Shelby’s 1,300-hp GT500 Code Red runs a quarter-mile at insane speed

This powerful American muscle car is not too far off from the electric supercars from RImac and Pininfarina

Currently, only the Lucid Air Sapphire, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista can run a quarter mile in under 9 seconds. Now, the most powerful model in Shelby’s lineup can no longer run this standard, and although it is not a mass-produced car, the American company is producing 30 of them.

The Shelby GT500 Code Red has been on the market for two years, but we haven’t seen its performance until now. In a recent drag race, the Shelby American ran the quarter mile in an amazing 8.59 seconds at 161.81 mph (259 km/h).

Read: 1,300-hp Shelby GT500 “Code Red” expected to achieve Code Brown performance

Since Lucid, Rimac, and Pininfarina are all electric, that means Shelby’s GT500 Code Red joins Dodge in the 8-second club. So how did Shelby build such a fast Mustang?

The company started with a regular Ford Shelby GT500 and removed the supercharger from the 5.2-liter V8. Now, with a pair of turbochargers in its place, the car delivers 1,000 horsepower and 780 pound-feet (1,058 Nm) of torque on pump gas. On E85 ethanol, those numbers rise to 1,300 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet (1,356 Nm). The engine also includes Manley pistons and connecting rods, ARP studs and heavy-duty timing chain, new injectors, and a MoTec engine management system.

Dodge says the Demon 170 can run the quarter mile in 8.91 seconds at 151.17 mph, but as far as we know, no footage of the run has ever been released. Independent testing by owners suggests the car will struggle to run under 9.4 seconds.

During this Mustang GT500 Code Red’s record-breaking run, the car was incredibly well-coordinated, considering that power was sent exclusively to the rear wheels. It then sent power through the gears of a 10-speed transmission, which is likely faster than the Demon 170’s 8-speed.