If you had $70,000 to spend on a sports car, would you go for Japanese precision or American muscle? That’s the question the folks from The Fast Lane Car on YouTube set out to answer, pitting the Toyota GR Supra Final Edition against a C8 Chevrolet Corvette in a series of drag races.
On paper, it seems one-sided — the mid-engine Corvette packs a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 with 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, while the Supra’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six makes 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft. But specs don’t always tell the full story.
At over a mile above sea level, turbocharging gives the Supra an advantage. The BMW-sourced B58 engine is notoriously underrated, and its forced induction compensates for the thin air. The Corvette, on the other hand, relies on displacement and a razor-sharp eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which is enhanced by the Z51 package.
In the first heads-up run with no launch control, the Corvette leapt off the line and stayed ahead. The Supra’s turbo lag kept it trailing, though once boost hit, it pulled impressively. Adding launch control changed the game — the Supra’s time dropped from 13.45 seconds to 12.72, while the Corvette clocked a 12.03-second quarter mile at 114 mph. In the rolling race, the Corvette’s extra horsepower gave it the edge, but the Supra stayed close — proof of how potent the B58 really is.
