LOL, I had the exact experience when it happened to me in Stuttgart last year. That GT3 is something special ...

 

that really wasnt even a review. Frankly it wasnt even the right car(s).
If i were doing the comparo the cars would be:
Vette w/ stick, z51, magnetic shocks,sport seats for ~$65k
Cayman w/ stick, sport suspension, sport seats for ~$65k

 

Lately the "reviews" on /Drive have been underwhelming.

What's with driving impressions on the Volt, Audi A6, MB E550, and SUVs?!

 

That would be more fair, but there's still a 991 vs Vette review thats warranted. What I didn't like was constantly pointing out the price yet ignoring the obvious that a huge portion of that price difference were redonkulously expensive creature comfort options. A dog stock 991S coming in at 98K would have been a more fair comparison. Maybe throw in PDK/Chrono and that's it. Funny thing was, that over specced C2S was way more expensive than a stock 991 GT3, which would not only have beaten the C7 as well, but would have flat out dominated it in embarassing fashion. Yes still more expensive, but less of a difference.

So the bottom line was the 991 is better but the C7 is cheaper. At least they didn't blow a few billion on a government study to discover something that obvious.

 

I don't see how you got the impression the 991S was better. Laptimes were not posted. What I took from it was the C7 was fun to drive and the 991 was a sublime perfection car that's had the fun ripped out of it and replaced with gizmos that allow any grandma to drive it.
The 991 has wider tires giving it more grip also the lack or torque makes it so much easier to go full throttle and not bite like it does in the C7, oversteer tendencies, yup that what happens when you have some real torque.
Not only lack of tire but the C7 also running run flats with a slush box 6 speed auto. I bet if laptimes were laid down the C7 would leave the 991S in the rear view mirror just as the C7 Z06 will for the 991 GT's.

 

I totally agree. Even so, I wouldn't swap my Carrera S for a C7. Might for a Z06 with Z07 package, though. But, by the time the Z06 is out, the NSX will be soon thereafter and that's a car I'm mighty interested in. Until then, I'm loving my C2S and enjoying driving it, albeit wishing all the fun weren't just above 5,000 RPMs but down low, like in the 'Vette.

 

Maybe from the video?

At 7:30 "no word of a lie, I much prefer driving this car"
8:20 "it just feels profoundly right… I'm not sure there's any handling trait of any car for me that feels more right than that."
8:49 "it just feels like someone's done millions of miles developing it and making it perfect- which of course, they have."
8:56 no quote, but go and look. No, really, go look!
9:30 "its just so good at all of it." Expels breath in awe. "It really is a fantastic motor car."

And yes, I know its unfair expecting everyone to acknowledge even the most glaringly obvious truth. Somebody always has to play devil's advocate, feel sorry for the gimp, whatever. Don't change the facts one bit. Not one little bit.

 

That particular Vette may not have been the quickest, but lap times already put a properly equipped Stingray close to GT3 and RS territory, clearly ahead of the 991S no matter what variables. C4S x51 power kit, you name it, no contest. That said, and given my lack of enjoyment in the 991S, I'd still rather be driving the 991S than the Stingray, no contest.

Anyway, this was not a review or a comparo, it was a just a bit of enjoyable motoring with the Harris Monkey flogging a couple of very popular cars. I can only hope that Chucka visit included a drive in a GT3 recently arrived in the USA and hopefully he's putting down laps at Laguna or somewhere that we can apples-to-apples.

Then again, come the Z06, I think Porsche is relegated to also-ran on the track at least until the RS; even then, both cars will be a tad heavy and the Z06 will bring 50-100hp advantage and supercharged torque advantage, and choice of third pedal or apparently lightning quick torque-convertor automatic which could prove comparable to a dual-clutch especially in terms of power delivery for some stomping the ground with over 600 neddies (at least in terms of 0-60 and quarter mile etc. where the battle is now fully automated.)

 

+1 Harris retreated on prior criticism of steering feel - no issue at track speeds. In my experience (18k miles) with Sport PSAM, it is a non issue anywhere. He commented on how good the whole car was even compared to a GT3. He ignored the fancy bits that drove the price up- fact is they are irrelevant to what he was after- a straight up test of feel and composure and speed.

PS- I think the C7 is a fantastic car. I like the way it looks, but not as much as I like the 991. I like the way it goes, It is just a bit slower than the 991S. Hell, I am even from the demographic that actually buys new Vettes (aging boomer).

Maybe a year from now, when they go on sale I'll take hard look at a Z06. But after a back to back drive in the C7 (with the good suspension- that should be standard at its bargain price), I still prefer my 991C2S.

 

Don't care, Vette is ugly, sharp lines and angles, 4x4 stance, and sorry, cheap looking. Nobody is taking home money for the win at a DE event. I get that it is fast, I had a couple of Z06 vettes, but regardless they don't satisfy like a 911.

 

Each to his own. The Stingray lines are worthy of comparison to the F12 and show an equal level of contemporary appeal while retaining a silhouette to a body that's a decade older than the 911. Apples to apples, I credit the Vette as being a closer, more faithful continuation of the original car than the 911. At least as of the 997, the lineage was still there, but it's been a widening departure ever since the 993 (not to restart that old debate.)

What I find inexplicable is how GM saw fit to make the Stingray such a low rent "flagship" at the same time as having excellent quality and materials in Cadillac and even some of their newer Chev models at lower price points. If you follow the early reports, the build quality of the Stingray has been appalling. For my two cents' or $70K, the cabin trim is woefully substandard. I'll be interested in getting the Z06, but only as a track car, not as a car I'll take pride in driving day to day or on the weekends, but it should be a helluva lot of fun on the track (assuming the rear end is a lot better planted than this example that had the Harris monkey swinging all over the place.)

 

He's starts a lot of his reviews with "you know the drill by now..." yes we do harris, and it's gone stale a long time ago. I've lost interest in his reviews, totally lacking substance.

 

Or even to and from the track…. And how many track days do you suppose it'll be good for? Just one more good thing about the Corvette I guess: no need to worry about wearing brake pads, tires. Whole car gonna wear out first. Hauled home in the covered shame-avoidance trailer no doubt. That's some endorsement.

 

I don't think you hand out with enough other marque's at the track. I see more problems with Porsches blowing coolant hoses then I see other cars having problems. Also the Vette's ccb are cost what Porsche charges for steel rotors and brake pads and they last much longer. The m96/m97 engines are sub par and prone to cylinder wear not to mention all the other issues with them.

 

For me only driver safety and lap times matter. I can't see wasting 100k more just to get a automatic luxury car with a panamara center console filled with useless buttons and no brake handle that will get lapped if I take it out to my local track with a car that costs half the price that is equal in terms of safety.