Hellcat Redeye vs. Corvette Z06 Shows Timing Is Everything on the Strip
Showdown between the ferocious Challenger and brawny Corvette Z06 proves that weight isn’t always the biggest factor in a race.
For the past 50+ years, one of the biggest rivalries, if not the biggest, rivalry in the automotive world has been between the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. But those aren’t the only companies that have competed for sales and bragging rights at race tracks and drag strips across the country. Dodge has been a formidable force in the horsepower wars, even though the Challenger hasn’t been as consistently available over the years as its domestic rivals.
These days, the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody and Corvette ZR1 are Dodge and Chevy’s top performance models, but it wasn’t all that long ago when the regular Challenger Hellcat and Corvette Z06 were the biggest guns their respective companies had. Even by today’s standards, they’re monstrously powerful. Both use a similar power source, a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, and route its ample output through a manual or automatic gearbox and the rear wheels. After that, the similarities end.
The (pre-2019) Challenger Hellcat is a big, beefy four-seater with 707 horsepower that weighs in at a minimum of 4,442 pounds (2018 Challenger Hellcat with a manual transmission) while the 650-horsepower Z06 only carries two people and 3,524 pounds around.
Those major differences didn’t stop the two drivers in this video on the YouTube channel Wheels from racing against each other at the Mission Raceway Park in Mission, British Columbia, Canada. That’s just how it is, even north of the U.S. If you have a fast American car, someone else in a different fast American car is going to want to race you.
After burning out to expose some fresh rubber to stick to the drag strip, both cars get in position. The drivers get the signal. The race starts…and effectively ends at the same time. The person in the Challenger has lightning-quick reflexes and absolutely nails the launch, leaving the Z06 behind almost immediately. The Mopar monster tears down the track with such fury that it’s easy to forget how powerful and fast the Z06 is.
It ends up way behind the Challenger, which crosses the line in 10.74 seconds at 130.83 mph. More than half a second later (11.33 seconds), the ‘Vette hits the 1,320-foot mark at 128 mph. By no means is it a slow car, but there’s no denying which automaker won this particular battle in the ongoing war for domestic brand dominance.
Photos: Screenshots
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