The rivalry between Ford and Chevrolet goes way back to the early days of the automobile, and over the years the two companies have worked at one-upping each other at various times. Just as an example, we probably wouldn’t have a Corvette today if those first Ford Thunderbirds had been a bust. But they sold like hotcakes which made GM double down even harder on its new Corvette, and we’re still standing 73 years later.
But when it comes right down two it, we are not all that different when it comes to good friendly competition between the two companies. Take for example the Nürburgring lap records which were broken this week. Ford was the top American car at the Nürburgring, and now two Corvette models have successfully taken the crown as the fastest American cars on the German track. Ford’s first visit to the Nürburgring late last year saw them run a 6:57.685 lap and then they came back a few months later and did a 6:52.07.
With those lap records on their minds, the Corvette engineers had a real goal in mind, and they planned and executed their first real timed lap at the Nürburgring in 14 years. The outcome saw not one but two Corvette models surpass Ford’s time with the Corvette ZR1X eclipsing the Mustang GTD record with a lap time of 6:49.275 while the ZR1 did it in 6:50.763. Now we have a response from Ford’s CEO Jim Farley who posted this message on the Corvette team’s celebratory Instagram post which said, “Congrats to the @Corvette Team. Game On!”
We loved that response from Farley and it shows a lot of class as well in reaching out and commenting on the Corvette’s social media post. We’re sure that Farley would love to have that record back under the Ford brand, but we don’t see that happening with the Ford Mustang GTD anytime soon. That car with its 815 horsepower is just now hitting the marketplace at an exorbitant starting MSRP of $327,000. While it could benefit from more horsepower, it would mean heavy costs and development on the back end to make it happen which may be something that was in the works already, just as the ZR1X was revealed on the heels of the ZR1 just starting customer production. But we find their overall selling price will end up limiting not only who they can sell the car to, but they will also have a heavy lift of convincing supercar owners that a $400K Mustang is the car to have!
If this process with the Corvette team has taught us anything, it’s not easy for the American car manufacturers like Ford and Chevrolet to compete for bragging rights on the famous German track, so records like this will likely stand until the next high performance variant from either manufacturer is introduced. And with a budget that allows its engineers to chase these records.
In the meantime, the battle between Ford and Chevrolet will continue to be fought in the trenches of social media. Our Facebook post from yesterday’s record Nürburgring post has generated nearly 2,000 comments from both camps, and at times it’s been wildly entertaining to read through them.
To wrap this up, thanks again to Jim Farley for the positive congratulations note, and we look forward to the next opportunity to witness Ford and Chevrolet competing against each other on the track and in the marketplace.
Source:
Motor1.com
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When I get the opportunity to buy a ZR1 or ZR1X in a year or two, Nurburgring times whatever they may be will not impact my buying decision. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t plan to ship a car to Germany to race it. That’s a fantasy except for a handful of people. To add a dash of reality for the rest of us, why doesn’t the GTD try to break the records Corvette already set on the American tracks? And dragstrip times can’t be ignored…
Corvettes and GT40s have historically been compared to foreign car exotics in the magazines. How come Mustangs are never compared to foreign exotics in the magazines? Because Mustangs are in a different market segment of course. I’m sure there are some, but how many Corvette buyers are also strongly considering buying a mustang unless cash strapped?
Farley, Bara why don’t you spend your human capital on building better quality cars that have optimum performance at a price for the rest of the 99%. Fix your dealer support, mainly service departments.
I predict both brand’s halo cars will become garage queens, the stars of the local C&C, unicorns on the streets and will show up a few years later on BaT for outrageous prices, as history seems to prove.
I think Farley needs to concentrate on the record number of recalls ford has this year. They have everyone beat in that category!
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