The new Corvette Z06 seems to be an incredible performance bargain by all accounts despite its six-figure price tag. Now, Jason Cammisa is going to see just how well it fares against the car that’s been the standard bearer for decades, the Porsche 911 GT3. Spoiler alert: the Vette wins… by a lot.
Cammisa actually lines the Chevrolet up against not just the Porsche but also a V10-powered Audi R8 Spyder. What do they all have in common? Each one is a naturally-aspirated, rear-wheel drive supercar with the engine behind the passenger compartment (mid-placed for the Corvette and R8, rear for the 911). It just so happens that all major camps, six, eight, and ten cylinders, are represented as well.
When the green light goes, there’s little doubt from the outset about how the race is going to go. That makes sense too because the slowest of the bunch, the Audi, is still fast enough that it finished in just 11.4 seconds at 125 mph (201 km/h).
More: Chevrolet Unveils New Corvette Z06 GT3.R Race Car
The Corvette though is on a different level. It does the quarter-mile dance in just 10.5 seconds at 131 mph (210 km/h). The Porsche is a full four-tenths of a second back with a trap time of 10.9 seconds at 129 mph (207 km/h).
Despite being hundreds of pounds heavier, the Corvette has 170 extra hp (126 kW) on board which gives it the best power-to-weight ratio of the bunch. As Cammisa points out, there’s no other car of its kind (naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive, mid-engine) that can keep up with it today.
Of course, if you’re not blind you noticed the Ducati Panigale on our lead image. It shows up at the drag race too and does to the Corvette what the Corvette did to the 911 GT3. Namely, it takes the new king of naturally aspirated mid-engine rear-wheel drive supercars to gapplebees.
Of course, it only does so in part because it’s piloted by Josh Herron, MotoAmerica SuperSport Champion. According to Cammisa, had a lesser pilot been atop the Panigale, the race would’ve been much much closer. Suffice it to say, if you’re trying to smoke $40,000 superbikes in your stock supercar you’re likely to have a bad time.