After reading about the recent posts of the road tests involving the Corvette, Aston Martin, and the 997 S (and non-S), it raises the question as to are these comparisons really fair. Why do these testers feel they have to compare the Vette which has 500+ hp and much more torque to a car that has 355 hp?

They admittedly are saying they have great respect for Porsche and the 911, aren't they? (German engineering)

Interestingly, in other than straight-line performance, the Vette does not totally blow away the 911 like you would think a car with 40% more hp would.

Given equal drivers, an endurance road race on a twisty course of 15 laps or more I would imagine be a very interesting comparison - maybe the Vette would win, but by how much?. But again, why the need to compare 2 cars with such diverse hp? Why not compare the Vette against say a 2005 Ferrari F430 with 490 hp? Would that be too embarrassing?

Have them run the Vette against a car with more similar hp, and then see how it fares.

 

Be careful what you ask for. That F 430 looked pretty good at Sebring last week.
Jack

 

Imagine if Porsche were to shave the weight of the 997 by about 100 lbs, and increase the hp to 420.
Given German engineering that should not be a hard task. The Vette would still have a significant hp advantage and a very similar weight. But on that twisty road course of 15 laps or more, what would happen there? I think it would be a very enjoyable show.

 

What I meant was, would it be embarrassing to Chevrolet?

 

In all fairness, you have to understand that it is not just the HP or Tq comparison. The 911 S or non S is the yardstick by which all sports cars are measured against. It is what they aspire too and you have to give it to the vette and others that they have caught up to Porsche (and passed in some areas). They are not saying that the 911 is not performing as well or is not as fast but rather it has served as a great motivation for others to out perform. Note that in the MT mag the 911 was still king...As we always say on the track, there will always be a faster car than yours, or a better driver. Enjoy your car....Because it is a fantastic one!

 

i think its called the 997 gt3.....420hp and 150lbs less than the 997

 

If Porsche, with all their attention to detail, if they were to enhance the 997
S, how much actual hp increase (and weight loss?) would it take to beat the
newest Vette in all catagories. Those changes would not drastic given the excellent base design in my opinion. Porsche has nothing to be concerned about.

 

Why should cars be compared on the basis of horsepower? People (at least those who are value conscious) shop based upon price. By that standard the comparison should be unfair to the Chevy.

But it isn't.

 

But the price difference is no longer so different. Doesn't a decked-out Vette cost as much or more than the 997 S?

 

Don't you think at some point the hp and torque have to matter once they differ by so much?
I would think so if testing is to be fair. What if you test a 300 hp car, car X, with incredible leather
and electronic gadgets and speakers and amp, paint etc... that drive the cost up? Then you could say this car, since it costs more than the Vette, should then be compared to it.

 

Then why would they compare the Exige or Elise to the F360 or F430 in some mags? huge differences in price, HP, Tq etc....but close nonetheless in performance. Let me tell you, I love my 997S but that Z06 is a bargain for what it is and what it can do.

 

I think that comparing the Z06 to a 997 is not a fair comparison. A base corvette to the 997 is a more fair comparison. Similarly, compare the Z06 to the GT3 (or perhaps a Cayman with the GT3 engine in it). Bringing the turbo in again is not comparing apples to apples as now forced induction and AWD are differing variables.

I understand why such comparisons are made, since the 911 serves as a benchmark and as a result, different car companies will strive to make their vehicles 'better' than the 997 (so they can say ' we have a product that is better and cheaper).

 

Are you SURE it is Chevy comparing itself to the 997 or the other way around?

 

With a car that weighs so little like the Lotus cars, that does sound like an interesting comparison.
Comparing any very lightweight track car to a more powerful car sounds like at least some type
of approach to making things even. I have not done any real research into why this would be
a fair test, maybe it still is not. As in all scientific approaches these things depend on several
variables.

The 997 S and Vette weights are very close, so it's not the light car vs. the heavier more powerful car, it's more like the more powerful car vs the less powerful car with better engineering like VarioCam and great aerodynamics to approach the more powerful car.

 

I understand why such comparisons are made, since the 911 serves as a benchmark and as a result, different car companies will strive to make their vehicles 'better' than the 997 (so they can say ' we have a product that is better and cheaper).

Actually most magazines like to compare cars in a particular price range. In this case they probably focussed on a $70K - $85K range. So if you take an average price of $80K, you are comparing cars that are +/- 10% of that average and I believe that's fair.