[VIDEO] The Brits Ask Which US Manufacturer Makes the Best V8 and the Answer is Painfully Obvious

Feb 23, 2026

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[VIDEO] The Brits Ask Which US Manufacturer Makes the Best V8 and the Answer is Painfully Obvious

The English YouTube channel carwow is one of the most successful in the video sharing site’s vehicle sector with 10.8 million subscribers – compare that to some of our favorites: 600k for Edmunds, 900k for Savage Geese, 3.37 million for Throttle House (who were just named the heirs to The Grand Tour!), 3.73 million for Hagerty, 4 million for Jay Leno, and over 5 million each for Doug DeMuro and Hoonigan. That impressive number makes it a pretty big deal when they come Stateside to sample our automotive fare, and on this particular trip, they showed up with a big question on their European minds: which American brand makes the best V8s?

Even with subs nearing 11 million, carwow still has to take what it can get, so the Star-Spangled V8s they amassed for their drag racing test weren’t exactly evenly matched. Ford’s representative is the tried and true workaday 5.0 “Coyote,” albeit in top-shelf Dark Horse tune, while GM’s corner is filled by the Corvette Z06’s exotic 5.5L LT6. An eight-year-old 2018 Challenger SRT Demon was pulled out of retirement to rep the smallest arm of the domestic big three.

The Dark Horse makes an even 100 horsepower per liter (500) to go with 418 lb-ft of torque. It weighs in at 3,975 lbs. and features a 10-Speed automatic transmission. The Demon is harder to describe as it can make up to 840 HP, but that requires an optional engine controller and 100 octane fuel, which we doubt the team making the film had access to, so it’s more likely that we’re seeing the second-most powerful Hellcat at its 808-horse base level. At this tune, it also puts a test-high 717 torques through its 8-speed auto and checks in around 4,300 lbs., which is also the highest in the test. The 8,600 rpm Super ‘Vette is the lightest of the three at 3,666 lbs. and takes second place in both power and torque with respective peaks of 670 and 460. Its 8-speed transmission is the test’s only dual-clutch unit, and it has the added benefit of weight distribution as the only one with its engine in the middle.

Also of interest is the narrow, cracked, uneven, and unprepped nature of the strip, which is good news for the Ford and bad news for the ‘roided up Challenger. If the Z06 looks familiar, that’s because it belongs to Jesse Iwuji, who was kind enough to pilot his orange beauty through the entire test. While most C8 ZR1 owners have taken to removing their big wings at the drag strip, Jesse has actually added an OEM ZTK wing to his Z06, and he keeps it installed for all of the day’s drag races. Other than that, all we can say is enjoy this one, Corvette Nation, and go Z06!