C8 Corvette ZR1 Lays Down 1,033 HP on the Dyno, then Beats GT3 RS by Two Seconds to Claim a Lap Record

True to form, we refrained from spoiling the epic one-hour three-way comparison test recently posted by the automotive YouTube savants at Savage Geese. The video was too jam packed with reveals to just leave there, though, so after spotting our readers a day or so to enjoy it without knowing what was going to happen, it’s time to break our unwritten gentlemen’s agreement and talk about all of the goings on between the C8 Corvette ZR1, 991.2 GT3 RS, and Mustang GTD at Autobahn Country Club. Let’s start with…

The Dyno Run

Before hitting the track, SG took the three competitors to URW Automotive to use their Mustang Dyno. The results were eye-opening! First up was the fancy Mustang. Its “Predator” V8 is rated at 815 crank HP. On the similarly named dyno, it put down 709 (or Hellcat crank HP +2) at the wheels. The Porsche and its 4.0L flat-six were up next. The Germans claim 518 ponies out of this high-revving mill, and the dyno showed 457 at the wheels. Dynos usually illustrate a 15ish-percent drivetrain loss from crank to wheels, so both competitors were relatively close to normal, with the ‘Stang losing about 13% of its crank power at its rear Michelins, and the 911 at just under 12%.

The ZR1 is already rated way out in front with 1,064 twin-turbocharged horses, but the dyno says it’s still making 1,033 HP at the wheels. That would give it an under 3% drivetrain loss, if true. What’s more likely is that the LT7 makes over 1,150 HP at the crank and Chevrolet can now join the ranks of BMW and McLaren; automakers whose claimed power numbers for twin-turbo mills can’t be trusted because they are severely underrated! What’s extra crazy is that we aren’t dealing with a ringer for the test. This isn’t an isolated anomaly; random customer cars have attained similar results!

The Track

The full ACC Circuit is 3.56 miles long and consists of 19 turns with a long straight of 1,850 feet. Going into this test, SG and their pro driver, Britt Casey Jr., held the track record for production cars with another GT3 RS that Britt used to stop the clock in 1:24.95. That lap was set in 81-degree heat, putting it significantly out in front of the fastest Corvette. A C8 Z07 did 1:27.24 (set on a chilly 55-degree day, good for 5th place before the ZR1 super test). That same day, a run-of-the-mill 992-generation 911 GT3 with the PDK automatic finished just shy of the Z with 1:27.329.

Also, of note around here is the Corvette E-Ray that laid down a 1:28.04 (previously good for 8th place) to vanquish the 1:32.88 of the Acura NSX Type-S on a 60-degree day. Also of interest: the E-Ray was on Pilot Sport 4S ZP rubber vs the much more aggressive Cup 2Rs the Z06 and Porsches lapped on. The final member of the C8 family, the Stingray Z51, was good for a 1:32.31 in blistering 98-degree heat with Bridgestone Potenza Race shoes at all four corners.

While we’re comparing ‘Vettes, 911s, and Mustangs, the previous high-water mark for Ford’s Pony Car was 1:34.20, done by the 500 HP, $70, Dark Horse. If that seems slow, it’s because it is, but it does have an excuse. It was on similarly grippy Pirelli P-Zero Corsas, but it lapped on a damp 51-degree day.

The best thing about SG is that they go above and beyond to ensure the playing field is as fair as possible: same day, same track, same driver, same tires, same number of laps, order determined by a coin toss; it’s a top-notch operation. When Casey Jr. sets out in the 3RS, he immediately improves on his old time with a new lap record of 1:24.174. The GTD was up next, with the temp still sitting at 79 degrees. The $325,000+ carbon fiber Super-Stang crossed the line in a respectable, but shy of the Porsche, 1:25.397. Finally, the ZR1 got its chance at bat, and it didn’t disappoint. With the GT3 RS’ bar of 1:24.174 in its sights, the monster ZR1 crossed the line in an astounding 1:22.443!

That ET put 1.731 seconds on Porsche’s finest track machine and left the Mustang GTD 2.954 seconds in its wake. As our host smartly points out, this result proves that GM is leaving significant time on the table by using in-house drivers for their Nürburgring times – with the same caliber of driver, the ZR1 should always beat the GT3 RS on muscle alone – but we’ll admit that it’s very cool – some might even say cocky – that GM took down a pro-driven GTD at the ‘Ring with a lowly engineer at the helm!

Back to ACC, briefly, where, as you might have guessed, the second the dyno results were shared, the ZR1 won the matchup by bludgeoning the competition in the straights. The Geese were kind enough to share some side-by-side data between the 911 and ‘Vette, and it is eye-opening. In section one, the ZR1 entered the turn at a face-warping 98.8 MPH while the GT3 RS was only doing 80.3, but in the turn, the ZR1 lost 49.2 MPH as it slowed all the way down to 49.6 MPH.

The Porsche only had to shave 29.4 MPH and was able to best the ‘Vette with a minimum speed of 50.9. By turn exit, the ZR1 was back on top at 63.9 MPH to the 3RS’s 59.4 MPH before hitting a max of 133 on the straight, 8.9 MPH over the Porsche. Surprisingly, the 911 actually finished the section with a slight lead of 11.13 seconds to 11.43 before eventually relinquishing to the awesome might of the ZR1. An impressive showing from a car with just 48% of the power of its rival, to be sure. Lightweight, superior downforce, and confidence-inspiring brakes really worked in the Porsche’s favor, but a win’s a win, as a famous fictional street racer once said, and we’re on to the next matchup. Hopefully, the SG channel can get its webbed feet on a ZR1 with the brake upgrade and a ZR1X next time, as the sibling rivalry has become the most compelling matchup in the world of hyper Corvettes!

Source:
Savage Geese / YouTube

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