2021 Ford Shelby GT500

[THEME MUSIC] RYAN ZUMMALLEN: It's "U-Drags" day! Today, we've got the 2022 Cadillac CT5 Blackwing going up against our very own 2020 Shelby GT500. If you're looking for supercharged V8s, you are in the right place. But Ryan, what is "U-Drags?" Oh, I'm so, so glad you asked. It's a race to there and back. That's right, we're sending these two cars down this airfield, and at the end they have to brake hard, flip around, and come back to the finish line. That means you get a standing quarter mile, hard braking, handling, and a rolling start all in one. After that first race, we're going to swap drivers and run them again. That way we can see which cars are fast in a straight line and around a corner. Plus, we can weed out any one trick ponies. Is it scientific? Yes-ish. Is it fun? Definitely. Is it going to work? I don't know. Going head to head today we have the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with 668 horsepower and 659 pound feet of torque. [ENGINE REVVING] And there's the 2020 Shelby GT500 with 760 horsepower, 625 pound feet of torque. [ENGINE REVVING] We own the Shelby, and to see more on it, click the link right here. Two rear-wheel drive monsters, but which one is more well-rounded? To find out, our drivers today are from the Edmunds Test Team-- Kurt and Reese. I'm your host, Ryan Zummallen. And if you want to see more "U-Drags," make sure to click like and hit subscribe. And hey, if you want to get a cash offer on your car right now, go to edmunds.com/sellmycar. [MUSIC PLAYING] KURT NIEBUHR: This car has launch control, so I'm going to use the automatic setting and the launch control. You have other ways to scroll through it. There's a custom setting. You can set the launch RPM. You can set the slip target. I'm not that smart, so I'm just going to go with the automatic launch control and do that. This also has the no lift shift. If you're not used to drag racing and speed shifting, no lift shifting is very strange. So I have tried it in this car. It works fantastic. I'm going to do that. And I think I can win if I get a better launch than the Shelby. But I'm going to have to pray that I get a good launch and a really good turnaround because the Shelby is going to have the top end, and it's probably going to catch up to me. REESE COUNTS: I am going to use the Shelby's launch control. Now, one of the coolest things about this launch control system is you can actually adjust the RPM. It's pretty easy to put it in launch control. First, you put it in drive, and then you select the mode switch down here and put it generally in track. And then there's a Shelby button, a little cobra button on the steering wheel. You hit that, turns it on to track apps. And then there's a little LC, and you're ready to go. Because it's a cold day and because I'm getting wheel spin, I'm going to launch at just 1,200. [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Drivers, thumbs up. OK, we're going to start the countdown. In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go. KURT NIEBUHR: Oh no, he got a good launch! [ENGINES REVVING] No lift shaft, baby. Oh, here he comes. [ENGINES REVVING] [TIRES SQUEALING] Oh, he got me! Holy crap, that car is fast! REESE COUNTS: Yeah! RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Look at that speed! Whoo! [LAUGHTER] KURT NIEBUHR: That mother [BLEEP] fast. REESE COUNTS: That was different. KURT NIEBUHR: Oh my god! RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Wasn't even close. That Mustang put the power down, and that was it. It got down there so much faster than I thought. [MUSIC PLAYING] KURT NIEBUHR: I thought I got through that corner pretty quickly. But then I just looked over, and you were already on the exit, and you were moving. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: From the standing start, they both got good starts. They were both on it, and it seemed like it was neck and neck. But on a rolling start, the Mustang got on that power earlier, and it was a wrap after that. And you saw what happened. That was-- that was some serious, earth-shaking power at the end there. That was pretty cool. Let's do it again. [MUSIC PLAYING] So for the second run, cars have switched lanes, and the drivers have also gotten into new cars. That way we can get a more accurate download from both drivers. KURT NIEBUHR: All right, now it's my turn in the Shelby. I'm just going to use the regular launch control in this thing. If you guys have noticed in the past with these videos, and maybe in the last race, you'll know there's a delay in this car when you take your foot off the brake to the time when it goes forward. And it's about a second. So I'm going to leave-- I'm going to try and leave on the one, and hopefully we both leave at the same time. I'm just going to trust the launch control on this. We have it set for 1,200 RPM, which is just off idle. But then again, this thing makes so much power. Really curious to know what this feels like going through that hairpin turn. The Cadillac took a lot of patience. Just didn't have the grip, and you couldn't get on the power quite so quickly. But that has different tires. This has Sport Cup 2's on it. So yeah, boy, I hope I don't lose. I don't like losing. REESE COUNTS: Like the Shelby, the CT5-V has launch control, though it's a little bit different because this is a stick shift. You put it into race mode, and then you adjust the traction control to its least aggressive setting, really open it up. Then you just clutch down, first gear, and hold the accelerator down. When you let off, kind of sidestep it, or at least that's what I'm planning to do. Hopefully, I can hook up better than the Mustang. If I can get a better start, I might have a chance at this. [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC] RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Countdown in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go. [ENGINES REVVING] KURT NIEBUHR: Oh, look at that wheel spin. Come back here. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: The Shelby's catching up, but Reese got a great start. OK, they're both braking around the corner. This is really tight. [ENGINES REVVING] KURT NIEBUHR: See you, buddy. [ENGINES REVVING] REESE COUNTS: That car is so fast. KURT NIEBUHR: That's what I'm talking about. That's some power. [ENGINES REVVING] [LAUGHING] REESE COUNTS: How's that Shelby feel, Kurt? KURT NIEBUHR: I didn't get quite the good run through that hairpin, but I sure got the good run down the straightaways. REESE COUNTS: I got off the line pretty well, too. And you caught up, though. Man, watching that thing come in my mirror-- KURT NIEBUHR: It's a great sight. Even though it means that you're about to lose, it's a great sight. REESE COUNTS: I definitely feel like I could get on the power a little earlier in the Shelby than I could in this. KURT NIEBUHR: There's just a little bit more patience that that car requires. You have to be more careful with the throttle because it just wants to lay rubber. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Numbers time. In a fierce race one, the Shelby just barely gets to the quarter mile first, but it's the Blackwing that carries more G through the turn. The rolling start is right in the Shelby's bag, though, and it's cooking at 145 and counting as it crosses the finish line first. In race two, the Blackwing is dead even, with a nearly identical finish in the quarter. But this time it's the Shelby putting up insane lateral G in the turn. Once again, the power is too much for the Caddy, and it's easy money Mustang. To the leaderboard. Due to the changing conditions between match-ups, the Blackwing fell a little short of its previous time of 31.4 seconds. As for the Shelby, it's best run of 31.2 seconds ekes out the first place position for now. Kurt, what's the biggest thing besides power we learned about the Shelby? KURT NIEBUHR: It's fast. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: That's true. KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah. No, I mean, it is. When you compare these two side by side, you don't realize how tough this car is to launch, to actually put the power to the ground. But once it's on the ground, this thing's fast. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Yeah. And it didn't lose a ton of time in handling either. KURT NIEBUHR: No, I think it does-- I mean it's got better tires on it. The tires are wider, so you're just going to get slightly improved handling over that. But you still have to be careful either way. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Yeah. KURT NIEBUHR: There's a lot of power. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: By the time you guys got close to us and you could actually see you go by us, it was insane getting to see that much speed up close. Look at that speed! Whoo! Reese, what's our biggest takeaway from the Blackwing today? REESE COUNTS: Honestly, I was surprised about how easy it is to get off the line, especially compared to the Shelby. Yes, it's got a supercharged V8 and everything and a stick shift. But really, you just have to put the power down. And it's nice getting away, and then it's really disheartening to see that Shelby fly up in the mirrors as soon as you get power down. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Yeah. Still probably a pretty wild ride in that thing, though. REESE COUNTS: Yeah. Especially with the no lift shift, you just keep your foot floored and then pump the clutch. And it's a little unsettling just to keep your foot down. You just you naturally want to back off. But fire them into gear. The shifter is nice. It's got a nice crack on the upshifts. It's just a lot of fun, even if you lose to him at the end. RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Awesome. Well, guys, that's it. Comment to let us know what you want to see out here next. REESE COUNTS: Thanks for watching. [MUSIC PLAYING]