Putting 495-horsepower up against an 808-horsepower, straight line beast like the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon may seem unfair but, then we have never seen an underdog quite like the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette before. The new Corvette saw many changes from previous generations, with the most dramatic of which has to be the mid engine design that placed the car in more of a supercar category.
The design allowed Chevy the advantage of toying around with weight distribution and aerodynamics to really hone the Corvettes skills on the track. Unfortunately, what is excellent on a road coarse is not always ideal for the drag strip where light and nibble usually ends up in last place. The new Corvettes answer to this issue is its expertly tuned launch control that compensates for its lack of raw horsepower and makes the absolute most of the power it does have.
The guys at Throttle House recently got their hands on these two powerhouses and decided to see just how they stacked up against each other and the results were kind of shocking. Even though the Demon was built specifically for the strip, its weight and inability to launch without slicks and a properly prepped track left it at the starting line with a major disadvantage that the extra 313 horsepower could not compensate for.
The new C8 walked away well before the finish line and the Demon ran out of pavement before it could catch up. However, from a roll the Corvette was no match for the Demon at all and the Demon consistently widened the gap all the way to the finish line.
While the outcome may have been unexpected and unintentional, the Throttle House crew effectively proved that there is more to winning a race than throwing an incredible amount of horsepower at the ground and hoping it will stick.
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
