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

Exclusivity & Collectability Advantage: Challenger

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has sold more than 40,000 units, so in terms of collectability and exclusivity, the Shelby Mustang is sure to have an advantage, but that isn’t the case when we consider the Demon. The GT500 is not slated to be limited to a certain production volume while only 3,303 examples of the Demon were produced. Every Demon was numbered on the dash and on the crate that comes with the car, and when you factor in the limited production, the distinct numbering system and the uniqueness of the crate system, the Demon has a big advantage in exclusivity and collectability over the Mustang.

In fact, there is a chance that we will never see a car like the Demon again, with an accessory crate the includes things like skinny front-runner wheels for the track, branded tools or an engine computer programed to run 100-octane race fuel. At the same time, the Demon came with drag radials from the factory, so even without the crate, the 800-horsepower Mopar is a truly unique muscle car.

The 2020 GT500 will certainly prove to be a valued car among Mustang fans, but in the grand scheme of things, it will not be as collectable as the Challenger Demon.

Marketing Advantage: Challenger

There is no questioning the marketing aspect of the Shelby name or the GT500 trim line, but neither of them come close to the insane amount of attention captured by the Hellcat. Since the supercharged Challenger was introduced in April of 2014, the Hellcat name has been one of the most searched and celebrated in the American automotive world. Early on, Hellcat was easily the most talked-about American performance car, only to be outdone by the introduction of the Demon, but when the Redeye was rolled out, the Hellcat name was once again the big dog in the yard.

The success of the Hellcat hasn’t just transferred into strong sales for Dodge. We have seen a ton of attention paid to the Hellcat Challenger in the toy, collectable and gaming world, and when the Demon hit the market, all of the companies who were capitalizing on the Hellcat were quick to offer Demon items. The Hellcat “brand” quickly became one of the most popular in the high performance world and over the course of the past five years, the attraction to all things sporting the Hellcat or Demon logo has not faded.

Now, we aren’t blind to the attraction of the Shelby Mustang, but even with 760 horsepower, there is no chance of the new GT500 claiming the same attention both inside and outside of the automotive world that the Hellcat has garnered over the past half-decade.

Price Advantage: Challenger

Ford has only announced basic pricing for the 2020 Shelby GT500 Mustang, but we know that it starts at $73,995. We also know that when you add the Carbon Fiber Track package, the Technology Package and the Handling Package, the price rises to $96,995. Once you add things like stripes or other small options, the new GT500 is likely to top out over $100,000.

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 starts at $64,695 with the manual transmission and $66,690 with the automatic transmission. If you add every applicable option including the 1LE package, the ZL1 tops out around $79,000, so the Mustang costs around $20,000 more in loaded form.

As for the Dodge Challenger, the SRT Hellcat Redeye with 797 horsepower and the standard-width body, it starts at $73,440 and tops out around $91,040. So with more horsepower and torque, the Redeye is at least $6,000 less than the GT500 when all loaded up and even if you step up to the Redeye Widebody, at $96,370, it still costs less than the new Shelby Mustang with the options that we know of thus far.

Finally, the 2018 Dodge Demon that had 840 horsepower and runs high-9s started around $83,000 and topped out around $97,000, making the limited edition Mopar the only muscle car to come close to the pricing of the new GT500.

In short, the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 has the highest starting price of any muscle car in today’s market and when all loaded up, it is the most expensive muscle car ever.

In the end, the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 will likely be the best handling muscle car ever, but in every other way, the Dodge Challenger is the better muscle car – allowing it to maintain the title of the King of Muscle Cars.

Photos for Dodge Forum by Patrick Rall

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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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