Top Gear staged its most extreme American head-to-head yet at the Ten Tenths Motor Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, pitting the Ford Mustang GTD against the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Both are Nürburgring-developed, sub-seven-minute machines with genuine motorsport intent, and both represent a radical evolution of their nameplates.
On paper, the Mustang GTD arrives with serious race-car credibility. Built by Multimatic, it uses a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 producing 815 hp, extensive aero generating 600 kg of downforce at 155 mph, and a curb weight near 1,930 kg.
The Corvette ZR1 counters with brute force efficiency: a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 delivering 1,064 hp—the most powerful production V8 ever—less downforce overall but at far higher speeds, and a significantly lighter package.
On track, the differences are immediate. The Mustang feels like a homologation special—ultra-stiff, hugely stable under braking, and defined by confidence at high speed. Its adjustability, braking performance, and downforce make it feel closer to a GT3 race car than a roadgoing Mustang. Despite its weight, it delivers consistency, precision, and trust.
The Corvette, by contrast, feels more like an exceptionally sorted road car with explosive pace. It’s less locked down, more fluid, and lighter on its feet, with immense traction and staggering straight-line speed. While not as stable under braking as the GTD, it rewards commitment and feels devastatingly fast everywhere. The stopwatch settled the debate. The Mustang GTD set a 1:15.61 lap, but the Corvette ZR1 obliterated it with a 1:12.97—over two and a half seconds quicker on a short, technical circuit.
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