- A massive supercharger boosts Hennessey’s Mustang Dark Horse to 850 horsepower.
- The Mustang Super Venom won handily in multiple drag races against the Hellcat.
- While Hennessey’s creation is fast, it’s significantly more expensive than a used Hellcat.
When it comes to brute force and unapologetic horsepower, few cars have stirred the pot like Dodge’s Hellcat models. The debut of the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in the 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger didn’t just boost sales, it reignited America’s appetite for unrestrained performance.
With 707 horsepower on tap, it reset expectations for what a mass-market muscle car could be. In the years since, the horsepower wars have only escalated, with several American models charging past the 700-hp mark, and some high-strung Challengers even crossing into four-digit territory.
Read: Hennessey’s 850 HP Super Venom Mustang Strikes Like A Cobra
Enter the latest contender in this arms race: Ford’s Mustang Dark Horse. Stock, it’s a strong performer with a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 producing 500 hp, but on paper, it’s no match for the fire-breathing Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody. However, Hennessey has the solution for any Dark Horse owner eager to dust a Hellcat at the traffic lights: the wild Super Venom package.
To turn the Dark Horse into a supercar slayer, the Texas tuner has fitted a high-performance supercharger, upgraded the fuel injectors, and fitted a new fuel pump. All told, the Super Venom churns out 850 hp, enough to send it to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.2 seconds and down the quarter-mile in a claimed 10.9 seconds.
Dark Horse v Hellcat
Eager to show the world just how potent its Dark Horse is, Hennessey lined it up against a Challenger Hellcat for a handful of races. Given that the modded Ford is more powerful than the Dodge, it comes as no surprise that it easily outsprints the Challenger in all of the races. What is surprising is just how decisively it does so.
Off the line, Hennessey’s brutal Mustang hooks up cleanly and builds a commanding lead as speeds rise. Even in rolling starts, where traction plays a lesser role, the gap between the two cars widens with startling consistency. It’s not just quicker, it’s in a different league altogether.
For as impressive as the Super Venom is, it’s not cheap. The Dark Horse-based model starts at $163,950, which is quite a bit more than even the 1,025-hp Challenger Demon 170. The regular 707-hp Hellcat Widebody models are even more affordable, with low-mileage used examples going for under $60,000. It’s even possible to find a non-Widebody Challenger Hellcat in the $30,000s.
