Beautiful Chevy Corvette C8.Z51 Edition Drags Camaro ZL1, Someone Gets Stunned

Think about it for a second. If you're lucky, you could snatch a lower-priced Camaro ZL1 from the inventory, whereas the C8 Stingray kicks off at $68,300 but comes with 490 horsepower instead of 650 ponies. You could, of course, upgrade to the 670-hp Z06 or the all-new, electrified 655-hp E-Ray, but then you would have to sign a check for at least $112,700 or $105k, respectively.

Well, some people don't mind the extra cash if they can go out with something that stands out in any crowd. Here, let us give you an example that shows that looks can be deceiving. The good folks over at the racing-focused ImportRace channel on YouTube usually love skirmishes at Island Dragway but sometimes also enjoy Bradenton's racetrack.

One night over at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, they stumbled upon something equally nasty and beautiful at the same time – a C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C8.Z51 Edition, which featured a stunning combination of light blue and black racing stripes plus a black roof and color-matched accents on the wheels. It came out to 'party' that night with a fellow GM representative, an inconspicuous all-black (including the wheels) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The difference between a 495-hp naturally aspirated sports car and a 650-hp supercharged muscle car is pretty obvious, at least on paper. But the C8 has the advantage of its novel mid-engine configuration, which should give it better traction and weight distribution. However, while it seems simple to race cars in a straight line, one should always remember that there's an art to getting the most out of these prepped surfaces.

Well, it seems that both drivers need additional lessons as neither of them had an impressive performance. The Camaro ZL1's exit was better than the C8's, which spun the wheels quite a bit before finding enough grip, but the muscle car's gear changes were nothing to write home about, frankly. So, it's possible the ZL1 was a stick shift, and the owner didn't have the best control over it.

Anyway, in the end, the V8s roared as the sport and muscle cars hurtled toward the finish line – but the ETs were far from stellar: the Camaro ZL1 barely won (11.9s) while the stunning Stingray was mostly show and no go (12.32s). Of course, we had better set ironies aside and cherish these precious moments because no one really knows how much time we have alongside the sixth-generation Camaro. Also, it's pretty nice to see the rare C8.Z51 Edition getting out instead of lying dormant inside a garage until its value rises enough to make it a profit scheme.