Supercharged Shelby GT350 Drag Races Stock C8 Corvette, There’s Only One Winner

It goes without saying that the Shelby GT350 couldn’t be more different than the mid-engine sports car from Bowling Green in Kentucky. The ‘Stang in this episode of Driver Battles by Driving Line is different, though, starting with the Nitto NT555 G2 tires up front and Nitto NT555RII drag radials out back.

Owned by Chris Wise, the pony car from Flat Rock in Michigan also happens to boast a 3.0-liter supercharger from Whipple. The 5.2-liter Voodoo flat-plane crankshaft V8 develops 875 horsepower thanks to this upgrade, and obviously enough, the “truly stock” Corvette of Bryan Pomeroy doesn’t stand a chance on the ¼-mile if you take the on-paper specs at face value.

Or does it? Other than the aftermarket wheels shod in semi-slick Nittos, his car definitely looks stock. As a brief refresher, the LT2 small-block V8 with an “unhackable ECU” develops 495 horsepower from the factory thanks to the sports exhaust that Chevrolet includes in the Z51 Performance Package.

Not bad at all, and the 470 pound-feet of torque are nothing to scoff at either thanks to the rear-biased weight distribution that helps at launch. Speaking of accelerating quick off the line, the Corvette has another trick up its sleeve in the guise of a dual-clutch transmission versus a stick shift for the Mustang.

In total, Chris and Bryan were offered two practice runs and a money run by the Driving Line. On the first outing, the C8 rockets from the Christmas Tree and keeps it steady until the finish line while the GT350 struggles to claw into the asphalt. Second time out, the Shelby red-lighted the start and still lost the race. Maybe third time’s a charm for the more powerful car? Well, not quite.

The best times the two unlikely rivals posted are 11.666 seconds for the C8 on the first run and 11.882 seconds for the boosted pony on the third run.