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Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races Big Boost Audi R8, Cops Show Up

Now that the V8 has migrated to the middle of the machine, you might expect Ferraris to be the primary target of C8 Corvette owners who take their Chevys deep down the aftermarket rabbit hole. And while that assumption is by no means wrong, we can't overlook the Audi R8; before the midship 'Vette came along, the German toy was the go-to vehicle for those seeking the said configuration on a budget not quite as spicy as that demanded by Italian exotics.
Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8 6 photos
Photo: EmeliaHartford/YouTube
Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Races 1,400 HP Audi R8
So, it's nice to see that owners of the C8 and the R8 are getting along. And by that, we're referring to a friendly session of straight-line racing between a pair of YouTubers owning such beasts.

In the American corner, we have actress and vlogger Emelia Hartford, who currently owns the Internet's most muscular C8. We're talking about a machine whose 6.2-liter LT2 V8 has been pushed to 1,022 hp and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of twist at the rear wheels, as shown by a recent dyno run completed on C16 race gas and methanol.

Of course, with GM's efforts to keep aftermarket developers from cranking the factory ECU of the new LT2 motor having been successful, finding a workaround wasn't easy. In fact, this is still a work-in-progress build, as, for instance, the lines of code that allow the vehicle to pull timing between shifts hadn't been inserted at the time of the race against the Audi. Yep, that means a lot of stress on the clutch baskets - keep in mind that the clutches have been replaced by custom units.

The German corner is occupied by a second-generation R8 that has also been taken down the TT path, albeit with the monster delivering up to 1,400 hp at the wheels, depending on the ECU map (a four-figure output is an aspect we need to keep in mind here). This is hooned by Cody Detwiler (a.k.a. WhistlinDiesel).

So, welcome to 2021, ladies and gentlemen drivers. This is a time when N/A "supercars" (some enthusiasts might challenge that definition when it comes to the C8 Stingray) engage in rev battles after they have twin-turbo kits installed (2:30 point of the clip below), drivers (and passengers) know their hand signals for the police being around (5:30 timestamp), and the only reason to stop racing is when the air filter gets shot straight off the car - don't fret, thanks to the now-mandatory rear bumper delete, this is clearly visible (7:50).

Now, once the said no-lift-shift matter is addressed, we should get to see this C8 Corvette doing its thing at the drag strip. And while the prepped surface of the track increasing stress on the hardware might cause additional trouble, keep in mind that we're here to witness the journey rather than the (nine-second?) destination.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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