Did the Corvette Z06 Really Destroy the 911 GT3 at VIR?

By Tony Markovich - October 19, 2015

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According to Car & Driver, there is only one car that could outrun a Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06 around the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) 4.1-mile Grand Course: the Porsche 918 Spyder.

After Corvette development driver Jim Mero posted a mind-boggling 2:41.3 at VIR earlier this year, the Z06 posted an impressive 2:44.6 lap time at C&D‘s annual Lightning Lap track day against the best performance cars on the planet. The $79,000 MSRP Z06 came in second behind the $845,000 MSRP Porsche 918 Spyder, which claimed the throne at 2:43.1.

Although the Porsche brand took an overall victory, one of the most surprising parts of the test is that the $130,400 MSRP Porsche 911 GT3 ran a 2:50.4. With some simple math, you’d realize that is 7.3 seconds slower than the Z06. For the record, the ‘Vette also beat cars like the McLaren 650S Spider, the Lamborghini Huracan, and the Mercedes-AMG GT S. If you’re wondering what the Z06 was on, it was running Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and it held an average speed of 89.7 mph.

And for the other record, if Porsche people still want something to harp on, the Z06 is known to have some serious overheating issues on track days. And it also received a DNF during Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car competition.

So which would you rather have? Let’s check the forums! For PhilT3, it wasn’t even about the time trials. “There’s no doubt this new Z06 is no joke, performance-wise,” he commented. “But, what ultimately made me opt for the GT3 was its classic looks, sophistication, fit and finish and quality of materials on the interior.”

Der-Schwabe also points out that the article still was quite fond of the GT3, despite lagging behind.

“[The article] is extremely complimentary about the GT3 not only pointing out that it is the fastest sub-500 bhp car they have ever driven but also the vehicle they’d choose out of the group due to it’s consistent lap times with only the tires degrading. Moreover they would choose the GT3 over all others were they to partake in the 24 hours of LeMans.”

So? What’s your take on all of this?