It’s the age-old question for car enthusiasts: can a highly advanced road car truly challenge a purpose-built race car on its own turf? The Drive YouTube channel recently explored this topic, pitting the latest and greatest in Chevrolet performance, Corvette E-Ray and Z06, against a V8 Supercar at Australia’s Queensland Raceway.

The first test saw the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, a hybrid all-wheel-drive sports car, line up against the Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Supercar for a drag race.

The E-Ray combines a 6.2-liter V8 powering the rear wheels with an electric motor on the front axle, delivering a combined 655 horsepower. As host James Ward explained, its electric system acts as a “torque filler for that V8, meaning response is lightning quick.”

Against the lighter, 600-horsepower rear-wheel-drive Supercar, driven by motorsport legend Craig Lowndes, the E-Ray’s launch was decisive. Even with Lowndes getting a slightly better reaction time in the Camaro, Ward stated after the race, “there was no competition in that off the line … the grip out of the E-Ray was just mind boggling.”

For the full circuit challenge, Drive brought out the track-focused Corvette Z06, equipped with a 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 — what Ward described as “the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 currently in production.” The Supercar, while a dedicated racer with superior aero and slicks, actually has its 5.7-liter V8 engine de-tuned to around 600 horsepower due to category rules.

On the roll, Craig Lowndes pushed both machines to their limits. While the V8 Supercar ultimately clocked the faster overall lap time, the Z06 delivered a stunning performance.

In fact, Ward revealed to Lowndes, “you have set an unofficial lap record for a production car: 15.5 in the Corvette Z06”. Lowndes himself praised the Z06’s “unbelievable” brakes and its ability to perform at such a high level straight from the showroom.

In the end, the purpose-built V8 Supercar held its edge on the full circuit, a clear demonstration of dedicated racing design. Yet, the day proved that modern road cars, armed with advanced hybrid power or extreme track-focused engineering, are now astonishingly close to race car performance.

The new Corvettes are truly capable of challenging track-only counterparts straight off the showroom floor. Indeed, the performance gap between street and track has never been smaller.