• While these two American sports cars are very different, they are both incredibly fast.
  • The Challenger SRT Demon 170 boasts a significant power advantage over the Corvette E-Ray with 1025 hp compared to 655 hp.
  • While the Demon 170 excels in raw acceleration, the Corvette E-Ray offers superior handling.

American performance cars have undergone an impressive renaissance over the last decade or so and two of the most noteworthy cars launched over the past year have been the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 and the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

While these are both extreme performance cars, they are very different. The Dodge has been designed with one thing in mind: storming down the drag strip as quickly as possible. By comparison, the Corvette E-Ray is an out-and-out mid-engined supercar that offers blistering straight-line acceleration while also being able to handle itself around a race track.

Watch: Corvette E-Ray Blasts To 60 MPH In 2.1 Seconds – But There’s A Catch

This duel between the pair recently took place on the drag strip, precisely where the Demon 170 thrives. The Dodge is an absolute weapon off the line and according to the carmaker itself, can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in as little as 1.66 seconds with a one-foot rollout thanks to its 1025 hp.

By comparison, the 655 hp E-Ray, which sports an electric motor to supplement the V8 and offer AWD, requires 2.4 seconds to hit the same mark.

With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that the Dodge comfortably beats the Chevy in a straight line and leaves it for dead in the quarter-mile. The Corvette ZR1, which will have a twin-turbo V8 with over 800 hp, will make for a more suitable rival to the Demon 170.

And if that’s not enough, when Chevrolet launches the rumored “Zora” that will reportedly follow with even more power, it should probably give the Demon 170 something to think about when they line up for the (inevitable) drag race and the title of the fastest American car.

While the Corvette E-Ray can’t keep pace with a Demon 170, that doesn’t mean it isn’t quick. Many enthusiasts consider anything that can hit 60 mph in 6 seconds or less as relatively rapid and it wasn’t too long ago when even the highest-performing supercars needed between 3.5 seconds and 4.0 seconds to hit this mark.

In recent years, a growing number of cars have been able to hit 60 mph in under 3 seconds and unless you’ve experienced a car that accelerates that quickly, it’s hard to describe what it feels like.

Image credit: Demonology/YouTube