Watch a Track-Day Comparison Between the Shelby GT500 and C8 Corvette

Both cars retail for about $81,000, but one is a lot more accessible.
SPEED PHENOM ON YOUTUBE
If you’ve got $80,000 to spend and want an American high-performance car, now’s a pretty good time to be in the market. In addition to tire-shredding stalwarts like the Camaro ZL1 and Challenger Hellcat, Ford and Chevy have recently launched high-profile, track-ready sports cars. And thanks to a new video by Speed Phenom, we now know how they directly compare on track.
Naturally, we wanted to do this comparison ourselves. But the GT500 wasn’t ready during our Performance Car of the Year competition when we had an early C8 to test. And now that both cars are on sale, stay-at-home orders and track closures mean we’ll have to wait for an opportunity to do a full R&T comparison.
In the meantime, Speed Phenom does a good job of breaking down how they perform. With the caveat that he’s got a base model GT500 without the optional Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, he notes that the car struggles for grip more often than the similarly-tired Corvette. It’s also less composed through mid-corner bumps, with slower cornering all around. Thanks to its massive horsepower advantage, though, it jets through straightaways.
The C8, meanwhile, benefits from serious mechanical grip. The better-balanced midship car fires through corners and has no problem putting its power down. That makes it more approachable, not surprising given that it’s the tamest version of the C8 while the GT500 is stretching the limits of the S550 platform. We’re sure to see more track-ready Corvettes soon, but for now the Stingray is a surprisingly capable start.
Mack Hogan- Road&Track
April 15, 2020 | Categories: 1950s corvette, 1960s corvette, 1967 Corvette Stingray, 1970s corvette, 1980s corvette, 1990s corvette, 2014 olympic games, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020CorvetteC8Stingray, 2020MidengineCorvetteC8Stingray, 2020Stingray, 900 hp, advance technology, America's Cup team, American Magic, American Race Cars, Andrew Blaser, Antonio Garcia, Austin Florian, Barrett-Jackson, Baseball World Series Champs, BMW, bmw bobsleigh, bobsled, bobsledding mens sports, bobsledding womens sports, Bowling Green, KY, burnout, C7, C7 Corvette, C8 Corvette ZR1, C8 Z06, C8 ZR1, C8R, C8Z06, Camaro, car, car of the year, carbon fiber, carbon fiber bobsleigh, carbon fiber composite, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber product, cars, Chevrolet, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, Cigarette Edition SUV, CLASSIC CARS, CLASSIC RIDES, Coronavirus, Corvette, Corvette Assembly Plant, Corvette C7.R, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette Heros, Corvette Racing, corvette z51, CorvetteZ06, COVID-19, Dakar, Daytona Beach, Daytona International Speedyway, debotech inc, deBotech, Inc, Detroit, drivers, Driving School, Employee Appreciation, F1, F1 champ, face masks, Fernando Alonso, Florida, Ford Shelby, Formula 1, freeway, General Motors, Germany, GM, Hans deBot, Hennessey, Henry Ford, Henry Ford Museum, highway, Hunter Church, hybrid system, IBSF, Igls, Austria, IMSA, interstate, Iredell County, Jaguars, Japan, Jay Leno, Jets, Jimmy Reed, Josh Williamson, Kaillie Humphries, Kendall Wesenberg, Koenigssee, Kris Horn, Lake Norman, Lake Norman, NC, Lake Placid, Lake Placid New York, las vegas, Lauren Gibbs, Le Mans, legos, Los Angeles, Manufacturing Jobs, Marcel Fassler, Mark Reuss, Mary Barra, Medal, Megan Henry, Mercedes- AMG, Mercedes-AMG G63 Cigarette Edition SUV., Mercedes-AMG G63., Michigan, mid-engine, Mitchell Community College, MLB, Mooresville, NC, NACTOY, NASCAR, National Boss Day, National Corvette Museum, National Guard Educational Foundation, Nürburgring, New York Yacht Club, NFL, North Carolina, Olympic Bobsled, Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton, olympic medal ceremony, Oscar Mayer Winermobile, Park City, Pensacola, Pensacola Florida, performance, Rick Hendrick, Roar Before the 24, Rolex 24, Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, sailboat, Savannah Graybill, SEMA, semashow, semashow2019, Shelby, Shelby GT500, Shelby vs C8, Silver No. 4, skeleton, Sochi Olympics, Sports, sportscar, St. Motiz, Stephen Strasburg, Steven Holcomb, supercar, SWEEPSTAKES, Switzerland, Tadge Juechter, Team USA, Thank you, Tokyo, Under Armour, United States Armed Forces, USA, USA bobsled, USA skeleton, USABS, Verteran, Veteran, Veterans, Veterans Day, VK, VKTRY, Washington Nationals, Waukesha, winter olympics, Wisconsin, World Cup, World Series, z06, z51, ZR1 | Tags: American, C8 Corvette ZR1, Camaro, car, carbon, carbon 65, carbon accessories, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber products, carbonfiber, carbonfiberextreme, carbonhans, career fair, cars, carshow, chevrolet camaro, CLASSIC CARS, corvette, corvette assembly plant, Corvette C8, corvette c8 Z06, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette heros, Corvette Racing, corvette reveal, Corvette Stingray, Corvette Stingray C8, CORVETTEC7, corvettez06, corvettez51, deBotech, detroit, GT500, Hans deBot, Iredell County, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NASCAR, North Carolina, north carolina motorsports association, Shelby GT500, sports car, Sportscar, supercar | Leave a comment
Hennessey’s twin-turbo C8 Chevy Corvette V-8 makes 643 horsepower early in development






It took 30 hours for Hennessey Performance Engineering to tear apart a new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette, install twin-turbo setup, and put it back together.
It’s no surprise, then, that the twin-turbo C8 Corvette isn’t ready to be sold to customers. The engine lacks intercoolers and Hennessey hasn’t cracked the code of GM’s new electrical architecture to reprogram the ECU.

“This is just the beginning, our own car, doing R&D,” company founder and CEO John Hennessey told Motor Authority.
On Monday, the engine made 643 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque at the wheels on a Dynojet dyno while running just 5 psi of boost. That compares to baseline testing HPE performed on the stock car which revealed 466 hp and 451 lb-ft of torque. HPE plans to offer a 1,200-hp version of the C8, which Hennessey said could make 18-20 psi of boost.
Hennessey took delivery of an orange C8 Corvette in Detroit on March 13. He and his daughter, Emma, drove back to the performance outfitter’s Texas headquarters and performed baseline testing before the Hennessey team tore apart the car.
The orange C8 fired back to life on Friday with twin 62-mm Precision Turbos and twin blow-off valves connected to the throttle body mounted behind the catalytic converters. Both turbos are oil-cooled with twin scavenge pumps that feed back into the motor.
The system is not intercooled. Instead, there’s a methanol injection setup to keep things from getting too hot. HPE is considering where to put intercoolers. The current packaging has limited space for intercoolers without cutting into trunk space, which Hennessey does not want to do. 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray undergoes twin-turbo conversion at Hennessey
Hennessey told Motor Authority his team currently can’t tune the factory ECU, but it is looking at aftermarket solutions for the engine management system. He noted it took a year for solutions to come to market for the C7 and added, “hopefully, it won’t take a year.”
Hennessey said when the turbocharged C8 was first started it didn’t throw any codes, errors, or a check engine light. “The computer seems happy with the turbos,” Hennessey noted. A check engine light did appear when the front wheel speed sensors were disconnected to put the car on the dyno, Hennessey said.
The orange C8 will used for R&D of upcoming modifications. Hennessey said he doesn’t expect to deliver modified customer C8s for at least six months, and all will have intercoolers and full plumbing.
Joel Feder for Motor Authority
March 24, 2020 | Categories: 1950s corvette, 1960s corvette, 1967 Corvette Stingray, 1970s corvette, 1980s corvette, 1990s corvette, 2014 olympic games, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020CorvetteC8Stingray, 2020MidengineCorvetteC8Stingray, 2020Stingray, 900 hp, advance technology, Alex Ivanov, America's Cup team, American Magic, American Race Cars, Andrew Blaser, Antonio Garcia, Austin Florian, Barrett-Jackson, BMW, bmw bobsleigh, bobsled, bobsledding mens sports, bobsledding womens sports, Bowling Green, KY, burnout, C7, C7 Corvette, C8 Corvette ZR1, C8 Z06, C8 ZR1, C8R, C8Z06, Camaro, car, car of the year, carbon fiber, carbon fiber bobsleigh, carbon fiber composite, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber product, cars, Chevrolet, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, Cigarette Edition SUV, CLASSIC CARS, CLASSIC RIDES, Corvette, Corvette Assembly Plant, Corvette C7.R, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette Heros, Corvette Racing, corvette z51, CorvetteZ06, Dakar, Daytona Beach, Daytona International Speedyway, debotech inc, deBotech, Inc, Detroit, drivers, Driving School, Employee Appreciation, F1, F1 champ, Fernando Alonso, Florida, Football, Ford Shelby, Formula 1, freeway, funny, General Motors, Germany, halloween, Hans deBot, Hennessey, Henry Ford, Henry Ford Museum, highway, Hunter Church, hybrid system, IBSF, Igls, Austria, IMSA, interstate, Iredell County, Jaguars, Japan, Jay Leno, Jets, Jimmy Reed, Josh Williamson, Kaillie Humphries, Kendall Wesenberg, Koenigssee, Kris Horn, Lake Norman, Lake Norman, NC, Lake Placid, Lake Placid New York, las vegas, Lauren Gibbs, Le Mans, legos, Los Angeles, Manufacturing Jobs, Marcel Fassler, Mark Reuss, Mary Barra, Medal, Megan Henry, Mercedes- AMG, Mercedes-AMG G63 Cigarette Edition SUV., Mercedes-AMG G63., Michigan, mid-engine, Mitchell Community College, MLB, Mooresville, NC, NACTOY, NASCAR, National Boss Day, National Corvette Museum, National Guard Educational Foundation, Nürburgring, New York Yacht Club, NFL, North Carolina, Olympic Bobsled, Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton, olympic medal ceremony, Oscar Mayer Winermobile, Park City, Pensacola, Pensacola Florida, performance, Rick Hendrick, Roar Before the 24, Rolex 24, Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, sailboat, Savannah Graybill, SEMA, semashow, semashow2019, Shelby, Shelby GT500, Shelby vs C8, Silver No. 4, skeleton, Sochi Olympics, Sports, sportscar, St. Motiz, Stephen Strasburg, Steven Holcomb, supercar, SWEEPSTAKES, Switzerland, Tadge Juechter, Team USA, Thank you, Tokyo, Under Armour, United States Armed Forces, USA, USA bobsled, USA skeleton, USABS, Verteran, Veteran, Veterans, Veterans Day, VK, VKTRY, Washington Nationals, Waukesha, winter olympics, Wisconsin, World Cup, World Series, z06, z51, ZR1 | Tags: #chevy, American, Camaro, car, carbon, carbon 65, carbon accessories, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber products, carbonfiber, carbonfiberextreme, carbonhans, career fair, cars, carshow, chevorlet, chevrolet, chevrolet camaro, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, composites, corvette, corvette assembly plant, Corvette C7.r, Corvette C8, corvette c8 Z06, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette heros, Corvette Racing, corvette reveal, Corvette Stingray, Corvette Stingray C8, CORVETTEC7, corvettez06, corvettez51, deBotech, detroit, Hans deBot, Hennessey, Henry Ford Museum, Iredell County, mark reuss, mary barra, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Mooresville, Mooresville NC, NASCAR, North Carolina, north carolina motorsports association, sports car, Sportscar, supercar, Tadge Juechter, Town of Mooresville | Leave a comment
2020 Chevrolet Corvette vs. 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 at the Drag Strip

Did you see the two race on YouTube? We’ve tested them, too; here’s why the results were no surprise.

- We have tested both the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette (11.2 seconds at 122 mph) and the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (11.4 seconds at 132 mph) in the quarter-mile.
- A video on YouTube, however, shows flipped results: 11.5 seconds at 120 mph for the Corvette and 10.8 seconds at 132 mph for the GT500.
- As always, the driver and track conditions are critical, and our two-run average is far more repeatable than any one-off run at a drag strip.
When we tested Ford’s new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 against the top-dog 2020 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, the Mustang came out on top on the drag strip. But how does the front-engine Shelby stack up against the other, now mid-engine, threat from Chevy?

Greg PajoCar and Driver

During our testing, the GT500 hurtled through the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at 132 mph. But that was on a regular street-like surface, not a sticky, prepped drag strip. We struggled mightily with traction at launch, and our best run was with the launch control set to the lowest rpm allowed (1200 rpm) to prevent igniting a rear-tire fire. However, no surprise: with more traction far, better numbers are possible, and we’ve seen numbers below 11 seconds at drag strips, including this kid, who ran a 10.665 shortly after he acquired the car.’Murica Which Ultimate Pony Car Is the 1/4-Mile King?This Kid Ran a 10.66 Quarter Mile In His GT500
On the other hand, the 2020 Corvette has far fewer launch struggles, as it benefits from its newly acquired mid-engine layout and rear weight bias. Moving the weight distribution rearward improves launch traction, helping it jump off the line much quicker. During our testing, and despite far less horsepower, the mid-engine Vette outaccelerated the GT500 through the quarter-mile by two tenths of a second, reaching it in 11.2 seconds at 122 mph.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
We’re starting to see other people’s numbers from both of these cars, though, as customers are starting to take deliveries of their C8 Corvettes and GT500s. Contrary to our test results, there’s a video circulating on YouTube that shows the new GT500 beating the C8 Corvette through the quarter-mile by seven-tenths of a second. It raced to the quarter-mile in 10.8 seconds while the Corvette reached it in 11.5 seconds.
Keep in mind that the driver and conditions are huge factors in quarter-mile and acceleration results. We suspect that here, the Corvette likely got bogged down on the high-grip surface, as the launch control isn’t optimized for those conditions, and the 760-hp Mustang benefited from the extra traction on the track.
Connor Hoffman for CarandDriver
March 18, 2020 | Categories: 1960s corvette, 1967 Corvette Stingray, 1970s corvette, 1980s corvette, 1990s corvette, 2014 olympic games, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020CorvetteC8Stingray, 2020MidengineCorvetteC8Stingray, 2020Stingray, 900 hp, advance technology, Alex Ivanov, America's Cup team, American Magic, American Race Cars, Andrew Blaser, Antonio Garcia, Austin Florian, Barrett-Jackson, Baseball World Series Champs, BMW, bmw bobsleigh, bobsled, bobsledding mens sports, bobsledding womens sports, Bowling Green, KY, burnout, C7, C7 Corvette, C8 Corvette ZR1, C8 Z06, C8 ZR1, C8R, C8Z06, Camaro, car, car of the year, carbon fiber, carbon fiber bobsleigh, carbon fiber composite, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber product, cars, Chevrolet, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, Cigarette Edition SUV, CLASSIC CARS, CLASSIC RIDES, Corvette, Corvette Assembly Plant, Corvette C7.R, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette Heros, Corvette Racing, corvette z51, CorvetteZ06, Dakar, Daytona Beach, Daytona International Speedyway, debotech inc, deBotech, Inc, Detroit, drivers, Driving School, Employee Appreciation, F1, F1 champ, Fernando Alonso, Florida, Football, Ford Shelby, Formula 1, freeway, funny, General Motors, Germany, halloween, Hans deBot, Hennessey, Henry Ford, Henry Ford Museum, highway, Hunter Church, hybrid system, IBSF, Igls, Austria, IMSA, interstate, Iredell County, Jaguars, Japan, Jay Leno, Jets, Jimmy Reed, Josh Williamson, Kaillie Humphries, Kendall Wesenberg, Koenigssee, Kris Horn, Lake Norman, Lake Norman, NC, Lake Placid, Lake Placid New York, las vegas, Lauren Gibbs, Le Mans, legos, Los Angeles, Manufacturing Jobs, Marcel Fassler, Mark Reuss, Mary Barra, Medal, Megan Henry, Mercedes- AMG, Mercedes-AMG G63 Cigarette Edition SUV., Mercedes-AMG G63., Michigan, mid-engine, Mitchell Community College, MLB, Mooresville, NC, NACTOY, NASCAR, National Boss Day, National Corvette Museum, National Guard Educational Foundation, Nürburgring, New York Yacht Club, NFL, North Carolina, Olympic Bobsled, Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton, olympic medal ceremony, Oscar Mayer Winermobile, Park City, Pensacola, Pensacola Florida, performance, Rick Hendrick, Roar Before the 24, Rolex 24, Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, sailboat, Savannah Graybill, SEMA, semashow, semashow2019, Shelby, Shelby GT500, Shelby vs C8, Silver No. 4, skeleton, Sochi Olympics, Sports, sportscar, St. Motiz, Stephen Strasburg, Steven Holcomb, supercar, SWEEPSTAKES, Switzerland, Tadge Juechter, Team USA, Thank you, Tokyo, Under Armour, United States Armed Forces, USA, USA bobsled, USA skeleton, USABS, Verteran, Veteran, Veterans, Veterans Day, VK, VKTRY, Washington Nationals, Waukesha, winter olympics, Wisconsin, World Cup, World Series, z06, z51, ZR1 | Tags: Camaro, car, carbon, carbon 65, carbon accessories, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber products, carbonfiber, carbonfiberextreme, carbonhans, career fair, cars, carshow, corvette, corvette assembly plant, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette heros, Corvette Stingray, Corvette Stingray C8, deBotech, detroit, drag strip, Hans deBot, Iredell County, Lake Norman, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Mooresville, Mooresville NC, NASCAR, North Carolina, north carolina motorsports association, Shelby GT500, sports car, Sportscar, supercar | Leave a comment