Orange County Auto Show 2014 - Muscle Car Showdown: Dodge Charger Hellcat vs. 2015 Mustang GT

Two of the most anticipated new cars making an appearance this weekend at the 50th annual Orange County International Auto Show are the Dodge Charger Hellcat and the 2015 Ford Mustang GT. Both muscle cars are aimed at performance enthusiasts rather than commuters; though, that's not to say either of these cars wouldn't make your commute more interesting, because they most certainly would. 

In order to determine which neo-classic is best, let's compare them and see how they stack up against one another.

Performance

In terms of raw power, it's not a contest. The Hellcat is powered by a 707 horse-power HEMI V8 engine that also puts out an insane 650 lb.-ft of torque. Couple all that with an 8-speed automatic transmission that makes 160-milisecond shifts and rev-matching downshits for you, and you've got a true beast of a street machine. Dodge claims that the Hellcat will do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds and will run a quarter mile in 11 seconds flat--in street tires, mind you.

Ford has given the 2015 a make-over, and it looks great. And while the Mustang GT can't match the Hellcat's 700+ horsepower, it certainly isn't a slouch. With a 5.0 liter V8 that puts out 435 horsepower and 400 lb.-torque, the GT should beat any car remotely close to its price bracket ($32,000 - $40,000). The profile for this year's GT has also been slimmed down in an effort to return to the 'fastback' look of the 1960s Mustangs. There is also a factory performance package available which includes a host of goodies, mostly in the suspension department, and also upgrades the standard wheels and tires to a blacked-out set of 19" gloss black aluminum rims.

Looks

We have to give the edge to the Hellcat here as well; although, it should be stated that with the factory performance package applied, the GT looks a whole lot better. Too bad Ford decided to send a regular GT to the auto show and not the suped up version.

While there's no indication that this version of the Hellcat pictured above will be anything close to what people can expect to take home when it goes on sale next year, the styling is superior to that of the GT, which--by contrast--is an actual example of what people can expect to buy from Ford starting this month. 

Edge: Dodge Hellcat

While the Mustang GT loses this bout, it shouldn't hang its head. The Hellcat is in a different class than maybe any other production car under $100,000 when it comes to performance. And while beastly specs and performance are nothing new in that price range, Dodge sets the Hellcat apart by matching the fierceness of those specs with a truly inspired exterior design.