Racing a NASCAR Dodge Charger making a left turn against a Ford Mustang sports car on the quarter-mile in the UK isn’t something you’d think about every day, but then again, here we are. Once upon a time, the No. 2 Charger raced for Penske Racing South in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Kurt Busch behind the wheel. He actually finished second in the 50th annual Daytona 500, with teammate Ryan Newman taking first.
The Dodge Charger stock car has a 5.9-liter NA V8 engine, which can produce up to 888 horsepower or 900 PS and 686 lb-ft or 730 Nm of torque. The rear wheels push the car forward thanks to a 4-speed manual transmission. While it doesn't lack raw power, it was tuned to make “only” 690 horsepower or 700 metric PS during this drag race. It's also lightweight, at 3,086 pounds or 1,400 kilograms, and costs around 100,000 British pounds or 129,434 USD.
Next to it on the drag strip is the S550-generation Ford Mustang driven by Mat Watson from the YouTube channel “carwow.” This UK model is powered by a 5.0-liter NA V8 engine that produces 445 horsepower or 451 PS (390 kW) and 389 lb-ft (527 Nm) of torque. It is a bit heavier than the standard car, coming in at 1,843 kilograms or 4,063 lbs. The British Stang costs almost 50,000 GBP, equivalent to $64,270 US.
Now, you would think that the result would be clear and simple because both are American RWD cars, where one (Mustang) is much less powerful than the other (Charger). As it turns out, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The Ford shamelessly won back-to-back, finishing in 13 seconds flat, while the Dodge did it in 13.4 ticks. Then, the NASCAR broke down for unknown reasons, so Mat had to bring another car to take on the unbeatable Mustang.
The ABT Cupra Formentor VZ3 comes into play with its 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which generates 365 PS (370 hp) with 332 lb-ft or 450 Nm of torque. The 7-speed automatic transmission system sends those horses to all four wheels. It weighs around 3,562 pounds or 1,616 kilograms and, since it has an aftermarket ABT Sportsline performance tuning and design package, it costs almost 61,000 GBP or $78,456.
If you think the 5.0-liter Mustang GT has all this in its pocket, you're wrong. After four intense races, each had two victories, but during the decisive fifth race, the Cupra VZ3 won by half a length. The British Ford Mustang GT took 13 seconds to complete the quarter mile, while the Spanish family Off-road reached the checkered flag 0.2 seconds faster, or 12.8 ticks.
However, the American muscle car regained its honor after a couple of roll-over races, winning by a considerable margin. Unfortunately, it only lost by a few centimeters during the subsequent 100 mph (161 km/h) braking test.