Check out the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 take on the Camaro ZL1 LE in this latest head-to-head matchup.
We have the fine folks over at German automag Sports Auto to thank for grabbing these two perennial Chevrolet favorites and making them duke it out at the Hockenheimring. It might not be as huge as the Nurburgring, but it’ll certainly get the job done.
Unfortunately, this is strictly a time attack race with a little bit of a photo shoot beforehand. We get to see a bunch of pretty pictures of the sportiest of Chevys before they’re made to go flat out around a portion of the Hockenheimring.
On paper, though, this isn’t even a fair fight. They both might have supercharged 6.2-L V8 engines, but the Camaro puts down 650 hp, 650 lb-ft, and weighs 3,685 lbs. The ZR1 ‘Vette, on the other hand, puts out 755 hp, 715 lb-ft, and weighs 125 lbs less than the Camaro at 3,560 lbs. The Camaro also has a 6-speed manual transmission while the Corvette has a computer controlled 8-speed automatic. Finally, the Corvette is far more aerodynamic than the boxy muscle car.
During the race itself, you could tell that the driver was having real difficulty keeping the Camaro on the road. The big, bulky muscle car just wanted to take every corner sideways while burning its tires to the ground. It’s surprising that the airbags didn’t deploy on one of its many trips over the safety strip.
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The Corvette’s turn was much less dramatic. The car’s superior downforce kept it planted to the track while the screaming supercharger propelled it to much greater average speeds.
In the end, the Camaro managed a time of 1.09:60, while the Corvette did it 3 seconds faster.
The only surprise to this result is just how close it was. The Camaro should have gotten smoked, and yet the Corvette only came in 3 seconds under the gun.
Sports Auto noted this as well, and in the comments section of the video provided some explanation. It was hotter at the track during the Corvette’s run, so that might have robbed it of a few horses compared to the Camaro. One commenter also noted the ZR1 was an automatic while the Camaro was a manual, but that really should have only contributed to the ZR1’s crushing victory.
Whichever Chevy you prefer, you can catch them and their screaming superchargers in the video below.