Is it enough for a win?
Chevrolet is third in the current muscle car battle, behind Ford & Dodge. The Challenger is the dominant car in terms of sheer power, but the Mustang Shelby GT500 has proven to be a worthy competitor in straight-line speed. The Camaro ZL1 has 650 horsepower (75 kW) and is significantly faster than its counterparts. This drag race video is not a battle for the flagship. Can the ZL1 compete with a mere Hellcat.
The YouTube channel wheels attempts to answer this question. But, as usual, there’s a caveat. We don’t have any information about possible modifications to these cars so we cannot confirm if this is stock-for-stock. We can inform you that the racing action is at Canada’s Mission Raceway Park. This park is located close to the sea level, so the engines have plenty of air to breathe. We can also confirm that at least one Hellcat in the video has drag radials. However, we believe all of them have properly sticky rubber.
This video shows us two matchups with the same ZL1 racing different Hellcats. If the cars were stock, we would expect the Hellcats to finish first with a slight advantage. But imagine our surprise when Camaro takes an early lead in the first race. The Challenger is trying to overcome slower reaction times and possible traction issues. But the Hellcat’s speed makes the difference at the end. Camaro crossed the line with an 11.26 ET. This is a solid time that’s in line with a healthy stock ZL1. The impressive 10.63 finish by the Hellcat suggests it may not entirely stock.
We see another black Hellcat in the second race. Right away we notice narrow tires at the front and drag radials at their back. Although the Hellcat driver has a clear advantage at the start line due to the traction, the Hellcat’s ET is actually 10.86. Although this time feels like a stock Hellcat on race-tires, it is still slower than the Camaro’s 11.28. This is before, losing a car length since the slow start.
Chevrolet may give the ZL1 an increase to 670 horsepower (500 kW) in order to create a special Collector’s Edition in 2024. This could end the Camaro production run. It’s a neat idea, but we hope Chevy’s last hurrah in 2024 brings it a greater bang. Even if it’s only for a short time, the loyal Bow Tie fan deserves a factory-fresh Hellcat.