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

[Fraxum]

Admit it '13 GT500 fans, you are on the ropes!

You will win the drag race but then you will have to go home and rest after the punishing ride. The ZL1s will still be out cruising looking for GT500 stragglers on the back roads.

[b_williams_82]

STANDING

[Blueclyde]

I think we should all be a bit careful here. I am a ZL1 owner and I really love the car. I am also a car enthusiast and think the 2013 GT500 is an awesome car. We get accused of being a little biased on this site and some of these comments certainly fall into that category.

Let's face it... These are two incredible cars that perform very well in all areas. Each has their own area of advantage but BOTH cars perform very well. It is going to be really difficult for either camp to declare an all out victory in this comparison.

Let's just all be thankful that we have US car companies making such awesome cars.

[BowtieBelle]

The 2013 GT500 is an amazing car, and it is faster than the ZL1. Of that there is no doubt.

But all the speed in the world doesn't make me like the design any better. I think they're ugly. So I'd stick with the ZL1. The superior handling of the Z is just a bonus

Just my .02, though.

[GTAHVIT]

merged again

[christianmotox]

i dont understand why, a couple of weeks ago, every threat that had a GT500 on the title had 50% or more post from mustang owners.

Also, i dont know if Ford ever came out with the time the GT500 made at the nurburgring

Weird.

[AFROST]

wow i love how this proved my agrument earlier where i got blocked for putin my oppinion about zl1 vs gt500. this is a real match unlike the zl1 vs boss302 wich is dumb in my mind

[stikSS]

If you go back early on.. the ZL was designed to be a car that is superb in all aspects of motorsports... not just straight line or road course... it was built to do both, and both very well... which it does.

What I think is more important and less talked about is how Chevrolet has been able to put forth such gains with minimal HP, not scared of having the extra weight, and still providing a very dependable daily driver. We've seen drastic HP jumps in the Ford camp to gain an edge when that isn't the need.... Its being able to apply what you have now and improve on that... Go read the last statement in that article and it basically explains that.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by Blueclyde

I think we should all be a bit careful here. I am a ZL1 owner and I really love the car. I am also a car enthusiast and think the 2013 GT500 is an awesome car. We get accused of being a little biased on this site and some of these comments certainly fall into that category.

Let's face it... These are two incredible cars that perform very well in all areas. Each has their own area of advantage but BOTH cars perform very well. It is going to be really difficult for either camp to declare an all out victory in this comparison.

Let's just all be thankful that we have US car companies making such awesome cars.

Yes both are serious fun and it is great time to be a muscle car nut, the best ever. To me though so many have focused on the power aspect and declared the GT500 as the pinnacle of the pony car. A car is much more that that. So saying the GT500 has it all over the ZL1 just because it is faster in a straight line is not the full story. The ZL1 is engineered to be the better complete performance car. Ford tried but had less to work with.

By the way, I want your car.

[nanokpsi]

Originally Posted by Wondering

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

I think what you will see is the good times on the GT500 will be harder to duplicate, and the normal press guys will not be able to beat the Z with the 2013 GT500 on some tracks. Ford has already beaten some of the ZL1's publised times on tracks, but they will likely not release them. However, if the Z wins by a good margin at the lightning lap, count on Ford to release their VIR times in the 2013 that better GM's own 2.52.

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by Fraxum

Admit it '13 GT500 fans, you are on the ropes!

You will win the drag race but then you will have to go home and rest after the punishing ride. The ZL1s will still be out cruising looking for GT500 stragglers on the back roads.

I didn't see where they said the ride of the gt500 was punishing or even poor.

The best thing demonstrated by this article is the precision of the MRC. I think every level-headed person here expected the Shelby to win in acceleration and braking and the ZL1 to win in cornering. I'm personally very disappointed they didn't actually track the two cars as if nobody knew what the results drag and slalom tests would be.

[papawattz]

Good video/read! Just one question ,Somewhere in the reading they make a reference to Fords smaller displacement engine making more power than Chevy's old school big inch approach? Well that's all fine and dandy but without posting the amount of boost Ford puts the 5.8 on, your not really comparing apples to apples! Now true it;s kind of a run what ya' brung idea, and Ford brought the more powerful package but, Look at the the price difference (out the door) and the Stang is what 7 grand + more than the ZL1, shoot, crank the boost up on the ZL1 to (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say) the GT 500 boost level and let's see where we stand Because really, isn't there a Turbo charged 2.0 litre Cobalt out there with 1000 hp

[GTAHVIT]

Merged again.

[nanokpsi]

Originally Posted by christianmotox

i dont understand why, a couple of weeks ago, every threat that had a GT500 on the title had 50% or more post from mustang owners.

Also, i dont know if Ford ever came out with the time the GT500 made at the nurburgring

Weird.

Ford did not rent the track out and try for a "glory run" without other traffic on the 'ring. I am sure they will release times for different tracks if they feel the media testing is not doing the car justice on the road course, just as they did when C&D sucked it up at the lighning lap (Ford released the 2.58 for the 2011PP car)