Road Test: 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, 2005 MTI Pontiac GTO, 2005 Livernois Ford Mustang GT, 2005 Lingenfelter Chevrolet Corvette, 2006 Hennessey Dodge Viper Coupe and 2005 Accufab Ford GT
Strike Force: Five cars, 4500 horses one goal: take down america's own supercar
By John Kiewicz
Photography by Evan Klein
Forget the 1960s. Now is the golden age of horsepower. Just visit your local new-car dealer, and you'll find an abundance of factory-tuned hot-rods, replete with warranties and that new-car smell. These days, 400 horsepower is easy and 500 commonplace. But what if you crave more? You could one-up your neighbor by sending your vehicle to a tuner for a full performance makeover: Twin turbochargers, custom suspension, and unique bodywork--it's all there if you've got the greenbacks. Last year, the automotive aftermarket was a $35 billion industry--and it's growing.
But the tuners now have to work a whole lot harder to make the factory guys look slow. Case in point is Chevrolet's raucous new Z06. With 505 horsepower, throw-out-the-anchor-braking, and Nuerburgring-tuned competition suspension, the Z06 is a genuine all-American supercar capable of taking on Porsche and Ferrari. Yet how would the muscular Z06 stack up against the latest rides from America's best tuners? Are tuner vehicles really that much faster? Moreover, is the price tag worth it?
To find out, we wrangled five of America's hottest tuner offerings for a no-holds-barred showdown against the almighty Z06; six tough tests conducted on the U.S. Navy's finest military airfield to determine exactly where performance myth meets reality. In the process we debunked some lore, got some scares, and set some records. Who would be the top guns of the test track? You may be surprised.
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