F-150 Super Snake, Mustang GT Beat Down EV F-150 Lightning

One might think that the Shelby F-150 Super Snake is at a disadvantage here, but one would be completely wrong.

Much ado has been made about the Ford F-150 Lightning, the automaker’s very first all-electric version of its perennially best-selling pickup. There is good reason for much of that, of course, as the Lightning is pretty darn quick by any standard, let along a truck. When equipped with the extended range battery, Ford says that the EV pickup generates 452 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque, good for a low-to-mid four-second 0-60 time. Thus, the folks behind the Carwow YouTube channel recently decided to line it up against a Mustang GT and Shelby F-150 Super Snake to see how it stacks up against good old fashioned V8 muscle.

There are many things that set these cars apart, starting with what powers them. The Mustang GT features Ford’s naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that generates 450 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, driving the rear wheels only. The Shelby F-150 Super Snake, on the other hand, utilizes a supercharged version of that same powerplant to generate 775 horsepower. The GT will do 0-60 in around 4.4 seconds, while the Shelby Super Snake will do the deed in a few clicks less.

Obviously, the F-150 Lightning has a traction advantage here thanks to its full-time four-wheel drive system, but it comes at a massive weight penalty compared to the other two. The EV pickup tips the scales at 6,589 pounds versus the ICE duo, with the GT coming in at 3,800 or so pounds. However, as we’ve seen in the past, even the heaviest of EVs is still pretty darn quick when coupled with massive amounts of electric power.

To see if that will be the case here as well, Carwow lines all three Blue Oval vehicles up and performs a series of drag races. Perhaps amazingly, the first race sees the Shelby F-150 Super Snake jump out to a large lead, even on the EV, with the Mustang GT trailing behind a bit. The ICE pickup continues to use its supercharged power to pull ahead and take home the win. In the second go-round, the pony car puts up a good fight, but ultimately, the Shelby pickup proves too tough to take down, running an 11.9-second quarter-mile versus the Mustang’s 12.8 and the Lightning’s 12.9-second run. It’s a surprising result for sure, but also proof that perhaps we shouldn’t give up on ICE just yet.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.