kosmo

JohnnyBahamas

Thanks, Kosmo!

So, the 400 bhp/325 lbs. torque 991 Carrera S is FASTER than the 460 bhp/ 465 lbs. torque C7 Corvette 0-60 AND in the quarter mile?

Ummm, Corvette fans here are going to have to start reading off the Corvette excuse list now.

That'll leave a mark.

There is a bright side for the Corvette, though. Corvette's brakes are better than the 911's benchmark brakes which is a friggin' amazing achievement for GM.

Manifold

911 should be faster drag racing from a stop, since it's rear-engined and has PDK ... but I don't drag race. For track use, 40 to 100 mph comparison would be more useful, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Vette was faster. Vette was also significantly faster in the slalom. And it costs half the price!

clutchplate

The 911 is faster in the 1/4 mile and the Corvette is faster in the slalom? What the hell is going on around here?

No matter how good the c7 is, it looks like a kit car on video.

petee1997

I'm sure the Corvette tested was 485hp. The surprising part is how well it performs.

When we consider the cost of ownership, the Corvette is a lot of bang for the buck.

bccars

So true. Now if they could get it to look and feel half the price ;-)

kosmo

frankly, i would have liked to have seen it comped vs the 991 Base w/ a 7spd stick w/ steel brakes.

The vette's slalom is very tidy, given its that rear leaf spring. Its weight distribution is ner 50-50.

kosmo

saw this somewhere :

"The as-tested price of the Corvette Stingray is $69,675. In the video, Mike Monticello says the as-tested price of the Porsche 911 Carrera S is around $140,000, so for less than half of what you would pay for a Carrera S, you could buy a Corvette and beat the Porsche by two feet in 60-0 braking, 2.8 mph in the 600-foot slalom and 0.01 g on the skid pad. Knowing that, would you still rather have the Porsche? We know you’re going to say “yes”.

Here’s a better question: what is the minimum horsepower a Porsche 911 would have to generate in order for you to consider a Corvette over a Carrera? 250 horsepower? 200? Or are you one of those people who would rather push a 911 than drive a Corvette?"

Detroit Shooter

What are the technical reasons that a leaf spring is inferior? You say it like it is gospel.

Bart Baeyens

I'm afraid I am...
I never bought a Porsche for the HP, to smoke the neighbours or to impress the girls. I buy a 911 for it's looks, the pedigree, the history, the iconic lines...
Corvette can pump out a C8 with 500.000 BHP, I'll never buy it cause deep down I'll love the Porsche more.
For those on the fence between a C7 and a 991: Go ahead, buy that C7 for half the price, all it will do is sit in your driveway, reminding you you didn't buy a Porsche
YMMV...

JohnnyBahamas

I'll volunteer. 350 bhp / 270 lbs. torque. That's a base Carrera's power. Though I'm not 100% sure about the torque number.

To the point, I lust more for a Cayman S over the C7 or any Vette. If the damn thing just had more horsepower and a little boost!

Reason? There is always going to be someone faster so it comes to having fun while driving mountain twisties.

Now, I still may buy a C7... but I'd rather have a more powerful, boosted, factory warrantied Cayman S. Heck, even a Boxster. Any day.

LSJU

I know you aren't bashing it but I would point out that you didn't mention the front leaf spring (the C3 was the last Corvette to use front coil springs).

LSJU

I think you have it figured out! Personally the last gen Cayman is my favorite modern Porsche. It strikes me as the car that would be the most fun to take down a mountain road at sane speeds. I see lots of people talking about getting around the track faster but really if you want a track car, get a track car. I'm not talking about a road car with a cage but a real track car. A Formula Ford can be had for far less than most of the cars people talk about yet it will go around a track with a level of precision unmatched by a road car. Thanks to slicks and the like it will pull much better lap times as well.

The Swift DB-1 is one of history's classic small bore formula cars. In 1984 R&T did a test of the car. The braking and cornering numbers put modern cars to shame (and the tires for these cars have gotten much better over the years).
http://www.apexspeed.com/community/_...t_roadtest.pdf
60-0 in 84ft. Skid pad of 1.28G.
This isn't some big monster car. The acceleration numbers aren't anything too special but the handling certainly is.
Used the prices are very reasonable and the cars hold their value quite nicely. With the new Honda motor the reliability of the engines is basically a non-issue.

Of course there are down sides. You have to trailer it to the track and you have to be VERY careful (like don't do it) if you are going to run around road cars. 'Fat pig' cars like Miatas and Elises have trouble seeing low formula cars.

Anyway, back to road cars. For a car on the road I think feel is more important that ultimate speed. The C7 seems very encouraging in this regard. The Cayman is a great car in this regard. The market place will be better for all if the Corvette can shed its reputation as just a numbers car.

Noah Fect

I don't think there are many technical drawbacks to the advanced design the later Corvettes have been using. But you will know within ten seconds of driving away that you're in a Corvette and not a higher-quality European or Japanese car, and the leaf springs are a big part of the reason why. They just don't feel right.

Detroit Shooter

As I suspected. If they wanted to use a coil spring they would have. Using a leaf spring would be crazy. Like putting the engine in the rear.