Just got my December issue of Car and Driver and was excited to see "Corvette vs. 911" on the cover. When I opened it up I was hoping to see a 911S, but as we've come to expect they've once again compared the top of the line Corvette to the entry level Porsche; at least it wasn't a Boxster this time! The 911 turned in some impressive numbers despite being down on power by 80 and cylinders by 2, it was only two tenths of a second behind the Corvette to 60, and was even faster in its top gear acceleration! Of course the Porsche also had better breaking and equal handling and the Corvette still won because it was cheaper. Now I understand why they didn't use an "S"....The big American "bruiser" would have gotten bruised, big time.

 

hehe *evil snicker*

 

The corvette KILLED the 911 on the track...by 2 seconds. Although the S is much better, the american bruiser wouldn't get bruised...

You have to admit that Chevy is putting out some incredible vehicles. Whether they have to use 6 liters or not.

They didnt pick the S because it would have been 2x as expensive. Im sure when the 360cs is compared to the gt3 rs, you dont forget to point out the massive price difference. Like it or not, many consider the 360 superior.

 

I don't get C&D so I have to ask. Was it a C5 ZO6 or the new C6? If it was the C6 - it's not the top end model, unless they were testing a pre-production 2006 ZO6.

 

It was the c6 with z51 sport package.

 

I just read the article as well. I agree the vette is great performance for the dollar. I also wonder how the track times would compare with a 911 driver in the p-car. In the past several magazines have complained on the handling of the 911, but only because they are driving it like it's a vette. Who knows.

 

From the sound of the article, they seemed to prefer the 911, but just not enough to justify the extra money.

In the end, though, I don't really care what magazine writers have to say about a car. I buy cars based on what I like, not what some other guy writes.

edit: not to take anything away from the Corvette. While I don't particularily like the car, I agree that it is one of the best new sports car values out there.

BB.

 

So it was NOT the "top of the line" Corvette, it's an optioned out entry level model. The new ZO6 will have 500bhp, there is also talk about the C6R being offered for about $150,000 (like the C5R that was a very successful race car, not the yellow ones running in ALMS).
So this 911 and a non ZO6 C6 is a very fair comparison.

 

The engineers at Stuttgart made the 997 incrediby easy to drive. So easy in fact, that both tog gear and c/d called it the easiest 911 to drive, to date. So, I dont think that this is a particular problem.

 

My December C&D hasn't arrived yet so I haven't seen this article. However their conclusion sounds quite similar to what they concluded a few years ago when they compared the C5 Corvette to the 996. The 996 was an outright better performer in objective terms, but the C5 won the overall comparison because it did most of what the 996 did at a much lower price.

 

both company's racers ran well at LeMans.

 

There is no question that a Corvette is a fantastic value for the money compared to other sports/GT cars . . . . . . I do recall, however, reading at some point (probably in an issue of C&D or such) that GM loses money on every Corvette sold; its real value to the company is in engineering/technology breeding and in brand image...

 

I was just having a similar discussion with my brother. I would be more than happy with either car, however, if I had to buy one it would probably be the corvette. Although I like the numbers that Porsche can squeeze out of its flat-6, the cheaper price/ maitenance of the corvette would allow me to enter more track events and enjoy the car more.

 

I received that issue last week. The comparison seemed fair to me. The 997 Carerra was already $20K+ more expensive than the 'Vette, and upgrading to the S model would have made the pricing disparity even wider. It was obvious when reading the comparison that they preffered the 911 over the Vette, but not enough to justify the huge pricing difference. Even as-is, the 'Vette only won by 1 point (225 vs. 226), which is remarkable considering it is so much less expensive than the Porsche. It was clear which was the better car, even though it did not win the comparison. With that said, the 'Vette is a very very good deal considering the performance numbers it puts up. The fact that it killed the 997 on the racetrack and in every single performance test except top gear acceleration shows that the Vette is one awesome car in its own right.

 

don't forget what happens when you wreck a chevy!!