Why Dodge Isn’t Losing Sleep Over the 2020 GT500 Mustang

New GT500 might be the greatest Mustang ever, but it falls short of the Challenger in several areas.

Since the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat went on sale in late 2014, the brawny Mopar machine has been the undisputed King of Muscle Cars. With 707 horsepower, no stock Chevrolet or Ford product had come close to the Hellcat in terms of output while the Challenger’s 10-second quarter-mile capabilities make it considerably quicker than any of the would-be competition.

Even though the Hellcat Challenger was unrivaled as the King of Muscle Cars in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Dodge rolled out the 840-horsepower Demon in 2017 at a 2018 model and in 2018, the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye was introduced. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 offered some competition with 650 horsepower while Ford fans were left watching from the sidelines, as the Shelby GT350 is far from a proper competitor for either of the supercharged competitors.

That all changed earlier this year when Ford Motor Company finally introduced the next generation of the Shelby GT500. This new Mustang delivers 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful road-going Ford vehicle ever and leading some Blue Ovals fans to insist that the supercharged Shelby is the new King. However, Dodge fans are quick to point out some shortcomings of the new Mustang that cause it to fall short of dethroning the mighty Challenger.

Today, we bring you a look at the reasons that Dodge executives are still confident that the Challenger is the greatest American muscle car to date.

Power Advantage: Challenger

The 2020 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang is powered by a supercharged, 5.2-liter cross-plane V8 that delivers 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. For comparison, the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat delivers 717 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the 2019 Hellcat Redeye delivers 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque and the 2018 Demon delivered 840 horsepower and 717 lb-ft of torque. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 offers 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, so while the new GT500 has more horsepower than the “basic” Hellcat and the Camaro ZL1, it has less horsepower and the Demon and the Redeye, while also having less torque than all of the competing supercharged muscle cars.

When the Hellcat Challenger was introduced, it was named the King because it offered power levels that we had never seen before from a road-going muscle car and since then, the Demon and Redeye have built on that. Meanwhile, the GT500 enters the segment with less horsepower and the Challenger Redeye and less torque than the Dodge and Chevy muscle cars. It is hard to name a car the “King” when it has less power than the key competitors.

In much the same way that the classic 426 Hemi-powered Challenger was the top dog in the original muscle car era, the Hellcat cars have secured their place atop the modern American performance ladder.

Street & Strip Advantage: Challenger

Ford officials are quick to point out that the new Shelby GT500 is not a drag car but instead, an all-around performance machine that will shine bright on any track. With the extreme aero bits, the track-tuned suspension, the massive Brembo brakes and carbon fiber wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the odds are good that the new Mustang will prove to be the best-handling muscle car ever.

That is all well and good, but since the earliest days of the American muscle car, the horsepower war has been fought on the street and on the drag strip. The GT500’s handling won’t do any good in a street race or drag race, and while we don’t have official times for the Mustang, Ford officials have come right out and stated that it will run the quarter mile in the high-10-second range. There have been stock Hellcat cars that have gotten into the high-10s, the Redeyes are running in the mid-10s and the Demon is an easy 9-second car.

Unless Ford was fibbing about their acceleration numbers, a stock GT500 might struggle with a stock Hellcat on the street while a stock Redeye or Demon with a capable driver should make short work of the Shelby Mustang in a straight line race.

In other words, the Challenger is likely to still be the best at what muscle car owners have always done most, leaving the Mustang in the dust in a drag race. The GT500 is sure to be the quickest Mustang in the quarter mile, but the odds are good that it won’t be able to knock off the Redeye and Demon.

‘Why Dodge Isn’t Losing Sleep Over the 2020 GT500 Mustang’ continued…

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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