Mid-Engine Corvette: Can It Compete with Porsche?
Porsche has been building rear-engine sports cars for decades. So does a mid-engine Corvette have what it takes to compete?
Obviously, we here at Corvette Forum are, well, a little biased. Yet even the most hardcore Corvette fans among us will admit that the Porsche 911 is a pretty amazing car in its own right. But in our book, it’s a very different machine than the Corvette. Still, there are plenty of folks out there who insist on comparing the two. Especially now that it appears a mid-engine ‘Vette is imminent. Sure, the 911 features a rear-engine layout, but that won’t stop C5Driver from addressing the elephant in the room.
“Question – why would someone just not buy a Porsche instead of a mid-engine Corvette? GM and mid-engine have sort of an oil and water ring to it for me. Why not buy from a company who has been doing M/E for decades now? No matter how pretty the mid-engine Corvette might be, its last cousin was the Fiero. Think about it.”
Talk about poking the hornet’s nest. And unsurprisingly, this post does just that. But PurpleLion keeps it classy with a realistic list of advantages the mid-engine Corvette already has.
“From a specifications standpoint, the C8 will be far superior to a Porsche.
Versus the 911
– mid engine vs rear engine
– more power
– wishbones instead of struts
– much better price/performanceVersus the Boxster/Cayman
– way more power
– wishbones instead of struts
– much better price/performance”
Darion senses the bait, and he isn’t falling for it.
“This feels like one of those ‘if you have to ask, you don’t understand’ kinda questions. I’ll keep my C5, love it, and will get an M/E when the time is right. Simply put, I don’t want a Porsche, even though I respect the brand. For me, Corvette is my choice. Now I’m gonna be in a rock and hard spot if this car turns out to be a Caddy!”
For guys like marknagy13, it’s all a matter of cylinders.
“If it comes with a V8, especially an LT1, that’s all the reason I need. Flat-six engines sound like sewing machines most of the time.”
Tool Hoarder sums up the feelings of most forum members quite nicely.
“Because the Corvette can trounce every car Porsche makes until you get into the 911 GT3/Turbo/Turbo S range. The old owner of the company I work for has a new 911 GTS Targa 4. My stock 2014 Stingray has 30 more horsepower. His car cost $180K+ after options.
The Cayman/Boxster has a pathetic turbo four because of enviro-crap and they sound like ****. The basic 911s don’t sound good. And at VIR this weekend, the C7-R sounded better than anything else on track (the Lexus cars sounded great, too). A mid-engine V8 American car with an affordable price tag is something nobody offers.”
To each their own, of course, and Porsche builds some amazing machines. But when it comes to performance for the dollar, nobody does it better than Corvette. Still, we want to know what you think. So head over here and let us know if/why you’d buy a mid-engine Corvette over a Porsche, and why or why not!
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