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
Mid-Engined Chevy Corvette Video Analyses The 2LT Interior

The Goldilocks zone of Corvette C8 interiors?
By now, you should know that Chevrolet has started deliveries of the mid-engine 2020 Corvette. Lucky owners of the ‘Vette C8 are starting to receive their newest toy and most likely you’ve already seen one on the streets – that’s if the state you’re in is not affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
If you’re among those who are planning to purchase the new Corvette but are undecided with the trim level to choose, this video might be able to help you – especially if you’re particular with a car’s interior.
The Corvette C8 comes with three trim levels: 1LT, 2LT, and 3LT. The differences lie mainly in the features offered on each trim level, which defines that the cabin will look and feel like. That’s pretty important, considering that we spend so much time inside the car rather than staring at our investment from a distance. So, here’s a little guide.








The base 1LT trim isn’t really basic. With the entry-level trim, you already get the GT1 seats wrapped in mulan leather, a customizable 12-inch gauge cluster, push-button ignition and keyless entry, and an 8-inch Chevy MyLink infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, and 10-speaker Bose sound system. The Corvette 1LT trim is available in three color options: black, gray, or red.
Going up the 2LT trim gives you more interior color options plus features like a rearview camera mirror, a colored head-up display, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, advanced blind-spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic warning. The infotainment gets upgraded as well with a wireless charger and a 14-speaker Boss audio system.
Finally, the 3LT trim dials up the ante by adding a premium Nappa leather with suede microfiber accents – all in combination with the GT2 seats that have more bolsters. These seem not a lot but the range-topping trim adds luxury to the sports coupe.
If you’re still undecided, watch the 2LT interior review on top of this page to check whether you need to take it down a notch to 1LT or go all out on the top-level 3LT.
Source: HorsePower Obsessed
March 30, 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, 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, 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, Tadge Juechter, Team USA, Thank you, Tokyo, Under Armour, United States Armed Forces, USA, USA bobsled, USA skeleton, USABS, Veteran, Veterans, Veterans Day, VK, VKTRY, Washington Nationals, Waukesha, winter olympics, Wisconsin, World Cup, World Series, z06, z51, ZR1 | Tags: #chevy, 2020 Corvette, C8 Corvette ZR1, Camaro, car, carbon, carbon 65, carbon accessories, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber products, carbonfiber, carbonfiberextreme, carbonhans, cars, carshow, chevorlet, chevrolet, chevrolet camaro, chevrolet camaro zl1, CLASSIC CARS, CLASSICRIDES, Coronavirus, corvette, corvette assembly plant, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette heros, Corvette Racing, corvette reveal, Corvette Stingray, Corvette Stingray C8, corvettez51, deBotech, desert, detroit, fiberglass, Hans deBot, Iredell County, Lake Norman, las vegas, MAE Department, mark reuss, mary barra, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, michigan, Mooresville NC, NC, NC State, NC State University, North Carolina, north carolina motorsports association, Sportscar, supercar, Tadge Juechter, Town of Mooresville | 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
C8 Corvette Secrets: The 2020 Corvette Has a Flying Car Mode


As we continue to digest all the new information that came out of last week’s First Drive Event with the 2020 Corvette Stingrays in Las Vegas, there is a new “Mode” to discuss that most Corvette enthusiasts have never heard of.
The 2020 Corvette Stingray has several “modes” that help drivers get the most out of their cars. We are already familiar with the regular driving modes that feature settings for Weather, Touring, Sport and Track, as well as the two customizable modes called MyMode and Z-Mode. But what you may not be aware of is that the 2020 Corvette Stingray’s equipped with Magnetic Ride Control also features a “Flying Car” mode.
Well, it is the 21st century after all!
Corvette’s Vehicle Performance Manager Alex MacDonald is responsible for the chassis tuning of the new Corvette and he was tasked with explaining much of the on-track performance capabilities of the new Corvette to those at Spring Mountain last week.
For the C8 Corvette, engineers have rolled out version 4.0 of Magnetic Ride Control with the biggest change to the system is the use of accelerometers rather than position sensors that measured wheel height. Here is the slide that was offered on the new Mag Ride for the C8 Corvette:

The Magnetic Ride Control is tied into the Corvette’s Performance Traction Management system and that’s where the Flying Car Mode comes into play.
When your crest an incline and the Corvette’s wheels are off the ground, they will spin faster like they are on ice or another slippery surface because there is no resistance. The performance traction control senses that and sends commands to slow the wheels. But that’s not the best reaction when on the track. The system now senses when the car’s front wheels leave the ground (and assumes that the rears will be leaving as well), and the system tells the performance traction control to ignore it because it knows that it’s temporary and that all four wheels will be back on the ground momentarily.
Here is Alex talking about the Flying Car Mode:
“The other interesting note about MR is that it communicates with the performance traction system and it tells that performance traction system that if the front wheels have just gone over a big crest that we know that one wheel-base later the rear is about to go over that same crest, we can adapt the traction control to work in that situation and we call that Flying Car Mode, which is a cool name for it, because it does detect when the car is airborne and we can alter the chassis controls to deal what happens when the car lands.”
Source:
Video by Keith Cornett
February 25, 2020 | Categories: 1950s corvette, 1960s corvette, 1967 Corvette Stingray, 1970s corvette, 1980s corvette, 1990s corvette, 2014 olympic games, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020CorvetteC8Stingray, 2020MidengineCorvetteC8Stingray, 2020Stingray, advance technology, Bowling Green, KY, C7, C7 Corvette, C8 Corvette ZR1, C8 Z06, C8 ZR1, C8R, C8Z06, car, car of the year, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber product, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, Corvette, Corvette Assembly Plant, Corvette C7.R, Corvette C8, Corvette C8.R, Corvette GXE, Corvette Heros, Corvette Racing, corvette z51, CorvetteZ06, debotech inc, deBotech, Inc, Detroit, Formula 1, General Motors, Germany, Hans deBot, Henry Ford, Henry Ford Museum, IMSA, Iredell County, Lake Norman, Lake Norman, NC, Lake Placid, Lake Placid New York, Le Mans, Los Angeles, Mary Barra, Michigan, mid-engine, Mitchell Community College, Mooresville, NC, NACTOY, National Corvette Museum, National Guard Educational Foundation, North Carolina, Pensacola, Pensacola Florida, performance, Roar Before the 24, Rolex 24, SEMA, semashow, semashow2019, Shelby, Shelby vs C8, Sports, sportscar, supercar, Switzerland, Tadge Juechter, Team USA, USA, z06, z51, ZR1 | Tags: 2020 Corvette, 2020corvetteC8Stingray, C8 Corvette ZR1, car, carbon, carbon accessories, carbon fiber, carbon fiber extreme, carbon fiber products, carbonfiber, carbonfiberextreme, carbonhans, cars, carshow, chevorlet, chevrolet, chevrolet camaro, CHEVROLET CORVETTE, chevy, 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, Iredell County, Lake Norman, MAE Department, mark reuss, mary barra, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, michigan, Mitchell Community College, Mooresville NC, National Corvette Museum, North Carolina, north carolina motorsports association, Sportscar, supercar | Leave a comment