Drag racing one mile above sea level might be cumbersome for fast cars like the Ford Mustang GT or the Porsche 911 Targa 4S, but throw an "oxygenless" Tesla Cybertruck into the mix, and stuff's about to get heavy. There's much debate about races where ICE meets electric, and you see them all the time, but rarely will you see a circumstance where one of the opponents has to fight air itself to win.
We're going to go right off the bat and say it! Although the Tesla Cybertruck (not Cyberbeast) wins without breaking a sweat, and the Mustang comes in last place, the kicker is that the Porsche 911 Targa 4S costs as much as the other two combined... and then some.
So yeah, in theory, you could own the finger-chopping, cucumber-peeling Cybertruck but also the amazing-sounding 5.0-liter V8 Mustang for less than one 911 Targa 4S. That being said, let's see how they actually performed on the high-altitude drag strip.
The nice folks at "The Fast Lane Car" YouTube channel took the trio to their usual mile-high drag strip and raced them in pairs. First, the Ford Mustang GT muscle car went against the legendary Porsche 911 Targa 4S.
Photo: The Fast Lane Car
Typically, the 5.0-liter Coyote V8-powered RWD Mustang GT produces 480 horsepower and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm) of torque, but if you equip it with the Active Valve dual exhaust system like the one from today's race has, you can squeeze out six more horsepower, up to 486.
If you don't decorate it with extra bells and whistles, the stock 6-speed manual Mustang GT will cost around $45,000. A step above that is the $1,225 Active Valve Performance Exhaust GT option and the $295 Atlas Blue Metallic paint job from the video, which rounds up to a $46,220 MSRP. The GT Performance Package is nearly $5k more if you want even more from this pony.
In the opposite corner, we have the AWDPorsche 911 Targa 4S, which packs a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine that can deliver 443 horsepower and a maximum torque of 390 lb-ft (529 Nm) with the PDK automatic dual-clutch gearbox. A brand-new 2024 911 Targa 4S (992) will run you for about $186,570.
During the first race, by the time the dust settled at the end of the quarter-mile, the Porsche had won in 12.97 seconds at 115 mph (185 kilometers per hour), while the Mustang did it in 13.69 seconds, going 110.7 mph (178 kph).
Next, the winner went against Elon Musk's AWD Tesla Cybertruck. Tesla boasts that the EV pickup with two electric motors can deliver 600 horsepower, a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.1 seconds, and a top speed of 112 mph or 180 kph. The most powerful version, the Cyberbeast, has a tri-motor setup that produces 845 horsepower and can hit a top speed of 130 mph (209 kph) with a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.6 seconds.
Photo: The Fast Lane Car
The cheapest Cybertruck is RWD-only and starts at $61,000. The AWD model is close to $80,000, while the beastliest version starts at $100,000.
The Tesla won with a runtime of 12.97 seconds while going 110.2 mph or 177 kph, while the 911 did it in 13.08 seconds. Now here comes the exciting part! During its first race, the Porsche won with 12.97 seconds on the clock, identical to the Cybertruck, translating into a separate but theoretical draw.
Just for kicks, they raced the Mustang GT and the Cybertruck. Even though the Ford jumped the start on purpose for laughs, it still couldn't hold a candle to the 600-horsepower EV cucumber-peeler. The Cybertruck performed the same as in the previous round, while the Mustang finished in 14.16 seconds at 108 miles per hour or 174 kph.
It was an extremely thrilling race, although everyone knew the stakes going in. However, it's still hilarious that you can literally buy a $46,220 Mustang GT with options and a $100,000+ Cyberbeast for the price of one Porsche 911 Targa 4S at $187,000 and still have roughly $40k left.
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
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News