Boo383

The Road and Track article starts here.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/ca...he-power-of-12

The Corvette ZO7 wins on the road course, but the 1/4 mile time of the 530hp 911 turbo S of 10.7 secs. is incredible! 0-60 in 2.6 secs with AWD lauch control. I really don't expect performance close to this from the C7, but the hp numbers may be close. Perhaps the C8 with its proposed mid engine lay out will also utilize awd and offer acceleration of this caliber. I will be VERY impressed if the C7 can come anywhere close to this thing in a straight line. I hope the Corvette engineering team continues to impress!

S'vette

its on again! The GTR corvette gt500 thread has a good thread going about AWD and all, now we got the Porsche with its AWD.

Notch

The 911 Turbo's AWD has little (if anything) to do with its great acceleration performance.

BMadden

It's absolutely mind-boggling that a 911 Turbo can produce basically the same acceleration numbers as a Bugatti Veyron at about 1/10th the price. Sure, the Porsche can't do 267 mph, but who the hell cares? It's not like most people would ever have the stones to get a road car up to those speeds anyway. I tip my cap to Porsche on this one...they've made the 911 Turbo an absolute beast!!!

S'vette

Damn Germans, and they have the autobahn to test them babies out

355Spider

Please don't ruin the Vette with awd. Driving a Porsche tt/Gtr/lambo is like driving a fast couch. A few milliseconds for the mags is not worth ruining the driving experience. Ever wonder why car guys all preferGt2/3/2wd Lambos. It would be a seriously bad move.

MitchAlsup

Apparently to delve deep into the sub 3.5 second bracket with an emissions legal engine, one needs the engine somewhere other than in front of the drivers feet.

Be that as it may, the new Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari have upped the antee.

TBIRD57

only as an option across the board.

Notch

You can't be serious.

I know LOTS of "car guys" that prefer the AWD variants.

fmarshall

So what. The Z06 turns a faster lap time. Porsche has more road race wins than all other marques; and we are beating them at their own game. I give more kudos to GM than to Porsche.

BMadden

Does the Z06 have a faster lap time than the "new" 530hp 911? I doubt it, but if so then I'd be very impressed.

fmarshall

1:39:29 to 1:40:11

It is the next car in the same article from the OP. It looks like Victory Lane for the Chevy

Blue Angel

Good luck ever getting a near 50-50 weight distribution car with RWD to out-do an AWD car with that kind of power in a short (0-60 or 1/4 mile) standing start acceleration contest. Sure the purists will argue that a Corvette should always be RWD, but if the power trend keeps going in the same direction Gm will have no choice but to incorporate AWD into the 'Vette at some point.

Either that or work on getting the weight balance to a REAR bias, and that won't happen without mega$$$ invested in a carbon monocoque front end... sorry folks, not on a Corvette.

Mid engine ain't gonna happen either... how would we fit our fat aged population behind the wheel? That's the demographic the Corvette's seats are made for...

Notch

What percentage of Vette or Porsche owners take their cars to the track?

fmarshall

It is exactly the same percentage as 4WD owners that take their 4WD trucks off-road.

Notch

So why are lap times important?

fmarshall

Lap times are important because that is what Porsche is most renowned for: handling, and winning road course races. Look at any generation of 911. They have all been quick, but they excelled most in curves. Any curve, anywhere.

But, you have to know how to drive a tail-heavy car.

The 911 Turbo - pick a year - has always had stellar acceleration. If they used an all-electric motor concept, they could even do better. Five years ago I rode in the X-1, an electric car with an Ariel Atom chasis that did 0-60 in 3 seconds. www.wrightspeed.com

Notch

So even though the vast majority of Porsche owners don't track their cars (their 911s), the lap time some magazine achieves in one of the 911 variants is important to them?

fmarshall

I don't know that the vast majority of Porsche owner's do or don't track their cars. I do know that, from my previous Porsche ownership/experiences, that everyone I was acquainted with would place a heavy weight on one instance.

As an example, a big to-do was made over the Cayman S bettering the base 911 at the Ring on one run.

It really isn't a fluke. Better equipment operated by the same skilled driver will produce equally consistent results. YMMV.

RonnieC6Z

I have owned and driven many a Porsche and Corvette. (street only)There are things about a 911...any 911 that are amazing. But keeping in mind that the large majority of Porsche and Vette owners never track their car, and most, like me, use them for daily drivers, I must conclude that, FOR ME, the Vette is just more fun to drive. It sounds more fun, it looks more fun, it handles better, it is more balanced, more reliable, cheaper to operate, etc. I think most people could not care less if their car is 1/2 to 1 second slower on the street 0-60 than the next guy's car. That is why I prefer my GS convertible to the ZR1 that i drove for 2 weeks earlier this year. It's a drop top! The new Turbo S is quicker than most everything on the road....but it is, like other Porsches, TO ME, just not fun! If I had to have a car that I could drive daily and also track, price no object, it would be a Ferrari 458 Italia. But if it had to be a car under 175K, it would be a ZR1. Why a ZR1? Because it is sooooooo much fun!