If you think about it, the Dodge Challenger Hellcat is the Fighter Jet of the roadways. It’s ear piercing loud, it has Hellish styling and it spits out more power than anything else. This is why /DRIVE and Road & Track Magazine thought it would be fun to drag race the Hellcat against America’s front line fighter; the F-16 Falcon (better known by it’s pilots as the Viper).

Though its obvious that the Hellcat would easily lose against the F-16, it’s still be cool to see two American engineering marvels pitted against one another.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is Mopar’s latest land based fighter jet which utilizes an all new 6.2L Hemi engine to generate a claimed 707 earth shaking horses – though others are saying it can output a bit more. This car is a far cry from the climate controlled hybrid ecoboxes that dominate the highways and byways today.

It’s a throwback to 1970 when cars were designed for real gearheads with gasoline in their veins. The Hellcat is a machine that scoffs at speed limits and understands that stop lights are nothing more than makeshift drag strips. It’s capable of rocketing to 60 in under 4 seconds and turns an 11.2 second quarter mile.

Oh I wish I had the Hemi of a Hellcat. So I could scramble in four seconds flat. With 11 second 1/4 miles I’d be having fun for a while. I wish I had the Hemi of a Hellcat.- Inspired by Dos Gringos (caution they’re two Fighter Pilots who like to drop the F-Bomb).

The F-16 Viper has been the U.S. Air Force flagship fighter aircraft since 1978. The F-16 was designed as a light weight multi-role fighter aircraft that sends MIGs to the scrap heap and rains hell on Al-Qaeda in the same mission. Despite its small size it can boast a hefty payload and pull 9g turns without breaking a sweat. The Viper utilizes a General Electric F110-GE-100 turbofan engine which produces 28,000lb-ft of thrust that propels it to a speed of Mach 2 (1,320 MPH).

The race against the Mopar took place at Homestead Air Force Base where an F-16 from the 482nd Fighter Wing piloted by Captain Scott “Blanks” Morris stepped up for the Challenge. What was suppose to the perfect Sunday day turned into a typical South Florida day of rain. The conditions weren’t great but /DRIVE and the USAF went for it anyways. The Hellcat did beat the Viper off the line though he was quickly overtaken by the supersonic jet.