Runs in the Family: Corvette Smokes Camaro in LT-Era Battle
C8 Corvette shows no mercy against Bowtie brother Camaro SS as two American icons throw down.
Corvette and Camaro are two towering American automotive icons. Both built by Chevy, and both built for speed, these two fierce machines remain performance titans. But how does a C8 Corvette–the archetypal sports car–perform in a battle against a Camaro SS, the classic pony car? With high stakes, this family feud plays out on the track. And the result is an incredible display of LT-power as the two different (but equally menacing) cars burn rubber and scorch the apple pie.
The man behind the V8 shootout is German race driver Daniel Abt. Abt has begun to amass a following of petrolheads both in Europe and across the pond as he explores his automotive interests outside of pro-racing. That includes his new YouTube channel where he pitted the two Bowtie brutes. However, Abt is usually behind the wheel of European cars, so this opportunity to really push the limits on two American classics is one he clearly loves. We can’t blame him.
Corvette and Camaro are two nameplates that represent the best of performance and speed. And both are powered by LT-platform’s mighty small-block V8. Watching their individual strengths and weaknesses translate to the road demonstrates just how vastly different the two optimize power, and reigniting the muscle/pony versus sport car debate.
Camaro was built for competition. It was put on the market as a direct competitor to Ford Mustang. But it grew into its own. Muscle car at heart, the Camaro is a classic pony car: A brawny–but sport–performance-oriented beast with an emphasis on straight-line speed.
Corvette is the wascally wabbit that uses its smaller, areo-heavy design to its advantage. Sports car through-and-through, the Corvette is all about ride quality, powerful acceleration, corner-carving, and … well, it is a Corvette.
The C8 Corvette Stingray is striking and sinister in black. With a performance exhaust, the Corvette 6.2L V8 LT2 makes 495 horses, 470 lb-ft of torque. But we know the mid-engined ‘Vette is a rocket, hitting 0 to 60 in 2.9-seconds.
But the sixth-gen Camaro SS cuts quite an imposing figure. With the LT1, the Camaro SS 1LE makes 455 hp, 455 lb-ft of torque, and can sprint 0 to 60 in 4.0-seconds.
Joining Abt on the track is Jacqueline Geiger of German tuner Geiger Cars. He chose a great driver in Geiger, she is a skilled and knowledgeable driver who tears it up as well as she delivers hilarious smack talk.
Both admit to having some nerves before the race. And we should point out that the video is in German with English subtitles–but some things need no translation.
While Abt really loves the Camaro’s interior, he is looking over at his opponents Corvette in envy. The Camaro looks and sounds really good, he’s running in track mode and he knows his engine has the power. But he’s well aware of the C8’s advantages.
Each driver does a run in the Camaro and the Corvette. It isn’t fair how effortlessly the Corvette just sweeps it. To be fair, the Camaro performs very well, the power is there, just not when it really needs it: Taking on Corvette’s launching ability. And, just for fun they do a run with the two convertibles’ top down.
We won’t give everything away, check out the video–queued up to the racing. But the Corvette just decimates the Camaro. It is one of the best sounding and best looking throw downs you’ll ever see. And another interesting chapter in the sibling rivalry of Corvette and Camaro.
Photo: General Motors
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