Mustang Gt500kr Vs. Corvette
Today's Shelby Mustang GT500KR and the Corvette Z06 attract a specific demographic. These are no longer young men's cars, but are rather for the middle-aged male recapturing his lost or, perhaps, misspent youth with the performance coupe of his dreams. It also matters that probably only Dad can afford these cars, not the kids. The GT500KR and the Z06 can fit those dreams as long as the pocketbook is willing.
GT500KR Specifications
The GT500KR, the KR standing for "King of the Road", is a rear-wheel-drive coupe powered by a V-8 engine sitting on a 107.1-inch wheelbase. The 2010 model is 188.1 inches long, 55.6 inches tall and 73.9 inches wide. The GT500KR weighs 4,000 pounds.
Z06 Specifications
The rear-wheel-drive Z06 also is powered by a V-8 engine. It's placed on a 105.7-inch wheelbase, measures 175.6 inches long, 48.7 inches tall and 75.9 inches wide. Its curb weight is 3,175 pounds.
GT500KR Power
The GT500KR's 32-valve supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 generates 540 horsepower to wield 510 pound-feet of torque transmitted through a six-speed manual transmission. The GT500KR version possesses 40 more horsepower and 30 more pound-feet of torque than the standard GT500.
Z06 Power
The Z06's 7-liter V-8 offers up 505 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque through a TR6060 six-speed manual transmission, which replaced General Motor's T-56 transmission. The Z06 is not penalized with a gas-guzzler tax, while the GT500KR is.
GT500KR Performance
The Shelby GT500KR clocks between 3.9 and 4.3 seconds from 0-60 mph, with a quarter-mile timing of 11.9 at 120 mph. Top speed is electronically limited at 155 mph. Its obesity and tendency towards body flex on the curves detracts from its handling abilities.
Z06 Performance
The Z06 achieves 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 198 mph. Although it features less horsepower and torque than the GT500KR, the overall performance is not compromised.
Head-to-Head
The GT500KR is an instant collectible car by virtue its Carroll Shelby pedigree. It's also a brutish hellion on wheels and weighs a whopping 825 pounds more than the Z06. Both performance cars drip with masculine symbolism, but that's the point. Both perform exceptionally well in straightaway speeds and overall road handling, although the GT500KR is less refined. At the end of the day the Z06 is the more serious performance car. It keeps the weight off and it's gunning for high-performance automakers like Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and the BMW M3. The GT500KR is more of a shouter on the road. The GT500KR sells new for about $80,000. The Z06 starting price is closer to $75,000.
Tags: pound-feet torque, electronically limited, inches long, inches long inches, inches tall, inches tall inches, inches wide