A battle between a modified modern Mustang GT and the most recent Shelby GT500 should be a foregone conclusion. However, a recent drag strip video by Wheels is proof we shouldn’t assume. It was a two-round clash between the pony car cousins. The footage captured a close competition between these two potent machines. In the first round shown, the video presented the green Shelby GT500 and the red Mustang GT lining up at the starting line.

As the race unfolded down the track, the red S650 Mustang GT, which is likely supercharged, managed to pull slightly ahead of the S550 Shelby mid-pass. The scoreboards at the finish line confirmed this observation, revealing that the Mustang GT secured the first-round victory. It ran an 11.038-second elapsed time at 135.18 mph, besting the Shelby GT500’s 11.105-second pass at 128.87 mph.

The competitors then swapped lanes for a second-round rematch. The video showed the red Mustang GT staging in the near lane with the green Shelby GT500 in the far lane. This time, the launch sequence appeared different; the green Shelby GT500 hooked up more effectively, grabbing an early lead over the Mustang GT as they accelerated down the track. That starting-line advantage proved decisive.

The scoreboards for round two displayed the Shelby GT500 taking the win with a significantly quicker 10.685-second elapsed time. Interestingly, its trap speed was lower in this winning run at 123.86 mph. The modded Mustang GT finished its pass in 10.967 seconds but recorded another strong trap speed of 134.94 mph. The action across these two rounds demonstrated the capabilities of both sports cars. The Mustang GT consistently showed strong top-end speed, while the Shelby GT500 found the crucial traction in the second pass to lay down the quicker overall elapsed time, splitting the wins between the two powerful Fords.