Motor Trend recently decided to test the power of the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 against that of both the Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT350R in a Dyno Battle.
The peak power difference between the three cars was minute, but the Z/28 put down more torque. 66 lb-ft more torque, to be exact.
The Camaro Z/28 dynoed at 469 hp and 438 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. The GT350 dynoed at 467 hp and 374 lb-ft, and the GT350R made 471hp and 376 lb-ft to the wheels. An interesting note to make is that the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS also dynos a higher peak torque than the Mustangs.
We know that power figures don’t mean everything, but they do mean something. Before we determine what that is, there are a few other factors you should know about. One, not all the dyno graphs are from the same day, and we have no knowledge of which dynamometers were used. We do know that the temps were above 100 degrees for the test, and that 91-octane was used to fuel all cars. Motor Trend speculates that the hotter air probably hindered the high-revving, flat-plane crank Voodoo V8 engine powering the Mustang GT350 and GT350R more so than the LS7 in the Camaro.
What does it mean, then? Well, the only real takeaway from Motor Trend’s testing is the difference between the power band of the Camaro Z/28 vs that of the Mustang GT350R. The Camaro puts out more torque until about 5,000 RPM, and hits peak power at 6,200 rpm which is then carried out until the 7,100 rpm limit. The Shelby GT350R doesn’t hit peak power until 7,500 RPM, and has a limiter set at 8,250 rpm. Could we say that the Z/28 offers more get-go off the bat while the GT350R wants to crescendo? We sure can, and we sure do.
The old Zeta Platform Camaro Z/28 Nurburgring results also stack up pretty well against Ford’s latest and greatest Pony car to-date. So if/when Chevrolet makes a new Camaro Z/28 for the sixth generation, it’s safe to say this wonderful game of leap-frog will continue.
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