Inside Line: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 vs. 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Comparison

[nanokpsi]

I sure wish they would have actually taken them on a raod course instead of playing follow the leader on back roads! I am curious what will happen there.
As mentioned, I think Chevy guys want the ZL1 and Ford guys want the Shelby. The drag guys will modify there cars anyway, so they will just need more goodies on the Z to be as fast.
For the guys that won't mod there car to make it faster, the Z guys will get their feelings hurt in a street brawl, but they probably won't care.

[8cd03gro]

So they finally got these two cars together and didn't put some pro-drivers behind the wheel on a road course? Some serious jabronis at insideline. So now we know the gt500 is faster in a straight line and the zl1 handles better. Who could have guessed?

[2ndCamaro79]

Its got new video of the ZL1, I think it should stay here You can't argue the ZL1 is an amazing machine. What its able to do going through the twisties is amazing. I think we all realized that with 100 more HP the Shelby would be quicker in a straight line. The one thing I don't understand is why the ZL1 is slower than the V series cars?? I just feel like the 2012 ZL1 is leaving something on the table

[Stinkycheese916]

Both are great cars! You'll be a fool to not agree...

[Stew]

Originally Posted by E.T.

I see from the fast list, the #1 bone stock SS time is 12.588 in the 1/4. Inside line gets 12.4 for the ZL1. It's a lot more expensive than and SS, but it only runs 0.2 faster? I know the 1/4 isn't everything, but that's not very impressive.

Not a fair comparison, the supposedly stock 12.588 isa huge outlier, best of the best and not normal, more normal an SS is probably low 13s/high 12s. nside line is not known for getting the best times and i would guess the 12.4 for the ZL1 would be a normal time for it and when it hits an 11.9, that will be it's 12.588.

[Steve Dallas]

So how have the Mustang forums been taking this?

I mean...most Mustang enthusiasts were convinced that the Shelby would outhandle the Camaro. Now, they have just faster 1/4 mile time, which with the power & weight is totally a given.

[collins motorsport]

Originally Posted by LSX-V

You should see the kool aid drinking svt forum owners. They are trying to downplay and hate on the zl1. Excuses such as: These guys don't know how to test cars, The gt500 goes straight faster and that's the only thing that matters, Whoopdy the zl1 goes fast in a circle.

I own a cts-v and anyone whos driven an lsa car with mag ride knows what I'm talking about when I say it's a very well balanced car. It kills my 12 gt500 svt perf package car on the same twisty roads.

That being said It seems as though the cts-v got similar numbers on the same test despite being 300lbs heavier and around 30hp down.


GM ZL1 CTS-V <3

Don't stress it there's always the biased people but one of my dads friends has a 12 GT500 and when I took him for a ride he admitted that it handles much better than his car. Im sure someone wil say that has no relevance but whatever i doubt the svts handling has improved all that much in one year, just my input.

[E.T.]

Originally Posted by Stew

Not a fair comparison, the supposedly stock 12.588 isa huge outlier, best of the best and not normal, more normal an SS is probably low 13s/high 12s. nside line is not known for getting the best times and i would guess the 12.4 for the ZL1 would be a normal time for it and when it hits an 11.9, that will be it's 12.588.

I did see a Motortrend writeup where they got 0-60 in 3.8s and 12.1 in the 1/4 mile. That's more like it.

There are several 12.6 and 12.7 times on the SS fast list, though.

[Fraxum]

Not sure if this has been posted yet......

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/...ison-test.html

Nice.

[edit] I'm just a little slow.

[Swacer]

I'm gonna be the first to step in and just say this....

Wow...blind bias my friend....and I quote:

"If this were a contest of power plants alone, it should be obvious that the Shelby is the clear choice. Its modern motor snaps to attention with every touch of the throttle, revs higher (up to 7,000 rpm for brief periods) and, to our ears, sounds better. Put the two on a drag strip and physics predictably delivers the lighter, more powerful GT500 to the traps half a second and 7.4 mph ahead of the ZL1." WINNER = GT500

GT500 = Specifically, that's an 11.9-second pass at 123.5 mph — an impressive number, but not an easy one to achieve.

ZL1 = But it's still slower. Our best pass was 12.4 seconds at 116.1 mph.

HOWEVER....you are right in terms of terms of the road course tests:

At 70.8 mph it was also quicker through the slalom than the GT500, which managed a still respectable 69.1 mph. ZL1 = winner

Then = One hundred and ten feet are required to bring the ZL1 to a halt from 60 mph — 1 foot longer than the GT500. Both cars suffer from a too-soft middle pedal when driven with purpose — hardly surprising given the road-crushing mass and power at work here. GT500 = winner

Its a good competition between the 2, but I think the Camaro "trumped" the Mustang.

Good try tho lol

[Wondering]

Originally Posted by Steve Dallas

So how have the Mustang forums been taking this?

I mean...most Mustang enthusiasts were convinced that the Shelby would outhandle the Camaro. Now, they have just faster 1/4 mile time, which with the power & weight is totally a given.

Not well.....

And while the Inside Line article is definitely a point to our side, I'll wait till some comparisons are made on a real road course to claim final victory. Same driver,same day.

If what this article says is true....the ZL1 will decimate the GT500 on a road course.

[DanSS24]

It's not a racing story (which is banned)...it's a comparison of two awesome pony cars. So I think it shouldn't get moved. Please.

[hightower]

Haha suck it SVT.

I will always want a ZL1 over a GT500, especially after driving one the other day!

Originally Posted by derklug

This is just what people have thought since the GT500 anounced 650+hp. The ZL1 would lose at the strip, but be better at the track. Now it is going to depend on the track, small tight tracks will make the ZL1 shine, larger tracks with bigger turns and straights will favor the GT500. Unfortunatly for most of these cars, the only track they will see is the one that leads into the garage and allows room for the owner to get all the way around it to get the cover on correctly.

[Fraxum]

It's ZL1 2, GT500 1

ZL1 = Better handling
GT500 = Faster acceleration
ZL1 = Better car to live with

All this = trumped.