As you’re well aware, the C8 Corvette Stingray is faster than the mid-engine sports car optioned with the Z51 Performance Package, just as fast time-wise on the 1/4-mile run, but one-tenth of a second off to 60 miles per hour. The more expensive of the two siblings is much obliged to hit that velocity in only 2.9 seconds as per Chevy.
On-paper figures, however, don’t tell the whole story. Back in March 2020, the owner of a C8 Corvette has somehow managed to pull off 2.67 seconds according to his car’s Performance Data Recorder. Not only once, but twice!
The big question is, how does the eighth-gen newcomer stack up against the Magnum Opus of the C7 Corvette? The ZR1 is described by Chevrolet as a “supercar” and it certainly has the performance to slay Euroxotica. Up to 212 miles per hour (341 kph) and 755 horsepower (765 PS) is a lot, alright!
However, the nose-heavy C7 ZR1 has trouble putting all that suck-squeeze-bang-blow down to the ground. When equipped with the eight-speed automatic transmission and ZTK Track Performance Package, Chevy says that 60 mph (97 kph) in 2.85 seconds is possible in the right conditions.
YouTube vlogger Speed Phenom had a chance to test how his C8 Z51 stack up the C7 ZR1 from a dig, and the following video proves how much the mid-engine configuration matters in this regard. “In this episode, we set up a head-to-head zero to 60 to test out how these two cars launch in comparison, and in the same real-world environment. No sticky prepped surface at all.”
Skip the video to 6:40 to get to the drag race, and you’ll notice how much better the Gen 8 claws into the asphalt while the range-topping version of the C7 struggles to find its footing. However, the immense torque and horsepower of the ZR1 render the C8 Z51 obsolete after 60 mph.
After the race segment, the video shows Speed Phenom and the owner of the straight-piped ZR1 riding shotgun in the mid-engine ‘Vette. And as expected, a lot of praise has been showered on the eighth generation.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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