Everyone loves a drag racer. Fast, powerful, and wild machines that can tear up the 1/4 mile and set records. There is something excellent about them, and witnessing them is a spectacle in itself.
There are so many epic drag racers to choose from, but we think we’ve selected ten of the very best in this list. All of these are fast and furious, and any other performance vehicle would have a tough time beating in a drag race.
Ford Mustang Mach 1
The Ford Mustang has always been an excellent muscle car and one that can also excel down the dragstrip. Even in the modern era, the Mustang is a 1/4 mile beast, and the 2023 Mach 1 encapsulates that perfectly.
With its 5.0-liter Coyote V8 and 480 horsepower, the Mustang Mach 1 can road down the 1/4 mile and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds—an incredibly fast time for a modern production car.
McLaren 765LT
You don’t need an all-American muscle car to be fast down the drag strip. The McLaren 765LT is a supercar that could easily take on the best of what America has to offer, thanks to its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine under the hood.
The 765LT’s 0-62 mph time is just 2.8 seconds. That’s thanks to the 755 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque from its massive V8 engine. All in, that leads to a 1/4-mile time of around ten seconds.
RIMAC Nevera
Electric hypercar manufacturer RIMAC knows a thing or two about fast 1/4 mile times. The Nevera, its flagship project, has 1,914 horsepower and 1,740 lb-ft of torque on offer to get it down the drag strip.
This comes thanks to its incredible quad-motor setup, making it one of the fastest vehicles on the planet. The 0-60 mph time of just 1.85 seconds shows just how quick it is, and it can do the standing quarter-mile in just over eight seconds.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the final call for the Dodge Challenger, with the muscle car no longer in production. But Dodge ensured it went out with a bang, thanks to its massive supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engine.
All in all, this meant the SRT Demon 170 produced 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque. Leading to a 0-60 mph time of just 1.66 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of only 8.91 seconds. For a final fling of a muscle car, the SRT Demon 170, indeed, was perfection.
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody
Dodge Challengers have always been renowned for their exceptional speed down the 1/4 mile. Just look at the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody. It is an excellent muscle car with a 6.2-liter Hemi supercharged V8 under the hood.
The 2023 Challenger SRT Hellcat produces 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque. The top speed is 203 mph, with the 0-60 mph just 3.7 seconds. Down the 1/4 mile, the muscle car would smash through it in just under 12 seconds.
2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
The 2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is more than just a drag-racing monster. It can also handle corners on the race track, with it setting a remarkable lap time around the Nurburgring of 7:16.04.
Yet, it is still a demon on the drag strip. Thanks to its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, which produces 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Camaro ZL1’s top speed is 200 mph, and the quarter-mile is achieved in 11.5 seconds. The top speed is a dizzying 200 mph.
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+
It’s easy to forget just how powerful the Bugatti Chiron is. And in Super Sport 300+ form, that power goes up to genuinely astronomical levels, thanks to its mighty 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
The Chiron Super Sport 300+ produces a ridiculous 1,600 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque. Its top speed is well over 300 mph, and thanks to all that power, it can roar down the 1/4 mile in less than 10 seconds.
2020 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
How can you not love a Shelby Mustang? The 2020 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 is one of the best produced, and it is easily one of the best modern muscle cars for taking on the drag strip.
With a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood, the 2020 GT500 produces 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque. With a top speed of 180 mph and a 1/4 mile time of around 11.3 seconds, the 2020 GT500 is a force to be reckoned with.
2023 Chevrolet COPO Camaro
The COPO Camaros are some of the most legendary muscle cars ever made. The 2023 Chevrolet COPO Camaro continues that long tradition, and it is built with drag racing in mind so that you won’t see one on public roads.
Thanks to its vast 9.4-liter V8 engine, the 2023 COPO Camaro produces 1,004 horsepower and 876 lb-ft of torque. It will come as little surprise then that the COPO Camaro can blitz the 1/4 mile in just eight seconds.
Ferrari 296 GTB
Even Ferrari can produce a car that can road down the 1/4 mile, despite its focus on how its supercars perform on the track. However, the Ferrari 296 GTB has proven itself to be both a track day hero and a king of the drag strip.
Power comes from its 819 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6. The 296 GTB is also a hybrid, hence the excellent torque, and it can blitz the 1/4 mile in just over 9.5 seconds.