Corvette Racing a Rolls-Royce is Odd, Unnecessary & Awesome: Track Time Tuesday
Corvette Racing a Rolls-Royce is Odd, Unnecessary & Awesome: Track Time Tuesday
Racing a C8 Corvette against a Rolls? It is insane. And by that we mean awesome and deeply entertaining.
We’ve seen a lot of unusual cars and trucks face off in a variety of races against Corvette. From the sublime to the ridiculous, these races do feature mostly equally matched competitors. But the team over at Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) recently dropped a video that puzzled many. They set up a road race between a C8 Corvette and a Rolls-Royce Wraith.
At this point you might be asking: Why? The answer is simple: Why not?
As one of the most respected and boundary-pushing tuners out there, Hennessey has created some of the most innovative upgrades and packages. Hennessey the mid-engined 2020 Corvette was a pure combustion. Offering a host of Corvette options, all purpose-built and track-tested to elevate performance and power. Hennessey took the already-brutal C8 and gave it big gains, making it nothing less than ferocious.
So, who better to challenge the Corvette than a…Rolls-Royce Wraith?
Obviously the Rolls-Royce Wraith isn’t a lightweight. It is the most powerful car in the Rolls lineup. With a twin-turbo V12 mated to a 8-speed automatic ZF transmission it makes around 630 hp. So it has got the power, in theory. But it is a Rolls! Luxurious and opulent, yes. Agile and capable? Sure. But can it get down and dirty on the throttle? Ehh….
For no reason other than the fun of it, Hennessey made this unlikely race happen. But we are glad they did!
Alex, will be driving the Hennessey Corvette, while Chris pilots the Wraith. Alex points out that these two cars are very little in common. They are both two door coupes….and that’s about it. Mismatched though they may be, they do each have strengths going in. The Rolls does have the horses, but it also weighs over 5,300 lbs. Also–and we might have mentioned this–it’s a Rolls racing a track-slaying Corvette.
First, they face-off in a rolling race. Next the Wraith starts at a roll while the Corvette starts at a dig. The action is great, and the exhaust notes are heaven. It really is interesting to see a Rolls racing, period. But taking on the C8 is pretty ballsy, and the Wraith really puts in the work.
We won’t spoil the results. However, we will say that it was a little closer than anticipated. Well, -ish.
Enjoy the odd couple below. And really, even the most diehard Corvette fan has to give a credit to the Rolls; it’s a tasty car with a lot of unexpected oomph.
Photos: Hennessey Performance
