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C8 Corvette Takes on C7 Corvette in Hennessey Drag Race

John Hennessey may have made a name for himself with a modified Mitsubishi 3000GT, but his company is all about that sweet American performance right now. And why wouldn't it be when everybody is talking about the C8 Corvette.
C8 Corvette Takes on C7 Corvette in Hennessey Drag Race 3 photos
Photo: Hennessey Performance/YouTube screenshot
C8 Corvette Takes on C7 Corvette in Hennessey Drag RaceC8 Corvette Takes on C7 Corvette in Hennessey Drag Race
The race is on to see who can make the fastest, the coolest and most exciting C8. Hennessey picked on up and has already fitted some crazy outboard turbochargers. But a few drag races have also been set up in the pursuit of speed and YouTube videos.

This latest one pits the new 2020 Corvette up against its predecessor. Since the all-American sports car made a massive transition to a mid-engined layout, everybody wonders how this has improved the performance.

All 2020 Corvettes come with the same 6.2-liter V8, which can make up to 495 horsepower and 465 pound-feet (630 Newton-meters) of torque with the Chevy-installed performance exhaust system.

When it came out, we all thought the C7 Corvette was very cool. Alas, it also followed the old scrip of having the V8 at the front. The biggest problem for Chevy was the kind of customers this attracted, but engineers also said they were reaching the limit of what could be done with the platform.

Under the hood of the old 'Vette, we also find a 6.2-liter V8 that used to come with either a manual or an 8-speed auto. The unit makes 455 hp and 460 lb-ft, allowing the C7 to reach 60 mph (97 kph) in 3.7 seconds. GM says the new one will do it in 3 seconds flat.

Making things slightly unfair, the C8 has already been modified with a Hennessey stainless exhaust system, lighter wheels, and some tires. Meanwhile, the C7 is bone-stock.

In the first race, the C7 gets a slightly quicker launch but the C8 catches up and slowly pulls away. The rolling race also shows there's a performance difference between the two. But it's not night-and-day.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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