Throttle House pits a 2020 Mustang GT500 against a 2020 Corvette Stingray

The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray don’t have a lot in common. The Mustang has its supercharged, DOHC V-8 in the front and the Corvette has its naturally aspirated, pushrod V-8 in the middle. The Mustang also has a serious power advantage, at 760 horses compared to Stingray’s 495. After all that, what they do share is the same Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tire and a similar price tag. Once the Corvette adds the $5,000 Z51 handling package and some interior upgrades by way of the 2LT trim package, it’s nearly at the entry price for the GT500, which starts at $74,095 including destination. The guys at Throttle House decided that was reason enough to pit these two against each other in a series of challenges.

First up was a drag race, and the Corvette’s weight and weight distribution advantage allowed it to put some distance on the GT500 early, which it needed. It wasn’t long before the brute power of the supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 in the Shelby closed the gap. In the first race, it was Corvette, by a nose. Next up, they decided to level the playing field and race from a rolling start. The C8 again pulled ahead initially but the GT500 reeled the Stingray in and passed it. Despite very different methods, these speed machines are shockingly well matched.

On the track, it was a similar story, with the Mustang taking a more brute force approach relying on the throttle to overcome understeer, which we very much appreciate. The Corvette, in Z51 guise, was a bit more precise. As you’ll see with some gratuitous drifting shots, the understeering that many C8 reviewers have mentioned can be remedied by adjusting the suspension to its track settings.

Watch the video yourself to see how their lap times compare.