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Watch A C8 Corvette E-Ray Race A C8 Corvette Z06 On The Street: Video

These days, the amount of power on tap from the upper echelon of performance vehicles is nothing short of staggering. Just take the C8 Corvette E-Ray and C8 Corvette Z06, two go-faster variants of the mid-engine, eighth-generation Chevy Corvette throwing down with 655 horsepower and 670 horsepower, respectively. The question, then, becomes this – which is quicker?

A C8 Corvette E-Ray and C8 Corvette Z06 on the street.

The answer may not be as obvious as you might think. Let’s start with the Corvette E-Ray. Mounted just behind the E-Ray’s cabin is the naturally aspirated 6.2L V8 LT2 gasoline engine, rated at 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – the same power output as the LT2 in the C8 Stingray. However, the E-Ray pairs that V8 with a single front-mounted electric motor producing 160 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of torque, yielding a combined 655 horsepower.

Meanwhile, the C8 Z06 cradles the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 gasoline engine, which doles out a maximum of 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque on its way to an ear-splitting 8,600-rpm redline. All of the go is sent exclusively to the rear wheels, which stands in clear contrast to the all-wheel grip provided by the E-Ray.

While the Z06 might have more power, it’s at a slight torque disadvantage and a pretty big traction disadvantage compared to the E-Ray. However, the Z06 offsets those shortcomings with a considerable weight advantage, with the dry weight for the Z06 Coupe tipping the scales at 3,500 pounds, as compared to 3,774 pounds for the E-Ray Coupe.

There’s a few other factors to weigh as well – the driver, and the surface. In this particular video, we have a pair of amateurs who unleash these monsters on the street. Both vehicles are equipped with the same eight-speed dual-clutch automatic, which should take shifting out of the equation, but putting the power down is still a pretty big challenge.

Either way, you can watch the full video below. As an aside, GM Authority does not condone racing on public streets, and indeed, the fact this comparison isn’t on a race track means it doesn’t really yield anything conclusive at all. But you can be the judge of that:

As a reminder, all C8 variants ride on the GM Y2 platform, while production takes place exclusively at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. Yeah…maybe not a good idea to broadcast that piece like they did.
    IMHO, “Publicity” can trigger “immune systems” from a whole bunch of directions.

    Reply
  2. Tell us you vote blue without actually telling us…. Red voters don’t want laws, blue are trying to make more laws. You have zero clue on which way politics go.

    The racing they did was short, not through intersections and not reaching high speeds, very safe in my view. Did they even pass another vehicle while racing? What lives were put in danger? Go donate to Harris and stop complaining…

    Reply
  3. Why don’t they do it ON A TRACK? That is what these cars are designed for.

    Reply
  4. Express your opinion about the subject matter, but please keep the friggin‘ politics out of the discussion. No one needs to know you’re oversensitive and highly emotional in other areas of your life.

    Reply
  5. Pointless. Uncontrolled conditions, unequal starts, I mean, who cares really?

    Reply
  6. Mexico my a**.

    Reply
  7. The E-Ray is the better Stingray. This is why electric race cars can run better than the gasoline equivalent. An all electric Corvette has the land speed record for a production car. It ran over 200 MPH at the Space Shuttle landing strip at Florida.

    Reply
  8. The key word here is “amateurs.” Thank goodness for the fast forward feature.

    Reply
  9. Stupid

    Reply

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