The Porsche 911 and the Chevrolet Corvette, two iconic sports cars from two very different companies. Some might think the two would be worlds apart, but this latest comparison from Edmunds shows that the two sports cars may not be so different after all. The Porsche beats the 2014 Corvette in a sprint from 0-60, mainly due to its PDK transmission and launch control, but for the rest of the test the two cars are neck and neck, though the American eagle posts slightly better numbers.
Around the Streets of Willow road course, the Corvette Stingray was a full second faster than the 911 (1:24.6 to 1:25.6). The Corvette stops shorter, takes the slalom faster and corners harder, all while costing significantly less than the Porsche. As tested, the 911 came in at a whopping $144, 350 compared to the Stingray’s price tag of $69, 375, which is an insane price gap, especially considering the performance stats. Watch it all unfold in the video below.
Comments
This is what I am talking about. Look at the price and then the sheetmetal, and as I earlier predicted the corvette will deliver a lot more bang for your bucks.
On their website, though, they still went with the 911.
European bias, perhaps, but the numbers say it all: the C7 hit the bullseye.
The Corvette is now better than a 911.
nice… smart girls go for the smart guy in a European delight. As GM said itself; its buyers market is thinning and they are trying to bring the 30+y.o. in their showrooms.
They are hanging out in European sales offices
I would not discount the 911 too much. I am not a Porsche fan but I have enough miles in a 911 to understand why people like them.
For so many years GM would put on big tires, stiff springs and big bars to make a car handle with big numbers on a billiard table flat surface or track conditions. In the real world you had to work hard to go fast. In the 911 you could go fast and not have to work to keep the car at the limit.
Since GM created the GM Performance Division they enable the engineers to do what they wanted and use a little less spring, bar and tire to make a car better in the real world. This is something they learn at the Green Hell and today on the Lutz Ring.
The best example of Corvette failure was the Z51 package on the 1984 Corvette. It would knock your fillings out and was a handful on a back road. Yes you could drive it fast with your butt puckered at the limit. The Z51 was developed on the test track and never was driven in the real world. The shocks were too much and the rest of the parts while making great track numbers made less than desirable car.
Today the engineers know better and we have a better riding and handling Vette today that is tame at the limit even on smaller tires. When tuning a car like this sometimes less is more.
The GMPD guys are not together in a group anymore but guys like Mark Stielow and others are working on the new platforms from their inceptions. This is not only making for great performance cars but even base cars that handle better than others sport models.
I can not comment on the new 911 and I agree there is always some bias but do not just go by numbers on a car. There may be a time the Vette may not have the biggest numbers but will be the best car out there.
A well tuned car will make it easy to drive fast. A lesser car may put up bigger numbers but may make you work twice as hard to make the limits and even make you afraid to press them.
The C7 today reflects the better engineering. Even if Porsche has a little edge in handling the gap is smaller than ever and the price is more wide than ever.
you write like you consulted for both Porsche and g.m.
Corvettes are cool, but a Porsche is a icon the world over
your writing is well founded and hoo-rah for your train of thought and history on the vette
No consultant here.
I am just someone who has over the years been lucky enough to get behind the wheel of many different cars through people I know. I do not have the money to buy them but have friends who do and toss the keys to me often.
I also while being a dedicated GM guy have learned not to be blinded buy GM faults or biased against other cars just because they are not GM. It would be a cold day before I would buy a 911 and I did hate them but after spending time in my first one I got it as to what people saw in them. Today I have driven many of the GMPD cars and have seen the change in GM and how they have found that little edge that makes their cars as good or better than ever. The numbers may just be a G or two lower but it makes a world of difference in the real world.
The Euro cars had tuned for their roads that were never always perfect and it helped in their daily drivability. GM has taken to this much in the last few years and today we have cars like the ATS and more to come that will show the improvement. Ford and Chrysler has nothing even close.
Why do you think the Vette takes the Viper to task ever road test even with less power.
The only Porsche I own are the two seats I put legs on in the garage to sit on. I got them for free when we gutted one to put some racing seats in for a customer. But on the other hand I installed a C5 Billboard on my one wall that is 21×9.5 feet. Now ask me what car is my favorite! LOL!
To not appreciate all cars you loose objectivity and at times some fun drives. I may never want to buy a Porsche but I can learn from them and appreciate what they do or don’t get right. I never loved the 911 pedals that go into the floor. That always bugged me.
I love how the reviewer repeatedly says words to the effect of, “But what is cool about the Porsche is.…” while leaving out that the corvette, just on numbers alone, is a superior car and saving the backhanded price compliment for last.