Stock C6 Corvette Z06 Hangs with Tuned 2018 Nissan GTR

Corvette packs far less power, but at 800 pounds less, it is able to get a win and stay close in a loss.

The video above comes to us from the BabaYagaRS YouTube channel and it features a series of high speed roll races between a stock C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and a modified 2018 Nissan GTR. If you are remotely familiar with the two cars, it might seem like an odd battle, as in stock form, the all-wheel drive Nissan with a self-shifting transmission has a 60 horsepower advantage and when modified, that number gets even bigger.

However, the Corvette has a big weight advantage and in these two roll races, we see how much of a difference weight really makes when you are racing from a roll.

The Competitors

The camera car in the footage above is a stock Chevrolet Corvette Z06 from the C6 era, so it is motivated by the 7.0-liter LS7. That naturally aspirated V8 sends 505 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque towards the rear wheels by means of a 6-speed manual transmission.

The other car in the footage is a 2018 Nissan GTR. We don’t know the trim level, but it doesn’t appear to be a Nismo model. This means that it is powered by a twin turbocharged, 3.8-liter V6 that delivers 565 horsepower and 476 lb-ft of torque in stock form. However, this particular car has been modified with an intake setup, cat-back exhaust and a Cobb tune. We don’t know where the power numbers end up after the upgrades, but it is safe to assume that this GTR is packing at least 100 more horsepower than the Corvette while also having a quick-shifting dual clutch transmission and the traction advantage of all-wheel drive.

The only problem for the Nissan is that the Corvette weighs almost 800 pounds less and in these 45 MPH roll races, the all-wheel drive doesn’t help as much as it does from a dig.

The Racing Action

The video begins with the Corvette and GTR going head to head from a roll. The Nissan blows the horn three times and the two cars hammer down, with the GTR pulling out to a small early lead. As speeds climb, the GTR disappears and we don’t see it again until the two cars lift, at which point the Nissan goes flying by. That is the only time that the Corvette was far enough back for us to get a shot of the GTR on the road.

In the second race, the GTR gets the early lead once again, but this time, the Z06 is unable to close the gap before the run comes to an end. Once again, they are pretty much side-by-side, but the GTR appears to take the win.

While the action is hard to track from the in-car, there is roadside footage of each run as well. From that angle, we can see that the Corvette takes the narrow win on the first run and the Nissan got the win in the second.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com