600-HP VW Golf GTI Drag Races Z06 Corvette, Two Pedals Are Better Than Three

It had the 8V engine inside, a custom-built exhaust, aftermarket coilovers and brakes, and a bucket seat. I drove it in the underground parking lot of a supermarket, and it made me think differently about these cars. Years later, I still wasn't ready for another friend's sub-2000 lbs (907 kg) VR6-powered Mk2 Golf. Still, these cars are nose-heavy, and you're dealing with under 200 horsepower at the end of the day.

But all that changes when you bring some boost into your life. I witnessed the world's fastest AWD Volkswagen, a 1,340-hp Golf, in June of this year. I can still hear it. It can run the 1/4-mile (402 meters) in 7,412 seconds with a top speed of 182.645 mph (293.94 kph). Upon seeing the latest "This vs. That" challenge between a 2023 Z06 Corvette and a sleeper Golf, I was ready to bet the Vee-Dub would win. But even after seeing the numbers, one thing still bothered me. I'll get to that in a minute.

By now, you all know what the 2023 Z06 can achieve. The 5.5-liter naturally-aspirated V8 is good for 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft (625 Nm) of torque. The engine is no longer in the front of the car as with the previous generation, but the RWD philosophy remains. The Z06 uses an 8-speed DCT, which should be a formidable weapon in a straight-line performance test.

But let's look at what the VW brings to the table. According to the dyno, the turbocharged VR6 pumps over 600 horsepower. But the whole car is about 850 lbs (385 kg) lighter than the Corvette. It also has the benefit of Volkswagen's Haldex AWD system.

However, the old Golf has to rely on a 6-speed manual transmission to get moving. And that's bound to hinder its chances in today's race. It should still have the upper hand when launching from a standstill, but the question is whether it can hold it together to the finish line. Onsite predictions favor it, but the drivers will have the final say.

The distance between the starting and finish points measures 1,000 feet (304 meters), so it's not your standard drag race. That puts more pressure on the Corvette to compensate for the disadvantage at launch. On the first run, it's all over by the time the Golf owner shifts into third.

An outdated gearbox can't even come close to the performance level of a dual-clutch transmission. And a further driver error on the second attempt further deepens the gap. Still, we should remember that you can build a 600 hp Golf for $30,000 or less, whereas the 2023 Z06 will set you back at least $100,000.