When Chevy revived the Camaro and Dodge revived the Challenger back around the time of the Great Recession and the auto industry bailout, nobody could have foreseen the new muscle car era that would end up lasting for more than another decade into the 21st century. Those two reboots would force Ford to rethink the Mustang and, arguably, lead to Chevy's decision to transform the Corvette into a legit mid-engined supercar. Today, videos featuring beastly modern sports cars going up against each other are a-dime-a-dozen online, though few can claim as much panache as a recent feature from Throttle House featuring a 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 taking on a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Z51.
The Best Of The Best
These two models currently top out their respective manufacturers' lineups, though the truth is that they hit the track with entirely different purposes. The Mustang is another step in the classic model's evolution, to be certain, and offers the most powerful roadgoing engine Ford has ever produced. But the Corvette is a mid-engined track star now, despite a reasonable starting price below the GT500 by a fair amount.
Under The Hood
The 2020 GT500 uses a supercharged V8 engine displacing 5.2 liters and producing a mind-melting 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque from the factory. That beef is routed from the front-mounted engine to the rear wheels only through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. But this big muscle car also tips the scales at 4,225 pounds, which places it almost in the realm of the Dodge Challenger.
Mounted Amidships
The C8 Corvette, meanwhile, has flipped the script by moving the car's engine to the layout employed by most supercars—including Ford's own GT. With a relatively tame 495 horsepower on tap (higher-spec Corvettes have been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic), the C8 might seem like an underdog in a race against the GT500, but don't forget it benefits from better balance and a weight advantage of over 500 pounds. Watch the clip to see how Throttle House discovers whether there is, in the end, a replacement for displacement.
Source: Youtube