You know an automaker has created a good car when it bests its closest competitor. Thanks to its available 455-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is more powerful than the 2016 Ford Mustang GT.
It’s also significantly lighter than the outgoing Camaro. However, perhaps the new Camaro, which Chevrolet says generates 455 horsepower and pound-feet of torque under the hood, is a little too good as far as the Corvette Stingray is concerned. According to the following video shot by Hennessey Performance, the 2016 SS model of the Mustang fighter makes 431 hp and 427 lb.-ft. at its rear wheels. In terms of horsepower, that’s only a 5.3-percent parasitic loss in translation. If a 15-percent dip took place between the engine and the back tires and ended in the same readout of 431/427, the V8 would actually be pumping out under-the-hood figures of 507/502. Yowza!
The High Tech Corvette clip below shows a Corvette Stingray spinning its way to a reading of 402 horsepower and 393 pound-feet. Compared to its Chevy ratings of 455 hp and 460 lb.-ft., that translates to decreases of roughly 12 and 15 percent, respectively.
Whether the Camaro’s rear-wheel output is due to Chevrolet underrating engine power or the variables involved in the car’s dyno run or both, it still churns out impressive numbers. We can’t wait to experience them from behind the wheel.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
