[VIDEO] America’s Most Ambitious Vehicles Hit the Strip: C8 Corvette Z06 vs. Tesla Cybertruck

In one corner, there’s a mid-engine supercar that took Ferrari’s perfect recipe to new heights with the largest flat-plane V8 in history that also makes more power than any naturally aspirated V8 ever made. Parked next to it, waiting for the same green flag is something even more outlandish – to the point that its existence would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago. It’s an electric truck that wraps the shape of James Bond’s Lotus Esprit submarine in John DeLorean’s preferred iron alloy while having enough get-up-and-go to realistically challenge the low-slung two-door in the other lane to a drag race.

Both of these incredible machines were conceived, designed, and built in the continental United States out of 86% and 90% North American parts, respectively. In the immortal words of Earl “DMX” Simmons “[Expletive] what you heard,” American ingenuity is alive and well. And who better to highlight two of the US’ most ambitious vehicles than the British/Canadian YouTube duo of Thomas and James, AKA Throttle House? After, umm, throttling the so-called top-tier “Cyberbeast” trim of the Cybertruck for more than 500 miles a few weeks ago, it’s time to see how the stainless steel 845-horsepower polyhedron matches up in a straight line with the Stars and Stripes’ ultimate sports car.

Those 845 ponies have to propel 6,843 pounds down the runway with the help of all four wheels and a questionably high amount of torque (the Beast is listed as making 10,296 lb-ft of twist, and while it hasn’t garnered any online explainers, that number is almost as fishy to post in a comparison test with a traditional ICE powerplant as the 11,500 torques that GM got called out for touting in its Hummer EV). What isn’t a joke is that its silver exoskeleton is sledgehammer-proof, and it starts under $100,000.

The Red Mist C8 Corvette Z06 that TH brought to challenge their loaner Tesla is a low-drag non-Z07 model. Its Ferrari-style powerplant spins to 8,600 RPM and makes a maximum of 670 HP to go with 460 lb-ft of torque. It only weighs 3,500 pounds, makes do with rear-wheel-only launches and it starts about $10,000 above the Cyberbeast’s base MSRP.

To test two very different automobiles that weren’t designed with the drag strip in mind but happen to be quite formidable there, TH first threw these two monuments of freedom down a standing quarter mile. After gushing about the Corvette – “one of the greatest cars of this generation … and our car of the year” – the Christmas tree lights up, and it is jarring to see the three-ton wedge of science fiction on stilts absolutely leave the exotic two-door coupe for dead. The remainder of the race is an exercise in reeling in that doesn’t quite land the big fish in time.

After the disappointing – but incredible sounding – first run, Thomas demands a second chance, figuring that repeated exertions will eventually turn the battery-powered truck into a XXXL space-age paperweight. No such luck as the ‘Vette again runs out of tarmac before it can pass the fading Cybertruck in run two. Luckily, in the name of competition, James floats the idea of a roll race at the five-minute mark, and things finally get interesting. The Z again falls behind early but is able to take advantage of its superior top-end to surpass and defeat Elon’s newest brainchild. In the end, the entire exercise is nicely summed up by our hosts. If you are driving a Z06, you will be enjoying yourself too much to care about the rolling freezer/refrigerator next to you, but to avoid possible public embarrassment; it’s smartest to at least recognize what it is and avoid open conflict. Either way, these two represent the very best of what we can do as a nation in 2024, and, like the moon landing some 55 years ago, each is something that every American should look on with pride, regardless of our many differences!

Source:
Throttle House / YouTube

Related:
[VIDEO] Throttle House Reviews the 2024 Corvette E-Ray
[VIDEO] Throttle House Races the C8 Corvette Z06 vs a GTR NISMO and a 1,000-hp R34 GTR
[VIDEO] Throttle House Does a Three-Way Drag Race with the C8 Corvette, NSX Type S, and the GT-R Nismo

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