They say that some people live from memories while others are at the opposite end of the spectrum and only live in the present moment – some "one-quarter mile at a time."
No, we're not going to bring Dom and The Fast and the Furious franchise into the equation. This time around, reality beats fiction all over again. More precisely, the good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube are not at their usual venue - Island Dragway in Great Meadows, New Jersey but still at Texas Motorplex because they have more video memories from the bonkers TX2K event, even though they did extensive coverage of the event at the time.
Well, since these rides are bonkers, we are not going to complain. The focus is on a black and red-striped 2016 Dodge Viper ACR that reportedly doesn't like to be called anything other than a land rocket – it allegedly boasts 2,500 horsepower, "making it a true contender for dominance on the quarter-mile." However, don't underestimate the Mustangs, continues the videographer, as a 2011 Ford S197-II Mustang also packs a serious punch of no less than 1,532 horsepower.
They line up for the challenge, and the star-spangled patriotic Mustang takes an early lead to try to secure victory for the ages. Alas, when the Viper shot out like a rocket from its starting position, it was clear that it wasn't playing any games – the result was more than obvious, even if a little underwhelming: 8.08s for the Dodge and just 12.18s for the Ford. Clearly, something went wrong with the latter's pass, but with 2,500 hp on tap, the Viper ACR should have been in the sevens at the very least.
Later during the Texas night, the Dodge switched lanes, and to its left appeared an SN95 Ford Mustang packed with a little more than half its ponies. You would think that's no match for the mighty Mopar, but, as it turns out, the 'Stang was a true rascal, and it easily destroyed the fire-spitting Dodge with its 7.8s versus 8.72s pass. Maybe the Viper ACR needs a little more fine-tuning before it can unleash the full performance of its modified powertrain.
Anyway, as far as the current Ford and Dodge clashes are concerned, the former is the clear winner. Its S650 seventh-generation 2024 Ford Mustang is still in production with the mighty Coyote V8 under the hood or as a supercharged V8 affair if you're willing to spend $325k on the 800-hp Mustang GTD. Us, we're eagerly awaiting the next Shelby installments, which should help the Mustang lineup bridge the 500-to-800 hp gap between the Dark Horse and GTD.
After all, Dodge is coming out with both an all-electric Charger Daytona, but also a fresh, first-ever Charger Sixpack equipped with the 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six twin-turbo mill, and its high-output version is already more capable than a Dark Horse at 550 hp. What do you think?
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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