscle

By Brett Foote - October 11, 2021

Can the more powerful, far more expensive Shelby Super Snake take down the reigning drag race champ, the Dodge Demon?

We live in a world ripe with choices for folks that love American muscle cars, from those priced rather reasonable all the way up to drag strip and circle track mavens that cost big money. The Dodge Demon and Shelby Super Snake Mustang fall squarely into the latter category as supercharged, 800+ horsepower machines that cost as much as fine luxury vehicles and lay down some seriously impressive numbers. And that makes for one interesting comparison from the popular YouTubers at Throttle House.

On one side, we have the latest version of the Shelby Super Snake, which is packing a supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote V8 producing 825 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque courtesy of its Whipple supercharger and various other upgrades. In this case, it’s also a convertible, unfortunately, which adds a bit of unnecessary weight for this particular drag race. The gussied-up Mustang also costs nearly double what the Demon did new ($161,000 vs. $84,995), but who’s buying one at MSRP these days?

The Dodge Demon, on the other hand, has “only” 808 horsepower and 717 pound-feet of torque on tap from its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and weighs a bit more. However, it’s also obviously the only one of two that was purpose-built for drag racing. Problem is, on this particular day, the two are racing on an unprepped surface, not a prepped drag strip, so traction will be more of a problem.

After a soft launch, these two monstrous muscle cars are neck and neck for the first 60 feet or so before the Demon starts to pull away and claim a pretty easy victory. “We’ve said in the past that the Shelby Americans don’t feel as quick as they should,” our host notes after pointing out the fact that it costs considerably more than a comparable GT500. “I’ve got the snake, but he’s got the horns.”

Next up, the two attempt a roll race, but the Shelby suddenly goes into limp mode and starts misfiring. After letting it cool down, the fancy Mustang is ready for another go, or at least the driver thinks so. The Demon is more ready, however, flying past the pony car for an even easier victory. “I’m impressed with no limp mode, that’s how far my standards have fallen,” the driver quips.

Thus, the two decide to race the Shelby against an Audi S4, which has far less power. Sadly, the Mustang goes into limp mode once again and our hosts find some cracked plastic to boot. It’s an inglorious end for a car that “doesn’t live up to its legendary nameplate,” Throttle House concludes. “The Demon, on the other hand, is still an insane piece of the automotive world.” And clearly, the more reliable and quicker vehicle on this particular day.