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"The is the classic American sports car. The is the quintessential American pony car. In the past, a decision between the two might have been easy: If you like going straight, choose the Mustang. If you occasionally stray onto a curvy back road or find yourself at a track day, opt for the low-slung Corvette. But the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 is a pony that&amp;#039;s ready to run, straight or twisty, while the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport has the handling prowess of the Z06, but without that car&amp;#039;s 7.0-liter V-8\u2014or its high price. So which car rules the American roost?   2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport        2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport    The replaces the Z51 in the Corvette model lineup. For roughly $6000 more than a base Vette, the GS gets the Z06&amp;#039;s brakes, dry-sump oiling (for its hand-built 436-bhp 6.2-liter LS3 V-8), wheel sizes, tires, front clip, hood and rear fenders. The Grand Sport shares the Z06&amp;#039;s anti-roll bars, but the springs and dampers are unique.   The result is handling performance about equal to the more expensive Z06. True, the GS suffers from slightly more understeer because of its weight (it uses a steel frame, as opposed to the Z06&amp;#039;s aluminum version) and softer springs, but it&amp;#039;s considerably more sporting than the previously offered Z51 performance package. And, it&amp;#039;s much less of a handful around the track than the Z06. There&amp;#039;s still plenty of power, but the car is considerably less twitchy.   The handling numbers back this up, as the Grand Sport pulled 0.96g around the skidpad and averaged 70.7 mph through the slalom. But get this: The considerably heavier Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang managed an incredible 1.00g circling the skidpad, and was almost as quick through the slalom, with an average speed of 69.6 mph.   Of note, all Corvettes with manual transmissions now come standard with launch control. Foot to the floor, drop the clutch and feel (and hear) the awesomeness of this system. The distinctive pop and crackle as the engine control module manages torque with fuel and spark control is a beautiful thing.   With a base price of $54,770, the Grand Sport is a whopper of a bargain versus the Z06, costing nearly $20,000 less. Now that&amp;#039;s some math we can all appreciate.   2011 Ford Shelby GT500        2011 Ford Shelby GT500    Only last year, the received a serious makeover. Now the boys at Ford/SVT and Shelby have gone and done it again, dropping weight, adding power and giving it even more performance than the past-generation KR edition. From a pure numbers standpoint the new all-aluminum V-8 does little apart from removing about 100 lb. from the nose of the car. Power is up slightly thanks to a lower-backpressure exhaust that exhibits a bit more rumble than its predecessor. The newly introduced $3495 SVT Performance Package is the option that makes the biggest difference to the car&amp;#039;s dynamics. Larger (265/40ZR-19 front, 285/35ZR-20 rear) really let the track-oriented suspension work. As our numbers show, the 2011 model trumps the &amp;quot;King of the Road&amp;quot; in every performance category, while hanging with, or besting, the Corvette Grand Sport.   At the test track, the Shelby&amp;#039;s 550-bhp supercharged 5.4-liter V-8 enabled it to consistently hit 60 mph in the mid-4s (the Grand Sport managed 4.1 seconds, although the cars tied to 100 mph\u2014at 9.2 sec.) and suffered little to no heat soak after repeated runs. Around the skidpad, the SVT suspension worked its magic and resulted in exactly 1.00g, while the Grand Sport could only manage 0.96g. Think about that: A Mustang out-handling a Corvette! Since the Shelby&amp;#039;s suspension was designed more for the track than the road, it did give up some stability in our slalom, requiring a deft touch to keep the rear wheels planted; hence the reason the Shelby couldn&amp;#039;t quite match the Grand Sport&amp;#039;s slalom speed.   As an aside, the Shelby&amp;#039;s handling numbers are even better than the we tested back in December 2003. Impressive stuff for a factory-modified Mustang to best a mid-engine exotic.   Conclusion   After the dust had settled, the Ford Shelby GT500 came out as the winner. It can hang right with the Corvette Grand Sport in acceleration and handling\u2014and in some cases, such as the skidpad, even outperform it. What&amp;#039;s more, the Shelby&amp;#039;s starting price is about $6000 less, while its as-tested price is almost $13,000 less. Don&amp;#039;t get us wrong: The Corvette Grand Sport is one heckuva good car, and a true bargain in the Corvette world. But the Shelby GT500 is even more of a steal, and without question the most impressive Mustang we&amp;#039;ve ever driven.     Make/ Model   2010 Chevrolet Corvette   2011 Ford Shelby GT500      List price     $54,770     $48,645       Price as tested     $68,365     $55,537       Curb weight     est 3360 lb     3820 lb       Engine, transmission     6.2-liter V-8, 6-sp manual     5.4-liter supercharged V-8, 6-sp manual       Horsepower, bhp @ rpm     436 @ 5900     550 @ 6200       Torque, lb-ft @ rpm     428 @ 4600     510 @ 4250       0-60 mph     4.1 sec     4.4 sec       0-100 mph     9.2 sec     9.2 sec       0-1320 ft (1/4 mile)     12.4 sec @ 116.5 mph     12.6 sec @ 118.9 mph       Top speed     190 mph*     155 mph*       Braking, 60-0 mph     112 ft     117 ft       Braking, 80-0 mph     197 ft     197 ft       Lateral accel (200-ft skidpad)     0.96g     1.00g       Speed thru 700-ft slalom     70.7 mph     69.6 mph       Our mileage, EPA city/highway     est 17.0, 16/26 mpg     est 16.0, 15/23 mpg      * = Electronically Limited "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-comparison-tests/reviews/a16499/2010-chevrolet-corvette-grand-sport-vs-2011-ford-shelby-gt500/>