2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 vs. 2012 Camaro ZL1 Battle

- in Cars

Camaro vs. Mustang – a classic battle of American Muscle cars. No other duel has been so protracted, so intense, and so personal since 1967, but it remains no less fascinating.

For the horsepower wars, the Camaro has usually always been the king of the hill. Producing better horsepower and torque from the factory, faster quarter mile, and usually a faster 0-60 time. For 2013, Ford isn’t getting bullied any more. The 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 5.8L produces an incredible 662 horsepower at 6,250 RPM and 631 torque at 4,000 rpm. Incredible! The 2012 Camaro ZL1 has a 6.2L that makes 580 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 556 torque at 4,200 rpm. Nothing to sneeze at, but the Mustang makes significantly more power. Both engines are supercharged, and can produce even more power with simple modifications.

The Camaro vs. Mustang debate continues, and die hard Camaro fans will always love the Camaro, and die hard Mustang fans will always love the Mustang. For those of us who love both, this Camaro vs. Mustang battle is only getting more interesting and we can’t wait to see how it continues to unfold.
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The 2012 Camaro ZL1 hits 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and quarter mile at [email protected] mph. The Mustang Shelby GT500 hits 0-60 in 4.0 seconds and runs the quarter mile in [email protected] mph. What’s good to note here is that the trap speeds are almost 10mph difference! The Mustang looks to have significant top end power over the ZL1. However it’s hard to imagine a 580 hp Camaro running “only” 116 mph in the quarter mile.
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In the Camaro vs. Mustang battle, the Mustang wins hands down in power and acceleration. However, the Camaro did come out on top for handling. 1.03g lateral acceleration for the ZL1, and 0.98 for the Mustang Shelby and was faster through the slalom with 70.8mph vs. 69.1 for the GT500.

Next up is braking where the Camaro vs. Mustang battle is pretty close, with 109 feet vs. 110 feet for the Camaro.

In terms of looks, both the Camaro and Mustang look awesome. Incredibly mean stances, but both could use a few modifications such as a good coilover system or lowering springs to give them less wheel gap and an even more aggressive stance.