[VIDEO] C8 Corvette Z06 Squares Off with Maserati MC20 in Frustrating Intercontinental Mid-Engine Battle

Happy Revenge of the Sixth, Corvette fans! Prepare to be simultaneously amazed and irritated. The UK wing of Autotrader recently descended on California’s Willow Springs International Raceway like the Empire on the ice planet of Hoth. Except, instead of clumsy AT-ATs, these belligerents touched down in the Land of the Free armed with a nimble piece of mid-engined Italian exotica. Europe’s ultimate weapon in this fight comes in the form of a Maserati MC20. The return-to-form from Modena’s other automaker starts at $243,000 and features a stiff but lightweight carbon fiber structure laden with an in-house twin-turbo V6 – no more parts-bin stuff for the Trident brand! The three-liter six makes a stout 621 horsepower to go with 538 lb-ft of torque. The high-end 3,757 lb. sled also incorporates front and rear multilink suspension, carbon-ceramic stoppers, an electronic Limited-Slip Diff, an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and a fat set of Bridgestone Potenza Sport shoes (245 front, 305 rear).

Defending America’s turf against this onslaught is our greatest sporting machine, the C8-Generation Corvette Z06 with the Z07 track package. Unlike its challenger, the Z doesn’t suffer from the new age ailment of boosting and downsizing. Under its rear decklid lurks a free-breathing 5.5L monster that was crafted in the image of the car every Maserati wants to be. With two extra cylinders and two and a half additional liters of displacement, it puts nearly 50 horses on the Maserati without the aid of turbos. The ‘Vette’s curb weight of 3,691 also means that those ponies are saddled with fewer pounds despite an equally impressive list of features. Weight-saving carbon fiber wheels are wrapped in Michelin Cup 2R rubber sized to embarrass the invader at 275 front and 345 out back. Magnetic ride control, a similar set of ceramic rotors, and eLSD are enriched by an aggressive aerodynamics setup. All of this can be yours for around $170,000.

So, it’s over before it starts, right? The ‘Vette has the high ground! Well, the presenter, Rory Reid – who might look familiar from his third-wheel role on the first post-Clarkson Top Gear reboot starring Matt LeBlanc and the locally-famous Chris Evans who doesn’t play Captain America – puts on his Lee Corso headgear and says “not so fast, my friend,” which is where the aforementioned frustration comes into play.

The Auto Trader video comes out of the gates hard with beautiful, drone-enabled cinematography and a camera mounted just above the hard-charging Z06’s four exhaust cannons. From there, it’s safe to say that we had some quibbles. In traditional British fashion, Reid goes all-out to highlight any shortcomings in the Corvette’s game while explicitly negating the European’s faults (like its soundtrack). That is to be expected, but we can’t sit idly by when he starts touting the Maserati’s heritage when we all know that company has been a non-entity in both production sports cars and racing the 21st century, without even a mention of the Corvette’s lineage going back to 1953 – longer than any sports car in the world, or its on-track successes, including nine class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 9 driver’s titles, 16 team championships, which all happened between 2001-2024.

More stunning video work, a surprisingly level-headed take on styling (where the Euro press tends to take a lot of shots on the C8 since they can’t knock it for anything else), and an outpouring of power slides and enthusiasm later, and the clip ends with another sequel trilogy-level disappointment. No lap times are given, only a final excuse: the ‘Vette is obviously more serious about going fast, but with some updated rubber, the Maserati could be quick, too! All of these annoyances aside, the (English Accent) “Aut-o Trada” flick is still worth a watch, but its greatest feat comes with the off-camera realization that in the C8 era, it’s officially time for the Euros to drop the tired Corvette condescension that’s long been a staple of their schtick, it’s just embarrassing at this point. Our recommendation? Embrace the power of… American engineering.

Source:
AutoTrader / YouTube

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