Despite a massive power disadvantage, the C8 Stingray doesn’t give up much in a straight line to the mighty C8 Z06.
With more and more examples of the C8 Z06 hitting the streets – albeit in extremely limited quantities – we’ve already seen the brand new sports car hit the dyno and the track, as well as get fitted with twin turbos. There’s much more to come, of course, but before we look ahead, it’s worth wondering – just how much quicker is the C8 Z06 when compared to the regular Stingray? After all, the former should be a ringer in a drag race between the two, given its sheer power advantage. Luckily for us, YouTuber Micheal Brink of the Brink of Speed channel recently set out to give us an answer to this burning question, with very interesting results.
As most Corvette aficionados are already well aware, the C8 Stingray is powered by GM’s naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter LT2 V8, churning out 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when equipped with the Z51 package, which it sends to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch transmission. Tipping the scales at 3,647 pounds, however, it’s a clear underdog on paper when compared to the mighty Z06.
That new model is equipped with an also naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter LT6 V8 that makes a whopping 670 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, which is also mated to a dual-clutch gearbox driving the rear wheels. The Z06 makes more power, but also weighs slightly more at 3,667 pounds, though that isn’t likely to make a massive difference in terms of performance.
Paper battles are interesting and all, but as we’ve seen in the past, that doesn’t always translate to real-world wins. In the first race between these two mid-engine sports cars, the Stingray surprisingly gets the jump off the line and pulls ahead to an early lead, taking home a rather shocking win that could be attributed to the drivers this time around – after all, Brink has been driving his C8 for years now, while the Z06 driver is pretty new in that regard.
This shows up in the second drag race, when the Z06 leaps off the line with authority, leaving the Stingray looking at its taillights. The base car can’t make up any ground before both cross the finish line, sealing an easy win for the more powerful variant. Brink blames the loss on his own poor timing at the light, so the two line up for a third go. This time, both drivers leave the line at the same time and stay neck and neck for a minute before the Z06 uses its power advantage to pull away and secure the win.
Taking the launch out of the equation with some roll races, the Z06 proves to be the superior ride here, as one might imagine. Regardless, we’re still mighty impressed by the Stingray, which – in spite of a nearly 200 horsepower disadvantage, manages to hold its own from a dig. Given the massive price difference between the two, it’s nice to know that we can still “settle” for a regular C8 and not give up too much in the way of straight-line performance, at least.