Ford Mustang Drag Race: Shelby GT500 vs. Mustang Mach 1

• The GT500 and Mach 1 represent a battle between power and grip.
• Edmunds put both pony cars through their paces at the test track.
• Can the GT500 finally win a drag race?

How do the GT500 and Mach 1 measure up at the test track?

At the test track, where our crack team of drivers have a controlled surface and near endless opportunities to get a perfect launch, the Shelby GT500 has an obvious advantage in acceleration. When you find the perfect launch, the Mustang GT500 outpaces the Mach 1 from 0 to 60 mph by nearly half a second. By the quarter mile, that difference grows to almost a full second. That's big, but so too is the Mustang Mach 1's improvement in peak stopping distance and average lateral acceleration around our skidpad. Maybe there's something to this drag race idea after all ...

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Powertrain

• Supercharged 5.2-liter V8 (760 hp, 625 lb-ft of torque)
• Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission
• Rear-wheel drive

Performance

• 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds (3.4 seconds with 1-foot rollout)
• Quarter mile: 11.3 seconds @ 129.9 mph
• 60-0 mph braking: 103 feet
• Skidpad: 1.02 g 

2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Powertrain

• 5.0-liter V8 (480 hp, 420 lb-ft of torque)
• 10-speed automatic transmission
• Rear-wheel drive

Performance

• 0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds (3.8 seconds with 1-foot rollout)
• Quarter mile: 12.2 seconds @ 113.8 mph
• 60-0 mph braking: 94 feet
• Skidpad: 1.10 g 

What happens during a drag race?

The GT500 wins, and it isn't even close. Obvious as that may sound — 760 hp is greater than 480 hp, after all — there were some interesting parts about lining up these two cars. For starters, the Mach 1 and the GT500 are nearly tied through second gear. Where the Mach 1's relative surplus of traction allows its driver to dig harder into the gas pedal, the GT500's overwhelming power requires extreme restraint from its driver.

But once the Ford Shelby GT500 makes it to third gear and finds traction, the race is over. It pulls away so strongly that the Mach 1 driver might start wondering if he's hitting the gas pedal hard enough.

Edmunds says

Our GT500's first drag race win may have been against a less expensive and powerful Mustang, but, as The Fast & the Furious' Dominic Toretto said, winning is winning.