With GM wielding the Corvette C8, Ford unleashing the Mustang S650, and Stellantis finally bringing the new Dodge Charger to the front lines, the quest for horsepower has reached a fever pitch. It is truly the golden age of performance, provided you don’t mind your internal organs being rearranged by G-forces.
Stellantis, admittedly, had a bit of a clumsy start. After initially pushing the Daytona EV versions of the eighth-generation Charger, they have finally expanded into the Sixpack models. These utilize the new 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six, churning out a respectable 420 or 550 hp. However, Mopar purists are still tapping their watches waiting for the Hemi V8 to return to the Charger, especially since the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 was just stuffed into the 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX.
While Dodge plays catch-up, Chevrolet and Ford are trading haymakers. GM recently dropped a bombshell with the Corvette ZR1X C8, officially crowning it the fastest production car in America on a prepared track. We are talking about a 0-100 km/h sprint in a terrifying 1.68 seconds and a quarter-mile blitz of 8.675 seconds. Not to be outdone, Specialty Vehicle Engineering is offering a 2026 Yenko/SC Corvette that pushes the 6.2-liter V8 to a dizzying 1,250 hp thanks to twin Garrett turbos.
Not to be intimidated, Ford used the Detroit Auto Show to pivot the spotlight toward the Mustang Dark Horse SC. While some fans are grumbling that Ford ignored legendary names like Shelby GT500, Cobra, or Boss, others argue this is a “Le Mans-style” machine built to hunt Ferraris. If the factory version isn’t enough, Shelby American has launched a GT350 Convertible packing 810 HP.
Of course, the digital world is even weirder. Online artists like “jbcars” are already reimagining the Dark Horse SC as a Shooting Brake, trading the rear wing for a practical tailgate. Whether you want a 1.6-second rocket or a station-wagon Mustang, one thing is clear. The V8 is far from dead.
