Where the GT500 might have the advantage over its high-horsepower contemporaries is its on-track performance. The hood and widened front fenders are made from a composite material to keep weight down. A rear seat delete also helps reduce weight. All GT500s feature electronically adjustable magnetic shocks and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires as standard. A Carbon Fiber Track package adds an adjustable carbon-fiber GT4 wing for more downforce, front splitter dive planes to reduce front-end lift, unique springs and anti-roll bars that lower the car slightly, unique damper tuning, and staggered-width 20-inch carbon-fiber wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. A Handling package additionally gets you a Gurney flap for the wing and strut mounts that allow camber adjustments.
The Alpha platform-based Camaro ZL1 is already a competent handler is stock form, but to get the best track goodies you need to opt for the 1LE package. The manual-only 1LE is lighter than the standard ZL1, thanks in part to Multimatic DSSV spool-valve shocks in place of the stock magnetic dampers. In addition, the package includes adjustable camber plates, an adjustable rear anti-roll bar, hard-mounted struts, and solid bushings all around. The 1LE also wears wider and stickier Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3R tires. To improve aerodynamics, the 1LE sports a carbon-fiber rear wing, a large front splitter, and dive planes. In 2017, the Camaro ZL1 1LE lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes, 16 seconds—more than 5 seconds quicker than a Ferrari 488 GTB.
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The Challenger Hellcat is arguably more at home on a drag strip than a road course, but if you’re going to drive any Hellcat around a track, you’ll probably want the Widebody variant. That model is 3.5 inches wider than the standard Hellcat and comes with 20×11-inch wheels wrapped in 305/40-size Pirelli P Zero tires.
The Cockpit
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For the most part, the GT500’s cabin is your standard Mustang fare. The dash features carbon-fiber accents, and the digital instrument cluster has a few Shelby-specific graphics. The Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel looks similar to the one in the GT350, with the paddle shifters being one obvious difference. Instead of a traditional gear lever, the GT500 gets an electronic rotary shifter similar to those found in other modern Fords. The GT500 comes standard with two seats (though a rear bench may be an option in the future), and those well-bolstered Recaro buckets look both supportive and fancy trimmed with leather and Alcantara. An 8.0-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system is standard.
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The ZL1 comes standard with Recaro seats, red seat belts, and a suede-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel. The 8.0-inch central touchscreen offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Chevy’s Performance Data Recorder system is available as an option, and includes a high-definition camera mounted behind the windshield, dedicated microphone, telemetry recorder, and dedicated SD card slot.
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The Hellcat comes standard with Houndstooth cloth performance seats, but those seats can be ordered in your choice of two kinds of leather with embroidered or embossed SRT Hellcat logos. The Hellcat gets a flat-bottom steering wheel with backlit SRT logo and a 7.0-inch in-cluster display with unique Hellcat graphics and performance timers. Through the 8.4-inch Uconnect central touchscreen, drivers can access SRT Performance Pages to see various performance data.
Pricing
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The starting price for the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 hasn’t been announced yet, but considering that the 2019 GT350 will start at $60,235 and the 2018 GT350R starts at $68,230, it’s a safe bet that the top-trim snake will cost at least $70,000. Chevy charges $64,695 for the ZL1, or $72,195 for one with the 1LE package. The 10-speed auto is a $1,595 option on the regular ZL1. The 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat starts at $61,745 including destination charge and gas guzzler tax. The Hellcat Redeye is priced from $72,845, and the Widebody from $73,390. The eight-speed auto is a $2,995 option on the “base” Hellcat and Widebody, and comes standard on the Redeye.
Photo Gallery
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