C8 Corvette Z06 Drag Races Manual 1,000-HP Cadillac CT5-V Blacking, Someone Gets Schooled

Not exactly the lightest 'Vette out there, the Z06 tips the scales at 3,686 pounds (1,672 kilograms). Pictured in Hypersonic Gray Metallic with the optional Z07 package and carbon-fiber wheels, the Corvette Z06 is extremely quick by its very nature.

GM says it needs 2.6 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) from a standstill, which is one tenth worse than the hybrid-assisted Corvette E-Ray. Top speed is hindered by the aero bits included in the Z07 package, but even with a top end of 188 miles per hour (303 kilometers per hour), the Z06 Z07 is a hugely fast machine. However, can it keep the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing at bay?

Fully stock, that would be a big fat no because GM rated the mid-size luxury sedan at 200-plus miles per hour, meaning 322 kilometers per hour. By comparison, the less draggy Z06 is good for 195 miles per hour (314 kilometers per hour) at full chatter. The Cadillac isn't as good to 60, though, requiring 3.4 seconds with the 10-speed automatic or 3.6 seconds with the more engaging manual tranny.

The blue-painted Blackwing in the featured clip is equipped with said manual transmission, yet it's not stock. The Caddy in question received Hennessey's 1,000-horsepower upgrade package, which improves torque to a ridiculous 966 pound-feet (1,310 Nm).

HPE's dyno recorded 841.66 horsepower and 765.18 pound-feet (1,037 Nm) at the rear wheels, a huge improvement over the stock car's 598.56 horsepower and 633.05 pound-feet (858 Nm). By comparison, the Z06 is known to make at least 610 ponies at the rear wheels. Torque, however, isn't all that impressive because we're dealing with a naturally-aspirated FPC V8 rather than a supercharged small-block V8.

Hennessey drag raced its bone-stock Z06 against the H1000 CT5-V Blackwing to see who's who in a straight line. Rather than a dig race, the Texas-based tuner decided on a rolling start from 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers). Why is that? Simply put, the Cadillac is extremely hard to launch from a standstill without a tremendous amount of rear wheelspin.

Had it been a dig race, the Z06 would have put up a good fight against the H1000 CT5-V Blackwing in the quarter mile. Hennessey claims 10.1 seconds with the 10-speed automatic, whereas GM estimates a rather conservative 10.6 for the Corvette Z06.

From a roll, however, that manual-equipped sedan makes easy work of its mid-engine rival. It also sounds like a riot, but nevertheless, the flat-plane crank V8 in the Z06 makes the far better noises.