The Corvette and the Porsche 911 have always been fierce rivals both in the showroom and on the race track, so it should be no surprise that prospective C8 Corvette buyers are cross-shopping it with the rear-engine German sports car more than any other vehicle.
It’s easy to see why so many sports car fans are comparing the C8 Corvette Stingray with the 992-generation Porsche 911 before deciding which of these two iconic sports cars to put in their garage. The Vette and the 911 are similar in price and outright performance – especially now that the Chevy has moved from a front-engine layout to a more capable mid-engine setup.
The base MSRP for a 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe is $100,550 including delivery, processing and handling fees. This version of the sports car comes standard with a 3.0L twin-turbocharged flat-six engine producing 379 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 331 pound-feet of torque between 1,950 rpm and 5,000 rpm. With a 3,354 pound curb weight, the 911 Carrera boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 8.9 lbs per horsepower. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in four seconds (3.8 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono pack equipped) and will top out at 182 mph.
The faster Porsche 911 Carrera S, meanwhile, starts at $116,450. This model features a similar twin-turbo 3.0L flat-six producing 443 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 390 pound-feet of torque between 2,300 rpm and 5,000 rpm. It has a slightly higher curb weight of 3,382 pounds, giving it a power to weight ratio of 7.7 lbs per horsepower. It boasts a 0 to 60 time of 3.5 seconds (3.3 seconds with the Sport Chrono pack) and tops out at 191 mph.
Now let’s compare the above statistics with the C8 Corvette. The mid-engine American sports coupe comes standard with a 6.2L LT2 V8 engine producing 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, but with the optional Performance Exhaust equipped, those numbers grow to 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet. With a curb weight of 3,366 pounds, it boasts an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 6.8 lbs per horsepower. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under three seconds and reach a top speed of 194 mph. Prices start at an impressively low $59,995 and many of the optional extras will be more affordable than those on the 911, as well.
There’s more to a car than on-paper statistics like these, of course. Buyers also take into account things like styling, build quality, handling/steering feel, interior features and technology when buying a car, and a customers’ opinion on these various characteristics will be subjective. One thing is for sure, though: if you want a fast car at a price no other company in the industry can match, the C8 Corvette is the way to go.
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Comments
how can you say they are similar in price?
Let me get this straight; car A, the red car in the pictures comes with 495 hp, has goodies like magnetic ride, automatic suspension lift with GPS location support, extra trunk, targa top is standard, furthermore looks like a stealth fighter with its legitimate supercar style, has very modern unique interior with great materials, has a glorious v8 engine sound, run under 3 seconds for zero-sixty.
On the other hand car B, the gray car in the pictures, looks like Dumbo or vw bettle on steroids has a granpa interior you cant differentiate with your economy car vw passat or jetta, comes with v6 whine, barely over 300 hp and 3.8 seconds for zero to sixty despite its very tiny size. ..
Yet Car A costs you only 59K, while Car B shamelessly asks for exact six figure.. so what car should i choose.. gee i can’t make up my mind…. ok since i’m sucker who doesn’t understand cars and only buys perceptions thru corny clichés i choose car B! Because i’ve learnt that it’s coming from Europe ,SO, you know, if you want to look fancy you need to buy European, right?
The 911 is a great car to drive. But it is old in the tooth styling wise and so much more expensive.
I would take the Corvette at the Boxster price.
If I were to buy a 911 it would be an older air cooled traditional model. That was really what a 911 really was.
I have had several Corvettes and Porsches, and last had a C7 and now have a 991.2 Targa…apples and oranges. The only thing the Vette has going for it is the price – if you drove both you would understand.
Have you driven the C8?
No, since it does not have a stick option but I have sat in it.
You should also compare the cost of maintenance…I think you’ll find maintaining a Porsche to be much more expensive than maintaining a Corvette.
How can you test drive a C8 when there aren’t any at the dealers. They are a great deal but they don’t exist. Now that’s apples and oranges. Bet there are Porsche’s on the dealer floor to test.
some dealers have the owners or a member of management “demo” available for test drives do not expect to be able to drive it like you stole it.
The bargain is the Corvette, of course. Way, way, cheaper for what you get. Pretty impressive and mid-engine too. Porsche once made a good looking Turbo in the 70’s then quit making ’em. Then in 2019 made a super-cool-looking one with vents on the wheel wells. a proper wing on the back and all that then they decided it looked too good like the 70’s one decided to make them look ughlee again right after. Returned to a “roach” Porsche again.
I really do not see this being cross shopped. The Corvette will cost you about 80,000 – unless you want a bare bones one. A 911 will cost you about 140,000. When I was looking for my C7 I was comparing it to the cayman 718…both between 75000 and 80000. Just my take.
Except the 911 is well built.
On the street the 911S is actually a bit quicker than the C8 Stingray accelerating from a standstill . Try it and see. But the C8 is still so amazingly quick, it feels great.