The new Chevrolet Camaro SS holds its own against the Mustang Shelby GT500.
This week’s Kill Story was posted on the forum by LS1Tech member big hammer. It comes from the YouTube account of REAPER VIEW RACING VIDS AND CALL OUTS and features a series of roll races between a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS and a 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. In stock form, the new Camaro SS offers 455 horsepower and 455lb-ft of torque while the stock 2007 GT500 packs 500 horsepower and 480lb-ft of torque, but neither of these cars are stock.
The new Camaro SS has an aftermarket cold air intake and the catalytic convertors have been removed. Meanwhile, the 2007 Mustang GT500 has a different upper pulley, a cold air intake, an off-road x-pipe, a tune and drag radials. In other words, the Camaro might be making a little more than the stock 455 horsepower, but the Shelby is certainly making far more than the stock 500 horsepower. On paper, this seems like an easy challenge for the Mustang, but this video shows why the race is run.
In the first race, the 6g Camaro SS and the GT500 go from a 30mph roll. While the Chevy jumps out to an early lead, the Mustang slowly reels him in, passes and inches away. The second run is from 30 again and, in that race, the Camaro gets out to a bigger early lead and the Mustang is unable to catch up, with the Camaro winning by a bigger margin than the Mustang did in the first run.
The third video shows the Camaro and Mustang go from a dig, with the GT500 jumping out to a small early lead before keeping the SS at its fender until the race ends.
Finally, the last race is another dig run and on this fourth fight, the Camaro jumps out to an early lead with a great launch and it continues to pull away until the race ends.
These two cars may have split the four races, but when you consider the power levels and the modifications to each car, this 2017 Camaro SS puts up an impressive fight against what should be a far more powerful Mustang.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
