Comparison: Hennessey Camaro HPE650 vs SpeedFactory Challenger SRT8 vs Shelby GT500 Super Snake
Bragging Rights: In This Steroid-Injected Musclecar Arms Race, Who is Really Flexing and Who is Only Fronting?
By Ed Loh
Photography by Wesley Allison
Texas-size braggadocio started this retro-car rumble. Back in January, famed Houston-area tuner John Hennessey released plans for a 705-horsepower, ZR1-engined 2010 Camaro. Naturally, this sent forum boards buzzing about when and how Ford would respond with its 2010 Mustang.
Not two weeks later, a white-hot press release out of Las Vegas landed in our inbox, detailing Shelby's plan for a 725-horsepower Mustang GT500 Super Snake. And just like that, the ultimate musclecar battle had begun. The easy match-up would have been simply to let these two braggarts throw down in an asphalt octagon, but we wanted more. So we set about arranging a 700-horsepower trifecta and went looking for a Challenger with enough swagger to go tire to tire to tire with Shelby and Hennessey.
Like those two, our Dodge tuner would have to deliver a complete turnkey vehicle, not just a crazy custom build. We looked for OEM levels of fit, finish, and reliability, backed by warranties and customer service.
With his Camaro already in the mix, Hennessey was out as the Challenger tuner. We took a careful look at legendary musclecar builders Mr. Norm and Hurst Shifters as both had created some serious SRT8s for last year's SEMA show. Problem was, Mr. Norm's 900-horsepower Super Challenger is an overpowered one-off, while his regular Super Challengers don't make enough ponies. Neither do the Hurst Challengers; the top-step Hurst Series 5 SRT8 promises but 572 horsepower.
Enter SpeedFactory of Morrow, Georgia. Though lacking the celebrated status of Mr. Norm or Hurst and the street cred of Hennessey, SpeedFactory is a serious player in the realm of Dodge performance. As the first to offer turnkey upgrades for the modern Mopar musclecars, SpeedFactory serves up Challenger SRT8 modifications from a Stage 1 cold-air-intake upgrade that adds 25 horsepower all the way up to a stroked and supercharged Stage 6 vehicle that delivers 1000 horsepower and 10-second quarter miles. SpeedFactory's 700-horsepower Stage 5 setup seemed just the ticket.
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