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When Is Corvette Going To Have A Car Like The New Porsche 935?

German sportscar maker Porsche has revealed a limited-production new racer for men and women of extraordinary means, with plans to produce just 77 examples at a price of €701,948 (roughly $816k U.S.) each before VAT. Named “Porsche 935” after the dominant twin-turbocharged 1970s race car of the same name, and based on the already-mental Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the 1,380-kg (3,043-pound) Porsche 935 will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter dual-cam flat-6 nearly identical to that in the GT2. Here, too, it’s backed by a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, making a 0-to-60 time of under 3 seconds a near-certainty.

It’s a formula that Porsche can afford to enact, thanks to what is arguably the richest sportscar racing history of any automotive marque, ever.

But we can think of another sportscar brand with a rich racing history, whose name is practically synonymous with words like “sporty” and “high-performance”, and whose customers tend to have characteristically deep pockets: Corvette. Yet the Corvette has never gotten a super-exclusive, spare-no-expense supercar, settling instead for relatively restrained special-edition models like the Carbon 65 Edition – a car with somewhere around a seventh of the 935’s enormous price tag.

When is the Chevrolet Corvette going to have its own special, coveted, very-limited-run supercar like the Porsche 935?

Just imagine the Corvette emblem there instead of the Porsche crest. Photo: Porsche

Just imagine the Corvette emblem there instead of the Porsche crest. Photo: Porsche

The positive effect that such a rare, limited-run halo car might have on Chevrolet’s image is hard to quantify in real dollars, but it’s difficult to think of another brand that deserves one more. Lest we forget, the Corvette is actually the Porsche 911’s senior, having launched in 1953 – a full decade before the arrival of the first 911. And while GM’s factory Corvette Racing effort is only 20 years old, the iconic American sportscar has been raced for far longer in the hands of privateer teams, often to great effect.

Heck, even Ford has the super-exclusive GT road car, and while we wouldn’t bet money that it’d ever hold its own against the new Porsche 935, there can be no arguing that the car doesn’t feel special.

With the mid-engine Corvette C8 fast approaching, the next few years could provide a ripe time for Chevrolet to give the Corvette the super-high-performance legend it deserves.

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Aaron Brzozowski is a writer and motoring enthusiast from Detroit with an affinity for '80s German steel. He is not active on the Twitter these days, but you may send him a courier pigeon.

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Comments

  1. GM has done limited edition race cars.

    Grand Sports were sold to the public teams. The original Z06 was sold.

    If you know the right people you can buy a C7R too. They are run by private teams in Europe.

    Yes none of these cars are as extensive as the Porsche race cars but then again Porsche has an engineering division dedicated to just building and engineering in-house factory race cars.

    This is expensive but it is a division that was started long ago by a company who’s prime focus was just sports cars. It also was started at a time when it was much cheaper to do this.

    Might note Porsche engineering also doe a lot of private work for many race teams and other mfg in the industry. They are much like a Lotus Engineering.

    Might note while GM designed the 88 Fiero suspension they had Porsche engineering dial in the alignment and tune the turn in and on center feel for Pontiac. Contrary to the false rumors of Lotus doing the work.

    Let’s face it GM would need to farm this out and would see little reward. Odds are it would be a Pratt and Miller would do the work as they do now.

    Even in Indy car the Chevy engines are done by Cosworth as the Honda engines were till recently. We saw that here recently in the Autoline show post on Lutz and the Corvette.

    Remember Porsche is a brand and engineering firm. Corvette is a model of a Chevy but not a brand.

    Also Porsche has had to build so many cars to make them legal for some racing classes. The GTLM has no requirement.

    Reply
    1. Might note … All that writing Scott3 and not once did you mention the Pratt and Miller C6RS, which is exactly the car that competes against the 935, only 10 years apart, with the Corvette being the innovator, not Poor-shhh. One would think you never knew of the C6RS’s existence, and yet here you are telling us “history”. GM “would need”? Nope. Try “GM already did…” because that’s whats actually true.

      Reply
      1. MAGA

        Reply
      2. Well after boner points out a car that GM did not build and no one knew or cared about he left out the Corvette GTP, Corvette Challange Cars, all were for sale to race teams. Though the GTP was Lola bases just as the Ford GT 40 was when built buy Shelby and Holman Moody.

        Both Ford and Chevy are auto MFGs that offer a sports car not sports car MFGs. That just sell sports cars. Though Porsche is now relying on VW based SUV models for added income.

        In fact even the Ford GT is built by Magna not Ford.

        Reply
        1. I dare you to tell Larry Holt “Magna makes the Ford GT” to his face…

          Reply
          1. Sorry I mean Multimatic Inc. not Magna. Either way Ford does not build them.

            It is not even built in America but Canada.

            Maybe they should paint them red and white with a maple leaf on them.

            Might be why they do not claim to be America’s sports car.

            Larry used to work at Magna. So sorry for the confusion.

            Reply
          2. Hey Larry Holt, there’s at least 4 people out there who believe Scott3’s Fake News and won believe his apology. See Scott3? Fake news that you spread can never be corrected for some of the dummies.

            Reply
  2. Maybe Greenwood Corvette ? Well, Corvette won’t go retro way anymore because it will switch to mid-engine. Retro way is for Camaro.

    Reply
  3. Wrong title, what you mean to ask is “When will Chevrolet…”

    Corvette is unfortunately a model of Chevrolet, a brand, at the moment.

    Reply

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