Predictable, as always.

I don't have the actual issue, but coworker told me about it, so I ran a search.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...66#post3255066

Bottom line ranking?

1) F430
2) 911 Turbo
3) Z06

Price?

F430 = $190k+
911 T = $130k
Z06 = $70k

Actual performance? Z06 kicked the hell out of them on the road course (about 1.7 seconds per lap over the 911; almost 2.5 seconds per lap over the F430). 911 had accel advantage (with abusive launch and awd, no doubt) to 100 mph, but Vette wins to 150. Both get 11.7 1/4 mile, but Vette is a couple mph faster. Vette crushes them in the street start (5-60 mph), where the 911's AWD doesn't help it much, and the turbo lag hurts it. F430 is also-ran, but they like they way it sounds and feels, so it wins. Note the huge advantage the other two cars have in gearing (I'd like to see someone swap in the shorter, closer ratio box from the previous Z06 / current Z51 and/or a more aggressive rear axle). Also note that the plebian Vette is significantly lighter than the exotic, 3 times as expensive Ferrari.

I <3 the Z06.

 

I have no doubt that the Porsche and Ferrari won due to a superior 'feel' and responsiveness when driving the vehicle. Performance stats only tell a small part of the story.

Though, with that said, for almost 1/2 the Porsche's price and almost 1/3 of the price of the Ferrari, I'll deal with the potentially not as nice 'feel' and get the Z06 - that's not even taking into account cost of upkeep on the other two which will be through the roof.

 

Yeah, all the old magazine arguments are falling:

"Vettes? Heavy pigs. Nothing like a 'real' sports car." (60s-80s)

"Yeah, it may be fast in a straight line, but what about a corner?" (60s-90s)

"Well, you can't beat real track-bred, no-compromises design from a single-purpose sports car company, even if it costs more." (90s and 00s)

So they have to invent new ones, involving subjective qualities and mythical "feel." Typical magazine buttheads.

But hey, as one Porsche board member said, "At least we still have the best all-season performance car."

HAR HAR HAR. Bite on that, Porsche and Ferrari.

 

I bet the Ferrari and Porsche pegged their 'gotta have' criteria at 10 while the Z06 was maybe 7 or 8.

 

The Gotta Have it factor was actually out of 25, the F430 got a 25, the 911 got a 20, the Z06 got a 17

 

'Gotta have it' is one of those things that exotics just peg the meters at. It's the emotional factor that evolves highly around the looks, sound, and sex appeal of a car.

Kinda like how a Viper is gonna turn way more heads than a C6... an F430 would turn FAR more.

 

I got the issue in the mail a few days ago

So lets see the Corvette Z06 is..........
the least expensive of the 3
the most powerful of the 3,
the fastest of the 3,
the best handling of the 3,
the best braking of the 3,
the lightest of the 3
and gets the best gas mileage of the 3

But yet it comes in 3rd, because the Z06 has "poor seats and interior quality". Acutually they said " the seats are flimsy and the interior lacks class compared to the 911 & Ferrari"

To me the 911s interior looks archaic, like something that was in a 911 20 years ago, so what kind of class is that? And the Ferrari's seats look painfully uncomfortable.

Here are my ratings
1. Corvette Z06
2. Ferrari F430
3. Porsche 911 Turbo

For $65K I'll take the Z06

 

Ah... the subjective overruns the facts.

 

Plus, 'gotta have it' varies waaay too much between social and cultural backgrounds. To most rural people a '69 Chevelle SS would be a 25 on their 'gotta have it' meter while the Ferrari or Porsche might muster a 10, and vise versa for most urban people.

author's note: I grew up in the sticks of Pennsylvania, so I hope none of you 'rural hillbillies' takes offense to this generalization.

 

Didnt they do this same test in R&T this month and the F430 put up better track numbers?

Couple guys from work went to that traveling driving experience were you get to drive a 911, 430, and Z06 last weekend. Both agreed that the vette was probably faster, but the driving dynamics were much worse than the European pair. They pretty much came away with the same results as C&D.

This makes me wonder about the vettes leaf spring rear end. Everyone seems to complain that its slow to respond and touchy over bumps. Maybe its time to move on.

 

Yup.. dynamics and subjectives are hard if not impossible describe, much less quantify.

 

Wonder how the rankings will shake out when they come out with the Super-Vette (Blue devil or whatever they call it).

"as I reached the earths escape velocity and the corvette began to break away from the gravitational pull, I began looking around the interior since I was no longer able to steer the car. That's when I noticed the glove box latch looked a little cheap and the gaps were a little off. The Ferrari, which didn't have a glove box and thus had no inconsistent glove box gaps, wins this test."

 

 

email them;


editors@caranddriver.com

in fact everyone here should email the same thing you are saying right now.. one should make it into the next issue.

 

Yeah, I saw that article too. I knew before I read it the cars would place in that order...in no way was I surprised upon actually reading it.

Ferrari and Porsche had best step up their game quick though, because not even subjective feel and interior nit-picking will stand up to the Blue Devil Vette's performance advantage...if and when that car is produced.