Not surprisingly, the LS9 in the C6 ZR1 is no match for the LT5 in the new C7 Corvette ZR1.
The video above comes to us from the Late Model Racecraft YouTube channel and it features a high speed roll race between a pair of Corvette ZR1 coupes. While we all know that the new ZR1 is stronger, quicker and faster than the ZR1 from the C6 generation, this video shows how the difference in performance plays out in a real world in a situation where driver skill is all-but-eliminated as a deciding factor.
The Competitors
When Late Model Racecraft posted this video to their official YouTube channel, the shop didn’t offer any real details on either car, with the information below being all that we get.
“We finished up an X pipe install on this brand new 2019
ZR1! So what better way to see the results other than putting it against a C6
ZR1!”
We do not know if the C6 is stock, but we know that the C7 has a new exhaust system that might free up a few horsepower. Provided that the C6 ZR1 is stock, it is powered by an LS9 that delivers 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque while weighing around 3,373 pounds.
A stock C7 Corvette ZR1 is powered by the new LT5 with 755 horsepower and 715 lb-ft of torque in stock form, so without any gains from the exhaust system, the newer super-Vette packs somewhere in the area of 117 horsepower and 111 lb-ft of torque more than the C6, but the newer car weighs around 3,560 pounds, so it is a couple hundred pounds heavier.
The Battle
These two Corvette ZR1 coupes are cruising side-by-side down the highway in an undisclosed location and when oncoming traffic clears, the race begins. The race begins around 55 miles per hour and as soon as the two hammer down, the newer Corvette quickly begins to pull ahead. By 100 miles per hour, the C7 had the C6 at the back bumper and as speeds climbed towards 150 miles per hour, the LT5-powered car just keeps on walking away.
The video above shows the run from the perspective of each car, giving us a chance to watch the beating from both angles. Best of all, the C7 has a Performance Data Recorder, so on the second look at the race, we can see the speed of the ZR1 during this easy roll race win.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
