Tuned Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Races Corvette C7 Z06, Both Put on a Show

Here’s why: this is a fifth-generation S197 Mustang, powered by a 5.0-liter Coyote V8, which tells us it’s the updated 2011 (or newer) model. It runs a heads cams E85 setup, so it definitely has more power than the stock 412 hp and 390 lb-ft (529 Nm) of torque. We’re not sure how much more exactly, but it’s enough for it to hang with a lightly-modded Corvette C7 Z06, which is no small feat.

By the way, the 412 hp would have been available using 91-octane or higher gas, otherwise the output would have been 402 hp and 377 lb-ft (511 Nm). As it stands now, it might just as easily put down those figures at the wheels, not the crank.

Also, a clear disadvantage is the fact that the driver had to do all the shifting himself, courtesy of a six-speed manual gearbox – this would be the Getrag/Ford MT82 transmission installed on the Mustang GT 5.0 during the previously-mentioned model year update.

As for the Corvette C7 Z06, it’s got a supercharged engine (as opposed to a naturally aspirated one like the Mustang), producing 650 hp and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque without any additional help. This one also has an intake mod, which will give you a little extra hp to play with (low double digit gains), meaning the car might be carrying around nearly 700 hp.

The fact that this race was so competitive reflects really well on that Mustang, and maybe a little poorly on the Vette.