vegasgolf98

My thoughts are that for 65-75,000 I can live with a recall or two at $120+, I cannot.

Andrew- I think because Corvettes are common and inexpensive here they are not cool. That doesn't mean we don't respect them. My dad had a C4 Vette and before it had 50,000 miles on it, it was just falling apart. A piece of junk. But, it was fun for the first 25,000 miles.

Viken

You mean just like a horse is at the wrong end of a carriage?

rss997

It is still a Vette no matter how fast it is. Just like buying a house in the same city but different zip code, somethings can't be explained.

I hope the interior is not so cheazy and crappy as the last vette.

MetalSolid

Yeah, it should be in the passenger compartment with the humans.

Yargk

No, because the horse and carriage becomes front drive with the horse in front. Just in a RWD car I like the majority of the weight in the rear because it provides the most traction when exiting a corner. People criticize Porsche for being rear engined, but I think the only bad part about it is the polar moment of inertia not rear weight bias. For instance, many "optimum" mid engine cars still have 60+ percent of the weight in the rear, it's just that the polar moment of inertia is less so they are a little more agile.

For a RWD sports car my preference for engine placement goes:
mid
rear
front

4carl

Had an 02 Z06 for 18mo-13k mi. drove it hard and not one problem. I've never had a perfect german car. The tourqe was great and it was real rocket. The 2 things i didnt like #1 it always felt big although lite @3100lbs and the shift linkage. Drove a new C6 and its much improved, smaller and much less road noise. A side benifit is people didnt resent it like a lot of the euro and exotic stuff I've had. Kind of like owning a Harley. carl

Cupcar

I totally agree with Yargk on the engine placement, I wish the Boxster was the champion of performance at Porsche not the 911. A GT3 based Boxster would be a wonderful thing IMHO.

Having said that, the Corvette does have it's engine behind the front wheel centerline and has a rear mounted transaxel.

quick

Hello, Porschefiles.

As a 2004 Z06 owner, I have been watching this new C6 Z06 with great interest. It should be a real monster, right out of the box.

Frankly, I do DEs and I have found the usual Z06 owner that comes to these events to be a bit less "pinky ring, dark glasses" than the stereotype to which you are referring. They are road racing fans and can drive well. And we all love PCA DEs because you guys do such a fine job hosting them.

Listen, the more great cars there are available, the better it is for everyone. If they happen to cost about 70K or less like the new Z06 is rumored to cost, all the better.

See you at the track.

kilrgt

Hey i resent that sterotype...I am italian and i have an 04c2 with an a 06 ZO6 on order...do i need to go buy a ring or something

Mikey

My source says it will be closer to $55K, but no doubt you get what you pay for!! If Chevy could ask $140K (like the Ford GT) they wouldn't think twice about it. There is a fundemental flaw in the Z06 design.... it has the wrong weight distribution for street use for a 500hp motor. If Chevy fixes that problem the majority of Z06 fans ( the guys with "pinky ring, dark glasses") will be lost. You are obviously smarter than that otherwise you wouldn't read the Porsche boards.

Z06

"There is a fundemental flaw in the Z06 design.... it has the wrong weight distribution for street use for a 500hp motor"


I think it's Porsche that has the fundemental flaw in design....having the engine way back behind the rear wheels is the worst place for it....I still love my GT3 but the Z06 is a great car for the money and the new car will spank all the GT3's at the DE events...with a lesser driver...it's going to be that good.

Mikey

Think of it like this: In a mid/rear engined configuration 60% of the weight is sitting on the rear tires regardless --- doesn't make too much difference if that weight is in front or behind the rear axle at 400hp. If you don't believe this compare the 360CS to GT3 RS and you will see they are NEARLY identical in every aspect. Now start with a GT3, add 100hp with extra weight (300lbs for turbos, etc.) on the wrong end and you gain absolutely nothing except for on the straights (aka GT2)! Now start with GT3, add 100hp and reduce weight and you get the monster GT3 RSR. Start with a Modena, add 200hp -- you get the Enzo or CGT .. true super cars.

My point ... take a $hity configuration like the Z06/Viper/M3 and add more power and you gain nothing because you are reducing traction where it really counts .. on the tail end! Sure on the track where you can hit the same corner 10,000 times, you can gradually extract more out of a 500hp Z06 but on the street sooner or later you WILL loose traction at the most unfortunate time

Then beyond theory .. there comes reailty. Do you want to save a few bucks and trust your life to a 500hp scrap metal "hand built" by a high shcool dropout in Detroit. How else can it be built at $55K in America?

Maas

It may put up great numbers, it may even perform well, but to me it's still a vette and i personally will never buy one, or ever notice one. They're not cars that are appealing to me, one can drive by and i'd never notice or care.

GrantG

Of those 3 cars, the Z06 is the only one with a rear transaxle, so it has a much better weight distribution than the other 2...

rwg

The 2004 z06 was $52k. The 2004 z06 Commemorative Edition was $57k. Your source appears to be way off.

It makes a huge difference whether the weight is in front or behind the rear axle. That's the whole point of the polar moment of inertia. Why do you think Porsche used a mid-engine configuration for their best car? Why do you think Porsche holds the Boxster back? Because it would beat the 911 around a track with the same engine, brakes and suspension.

That "$hity" configuration has done quite well around the race track. In its five years, the Corvette C5-R racing program took 35 victories in 55 races, four American Le Mans Series championships and three double victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Any car that has 500hp will have the capability to lose traction on the street regardless of where the engine lies.

Interesting that those dropouts in Detroit built the 2001 and 2002 z06 which won JD Power's "best premium sports car in inital quality" for both years. Mercedes won it in 2003.


I don't even have a z06 but I respect all sports cars regardless of what badge they have on the hood. GM is very serious about making a world class sports car with the c6 z06 and it sounds like they have done a great job. The more competition there is in the sports car world the better it is for us as consumers. I hope the z06 lights a fire under Porsche's ***. My 03 Boxster S was considered a significant redesign with an 8hp bump, 2 cupholders, a glove box, and a glass rear windshield among other very minor things. Give me a break. While I consider Porsches to be amazing sports cars, Porsche risks alienating customers like me who value price and performance more than the badge on their hood.