Even though the automotive industry is undergoing possibly the biggest transition in its history, we all have to admit the average car enthusiast is living in the best of times. Yes, yes – I know, the older vehicles were surely more spirited and emotional but you can’t deny the fact that we have some quite capable machines on sale today. Even if we are not talking about the world of outrageously quick hypercars, there’s plenty to be happy about today.
This new video by Sam CarLegion comes to prove that just in time. It shows us a drag race of three very different performance vehicles, each following a different philosophy. Each of these cars is also very, very fast and is relatively affordable when you compare it with products from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche, let alone Bugatti, Koenigsegg, and others from the hypercar segment. Without further ado, let’s see the competitors today.
Representing the United States is a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. There’s a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood of the black pony, generating 760 horsepower (559 kilowatts) and 625 pound-feet (847 Newton-meters) of torque. The power reaches only the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The car weighs in at 4,171 pounds (1,892 kilograms).
Against it are two pretty capable machines from Germany. The first one is a Mercedes-AMG GTS with its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. It is good for 515 hp (379 kW) and 494 lb-ft (670 Nm) of torque and that power is channeled to the rear axle via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The car tips the scales at 3,627 lbs (1,645 kg).
Last but not least, also from Germany, there’s an Audi RS5 also participating in this drag race. It probably feels like the least hardcore coupe of all three, but still has 444 hp (326 kW) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) coming from a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6. The power, however, is sent to all four wheels via Audi’s Quattro system and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
As you can see, the philosophy is different but the goal is the same – speed. Which one of these vehicles is quicker off the line and in a rolling-start race? The answers are in the video at the top of this page.
