Track Battle: C8 Corvette vs Ford, Ferarri & McLaren

YouTuber Speed Phenom tackles another track day in his C8, competing with a Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren 720s, & McLaren 600LT.

YouTuber Speed Phenom (SP) is at it again this week with his 2020 Corvette. Spending multiple days at Willow Springs Raceway, Speed Phenom was the first person to document a track day with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. You can watch the results HERE, but the short version is this: PSC2 tires improve track times dramatically but were trashed after only one day.

More importantly, he spent a full track session battling supercars like the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren 720s, and McLaren 600LT, proving that the C8 Z51 can hang with some of the world’s best track toys. Even though this is the base model C8. And even though, for this session, Speed Phenom was only on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S max-performance summer street tires.

Still, in addition to highlighting SP’s talents as an up-and-coming driver, it’s just more proof of how capable the new mid-engine C8 platform is for its relative bargain pricing. And, again, we haven’t even see what GM will do with models like the Z06, Grand Sport, and ZR1. Exciting times.

C8 vs G500

Earlier this week, Speed Phenom did an on-track comparison of the 2020 C8 Corvette Z51 and the base 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. On paper, this doesn’t seem like a fair contest, given the Shelby’s power advantage. But when one considers the pricing similarities, we’d argue that it’s a pretty apt comparison. And even better, Speed Phenom owns both of the featured vehicles. He loves both. Tracks both. And, in our humblest opinion, offers a very objective opinion.

So, who wins? What’s the better track car?

It depends on the track layout, actually.

According to Speed Phenom, the 760 horsepower Shelby GT500 has the edge on tracks with longer straights. In this context, it’s clear why racer Randy Pobst was able to out-drive the C8 in the GT500 at Virginia International Raceway. But, “on tracks that have a balance of corners and straightaways, it’s going to be more of a driver’s race.” Such is the case at Willow Springs for Speed Phenom.

Both cars are amazing and impressive. Both are great track cars. But the C8 corners and handles better, and the GT500 offers exhilarating straight-line performance. As Speed Phenom says, it’s an incredible time to be a car enthusiast. And, when you think about how capable the C8 is at sub-500hp, we can only imagine what future variants will offer.

What do you think about Speed Phenom’s track videos? Join the discussion HERE in our forums and —