Battle Of The Titans: Ford GT Vs. C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06 Packs A Naurally-Aspirated Flat-Plane Crank V8

In the orange corner, we have Mat Watson from CarWow, at the wheel of a Chevy Corvette C8 Z06. Under the hood sits a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 mill that cranks out 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. It pairs with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with power going exclusively to the rear wheels. 0-60 mph comes up in 2.6 seconds and the top speed is rated at 195 mph. The Z06 tips the scales at 3,646 pounds.

A highlight of the LT6 engine is that it’s a flat-plank crank V8 mill, that revs up to 8500 rpm and sounds like an exotic car. As for price, while the Z06 has a starting MSRP of $111,795, this particular example belongs to NASCAR driver Jesse iWuji, and it costs around $170,000 with all the options fitted to it.

Ford GT Was Born To Race And Is A Track-Bred Machine Designed For The Street

In the blue corner, we have a third-generation Ford GT. Unlike previous Ford GTs that came with a V8, this race-derived supercar packs a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that produces 647 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. A 7-speed automated manual sends power to the rear wheels. 0-60 mph takes 3.0 seconds, while the top speed is 216 mph. Compared to the Z06, the Ford has a torque and weight advantage, weighing 3,054 pounds.

Just like its grandfather from the mid-sixties who was born to decimate Ferrari at Le Mans, this gen-3 Ford GT was also born to race and is essentially a racecar for the road. As a result, we have a lot of racecar-derived tech and active aero features, like push-rod suspension, DSSV dampers developed by Multimatic, , and a deployable spoiler.

The car you’re looking at belongs to Camilo Prado, who incidentally also designed the 2005 Ford GT. This particular car, is part of his signature series and carries a special livery. Given that the Ford GT was a limited-run model prices are astronomical. While they cost $500,000 when new, most examples these days cost in the ballpark of $1.5 Million.

Chevy Corvette Vs Ford GT: Head To Head

A quick sound check later and it’s off to the races. First up a classic 1/4 mile dash. From a dig, it’s the ’Vette that takes off and it maintains that lead for most of the race, by the Ford managed to take it by the line, with both cars doing the standing 1/4 in 11.2 seconds. In what was a photo finish, the Ford was victorious. So Round one to the Ford.

Next, a 1/2 mile race with a rolling start, and this time it was advantage Chevy because, unlike the Ford that has to contend with turbo-lag, the Corvette with its naturally-aspirated engine had power from the get-go. After three attempts, it was the Chevy that took Round Two.

The final round was Carwow’s customary brake test. Both cars were sitting at 100 mph and performed a full emergency stop after hitting the cone. Weighing nearly 500 pounds less than the Corvette, this was an easy win for the Ford GT. To sum it up, this was an interesting comparison. GM has come a long way with the C8 Corvette, and if the Z06 now packs supercar-rivalling performance, we can’t wait to see what the upcoming C8 ZR1 has in store. Watch this space.