The good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube have a favorite quarter-mile venue - Island Dragway – but also an off-shoot. So, John Torres, the host from ImportRace, also has an all-new YouTube channel aptly named The Drag Race and seeks to make a name for the new one on the scene with racer interviews and quarter-mile dragstrip action.
His latest 'target' at Island Dragway's latest test and tune event in Great Meadows, New Jersey, is driver Mark – the owner and racer of a 2022 Ford Mustang Mach 1. The fifth generation of the performance-oriented option package lived between 2021 and 2023 only as the GT's companion with the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 massaged to 480 horsepower (the same figure as in the regular 2024 Mustang GT S650), just like on the Mustang Bullitt.
However, the 2022MY lost ten horsepower and 10 lb-ft, rocking 470 hp and 410 lb-ft, which probably triggered this owner's decision to play the FBO and E85 game with it. Now it's rocking more than 500 ponies according to his estimates, although the owner doesn't say if it's crank or wheel horsepower. Anyway, it's easy to gauge the difference between the stock model and this one because the Mach 1 and its owner engaged in a series of no-prisoners-taken battles at the track.
The first skirmish is against – allegedly – a mighty Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Well, if that was indeed a Hellcat, it pretty much brought shame to the entire Mopar community with its slow start, boring race (it didn't look like it was intent on bridging the gap), and 11.57s to 12.89s loss. At least now we have the Mach 1 set into the proper perspective, and it's clear Mark and his ride mean business.
Secondly, a black Ford F-150 wanted some action but probably tried to bite more than it could chew – the experienced Mustang owner has a subtly better reaction time, and although the F-Series didn't relent, it was one of those marvelous times when it was 'close, but not close enough,' hence the 11.66s pass of the Mach 1 versus the mighty 11.82s effort of the F-150.
At the 0:50 mark, the action moves during the night when the Mustang first battles a blue Audi (model unknown, says the description, could that be an S4?) to show it who's boss (11.46s versus 12.93s) without any mercy and then moved on to allegedly faster prey. The video's description quotes this BMW at the 1:18 mark as an M3, but it's more likely an M340i because it lacks the double-coffin radiator grille along with the winner's attitude, as per the ultra-shameful 11.48s versus 13.73s result!
Last but not least comes another F-150 that, again, valiantly tries to hold its own but has to concede the victory in the end – they were almost on par with the reaction times. Still, ultimately, the Mach 1 prevailed with another spectacular 11.54s pass, while the F-Series only managed a respectable 12.14s ET. From the 2:10 mark comes the racer interview, by the way. Also, how about that Mustang Mach 1 basically stomping the much more powerful Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, was that a rare occurence or is there a complex of inferiority between Mopars and lesser-powered models from the other Detroit peers?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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