BINGO

no question GT2 is faster than a GT3, but the 3 just has that feeling of fizz and being alive that the GT2 and most other cars can't match. and the beauty of it is, that is true whether a mark 1 996 GT3, or the current 997.2!

i drove a friend's original 996.1 GT3, and it was every bit as fun to drive as my 997.1. truth be told, his car was sweeter to drive actually, IMO.

 

I'm also a fanboy of the feel of the 996 GT3. Not as sharp as the 997, but certainly more raw feeling.

You can't touch the high revving NA feel with anything low revving no matter how much torque and acceleration.

 

996GT2 with a few mods 2:18.7 Sebring on Michelin PS2 street tires.

You all need to factor in the Viper ACR which will smoke the ZR1 for $100,000

Peter

 

perhaps if you're racing for money but i have owned vipers and vettes in the past and even in modded form, they couldnt come close to the driving feel of my 7GT3. it takes 1 spirited drive to know this is another class of car.

with vettes and vipers, a set of motons and upping the power is about all you can do. they are brutally fast, no denying that. the devil is in the details though. they cant match the precision hardwired driving sensations of the porsche.

 

I think a Grand Sport C6 is closer to $55K to $60K but you could also make this same argument for buying a base 911 instead of a GT3 if you are just concerned with the basic looks of a car. However, to real enthusiasts it's what's under the skin that makes all these cars so appealing.

There's no question that a GT3 has a more precise feel than any optimized Corvette. However, nobody really races for money except pro's in fully modified race cars. To a lot of guys NOT racing for money (club racing or at advanced HPDE's) it is fairly important as to how fast you can get around a road course. I agree there is something to be said about feel but that's not everybody's primary concern at the track. If the feel and sound of a car are extrememly important you should check out the Ferrari Challenge Stradale. Now there is a precise feeling car that sounds unbelievable! I also think the new GT3 RS may be one of the most desirable track day cars out there. It's just good to have so many choices.

 

GM had some big ***** trying to build and sell a 100k+ vette to begin with. there are beautiful options for buyers looking to spend north of 100k on a car and most in that group would not have any interest in a vette regardless of its performance. then on top of that, they copy the C6Z in most every detail. same body, same frame, same interior.

i dont agree that a GT3 and base carrera look the same. totaly different street presence and many styling differences, where as the Zr1 and GS do look 99% alike.

about track times, myself and a lot of people i know would pick the drivers car way ahead of the faster lap time. if you care more about the number than how you got to the number, then i wont argue with that.

the Zr1 and my modified C6Z feel like a couch compared to the GT3. i dont enjoy driving couches, even fast ones.

i hope i dont seem defensive, but it needs to be mentioned that those great performance numbers put up by the ZR1 come at a great price. its stupid fast, yes, but looses out in just about every other measure to cars its trying to compete against.

you call the new RS 'one of the most desireble track day cars'. its going to be slower than the zr1 so why the desirability. exactly

 

Oops yes a 2:25 and i doubt i clocked his fastest lap.. it looked like he had some traffic during that session.. Id say for sure on some hoosiers he could knock off 5 seconds @ Sebring..

 

I am not a big Vette fan...but the large initial price difference itself would entice me to try US again...The reality is, with GT2 prices today, (140-160k)I think I would take the Porsche.....

 

Porsche is the standard. It always will be. The target is always moving. Others might get close, but they will never be Porsche.

 

I think they probably did that to be able to sell that much performance at that price point. Some drivers will choose prestige, interior, etc. and some will choose performance. Some cars will spend most of their lives on the street and some will spend most of their lives on the track. Again, just good to have so many choices.

I would bet that the average guy on the street could not tell the difference between a 993, 996 or 997 much less a GT3 variant. I certainly can appreciate the difference but then I also have no difficulty distinguishing a ZR1 from a Grand Sport. Next time someone points out a ZR1 to you, check out the huge carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber roof and aero work.

No argument here either. To each his own.

Seems a little harsh. I'd hate to have to explain to my buddies how I got passed in Turn 17 at Sebring by a La-Z-Boy!

Actually you do, but that's OK. If everyone felt that way they wouldn't sell any ZR1's but some seek performance over all other characteristics. Nobody right or wrong here, just different drivers choosing different cars. It's all good.

I'm not so sure of this. I think on a tight track it will be a drivers race. I've driven with a lot of really good GT3 drivers who can extract everything out of these cars and I think this new car may surprise you.

 

GM has some big *****? ..... At 100k, I could show up to Sebring with a ZR1 and you could show up with a Japanese inspired, slightly optioned Carrera S. You would be between 15 & 20 seconds per lap slower. The only thing left to talk about would be the "feel" of your car on the track. Well, I can tell how it feels! ...... real bad!!!!
Try and sell your 100k Carrera S after one year ..... look everybody!, you finally beat the ZR1 at something ...... losing money!
How could you ignore the fact that this article is comparing a 100k car to a 200k car ..... I know to you porsche guys, this is just a technicality.
It's the arrogance of the Porsche community, that makes it so much fun to kick their a$$ at the track, with my much cheaper and faster couch!

 

Japanese inspired?

Angry fellow aren't you?

 

Not *****, GM did their homework. There is a LOT of money in the Corvette community. Lots of baby boomers in retirement age who refuse to buy anything foreign because of their ties to the days of their prime. For them, the Corvette is the cream of the crop even though they could buy a GT2 or CGT for that matter.

It was a brilliant move by GM to expand the brand. They shortcut it with the same interior (likely copying a Porsche agenda). But the car is worth it's salt for sure.

 

So basically it's your premise that it's the World War II vets that are buying up all the ZR1's and not the guys who just want to go fast? I guess it's possible, but I think you may be over complicating it. Maybe some drivers just want super car performance while spending as little as possible.

 

In the late '90's, GM adapted the Porsche 944 driveline to the Corvette. They have been developing the car through the ALMS racing program ever since. At the same time, Porsche in order to survive, had to adapt many Japanese manufacturing techniques, starting with the 996. They then spent the last ten years building boxsters and SUV's. So, if you don't have a GT2 or a GT3, you pretty much have a Japanese inspired car!.
Angry?..... no, just informed.
If you don't believe me, go to any track-day program in the country and you will see Boxsters running with Miatas, Carreras running with Nissans and GT2's & GT3's chasing Z06 & ZR1 Corvettes.