Typically, drag races don't have many plot twists, aside from the odd 2,500-hp sleeper here and there. But today, folks, we're witnessing a heart-pounding Shakespearean spectacle, and our stage measures a 1/4-mile and is made entirely of tarmac. In the first act, a gorgeous Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye tears apart a Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray, only to succumb to tragedy at the end of Act II.
To keep things short and sweet, before the first race, we saw the Charger warming up its rear tires while the Stingray tried something similar but didn't quite manage to produce smoke. From what we know, maybe it was already preheated.
After the lights turned green, they were both neck and neck for the first half of the race, when the Dodge took charge (pun intended) and finished first. It crossed the line in 10.62 seconds at 135.18 mph or 217.55 kilometers per hour. The Stingray did it considerably later, in 11.28 seconds, going 121.39 mph or 195.35 kph.
For the second run, the contenders went through the same warmup routine, but the outcome was completely turned on its head. As soon as they saw the signal, they floored it, but while the Corvette had no problems launching, the Charger had so much wheelspin that it was basically skating in place.
As the video from the "Wheels Plus" YouTube channel shows us, the driver knew it was over as soon as it began and didn't even bother to play catch up. The Corvette C8 Stingray finished in 11.36 seconds, going 120.58 mph 194.05, which, ironically, was worse than its first attempt. In other words, the Charger Hellcat Redeye would have easily won every matchup.
Photo: Wheels Plus YouTube channel
During these shows, you're more likely to see the mighty Challenger SRT Hellcat than any other type of Dodge muscle car. And it's no wonder, given that it's rocking a stupendously supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engine that produces 717 hp and 656 pound-feet (889 Nm) of torque.
However, its four-door sibling, the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, has a 6.2-liter mill that delivers a whopping 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft (958 Nm) of torque. If you want even more oomph, the top-of-the-line 2023 Dodge Charger SRT Redeye Jailbreak trim has a high-output engine variant that churns out 807 horsepower while retaining the torque figures. The same goes for the Challenger SRT Super Stock and SRT Jailbreak models.
If that still doesn't fulfill your hellish needs, there's no going higher out of the factory than the state-of-the-art 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. When you feed it the right mixture of E85, this thing puts all its 1,025 hp and 945 lb-ft (1,281 Nm) to work, does a wheelie, and hits 60 mph in 1.66 seconds while crossing the 1/4-mile finish line in under 9 seconds at 151.17 mph or 243.28 kilometers per hour.
The Corvette C8 Stingray is a thing of beauty, even though it could cost almost $30,000 to maintain in just three years, depreciation included. While it didn't stand a chance against the Charger Hellcat at The Titanium Strip Mission Raceway Park, it still packs a punch via its 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 powerplant that can output 495 hp (502 ps) with 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque.
If you yearn for more, the 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 version might be more up your alley, with its 5.5-liter V8 engine producing 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. If not even that, then maybe look at the E-Ray. Legend has it that it can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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