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Fortunately the HPE550 wears massive 315-millimeter-wide rear Pirelli P Zero tires that turn most of that insane engine speed into forward thrust. This car accelerates hysterically; there's so much momentum that you have to fight the G-forces to shift gears. And the sound is crushing. This is full-immersion acceleration — you could drown in the HPE550's sensory overload.
The GT500's rear Goodyear F1 Supercar tires are "only" 285mm wide and it takes more skill to launch the Ford perfectly. Fortunately, Ford's SVT division has actually built some of that into the GT500's throttle. This isn't an engine on a runaway gallop to its redline; the first inches of pedal travel ease into the thrust gradually.
Bottom line, however, is that the 2010 Hennessey Performance HPE550 Camaro is quicker. Still drinking that high-octane concoction, the Hennessey HPE550 stomped to 60 in only 4.3 seconds (4.0 ticks with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) while the Shelby GT500 (on California 91 octane) took 4.6 seconds (that's 4.3 seconds with the rollout) to do the same trick. The quarter-mile screams by in 12.1 seconds at 120.1 mph in the Hennessey Camaro and 12.5 seconds at 115.3 mph in the Mustang.
yes, .3 seconds behind in the 0-60 and .4 in the quarter mile but that has a lot to do with the tires.