When it comes to videos featuring Chris Harris, we’re used to seeing him drive the latest European exotics though scenic Alpine passes. It’s a contrast, then, to see him driving the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 and the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 through the concrete and steel canyons of New York City.

Harris is on this side of the pond to compare and contrast the latest in muscle cars, and his expectations are lofty. A proper muscle car should, in his words, “rip my arms off and scare children,” and we certainly can’t disagree with him here.

With 580 horsepower on tap in the Camaro and 662 horsepower available in the GT500, either should be up to the task. Harris compares the cars both on the road (where he finds the ZL1 easier to drive in Manhattan traffic) and on the track, where the Shelby GT500 leaves him giggling like a school girl.

In the end, Harris declare a favorite, and it isn’t what we would have expected given his early praise for one of the competitors. The video serves as a reminder of the value delivered by both cars, which Harris repeatedly compares in price to a well equipped BMW 3-Series.

It’s ironic, then, that it takes a British journalist to remind us of how good we have it, car wise, on this side of the pond.