Toyota Supra Drag Racing Challenger Hellcat Puts Up A Good Fight

The Toyota Supra has always been a darling of the JDM community, even though the latest generation, which is based on the BMW Z4, hasn’t quite convinced every purist out there that it’s worthy of wearing the Supra badge, partly because it’s not even built in Japan but rather in Austria.

At the same time, the Dodge Challenger, especially in Hellcat trim, is seen as the quintessential modern American muscle car, with its burbling V8 under the hood and menacing look. But as people used to race the legendary previous-gen A80 Supra in the 1990s and 2000s, competing with the Dodge Viper and Ford Mustang SVT Cobra, the video embedded at the top of this page shows what a modern showdown between domestic and import looks like.

There are two races in the video, each pitting a modern Supra against a modern Challenger Hellcat. And at first glance, it looks like the American will obliterate the Toyota, considering the specs sheets.

The Hellcat comes with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that makes no less than 717 horsepower that’s sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. It also weighs 5,450 pounds (2,472 kg), so it’s not exactly the lightest car in the world but still, the old saying “there’s no replacement for displacement” should apply just fine here.

On the other hand, the Supra is offered in the United States with two engine choices: a base 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 255 hp, and a more powerful 3.0-liter inline-six that develops 382 hp. That’s almost half of what the Hellcat has to offer, but the Supra is lighter, weighing 4,001 lbs (1,814 kg).

We don’t know if the cars in the video are stock or modified, but we think that the outcome of both races could have been different if the drivers were a bit more careful when launching off the line. 

What do you think? Head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts on this modern domestic versus import battle.