Dayum! Unreal story there. I hate you had to go through this, and this is yet another smoking gun against GM.
sure, the Z06 may be a beast in terms of power to weight, and at one point i even considered one due to value. but i did drive one with 500 miles and the ebrake/center was all ripped and poorly put together. after seeing that, i couldn't justify paying $80k for it.
So you think they didn't push the Vette hard enough? Or are you suggesting that they wanted to make the Vette seem slow?
I guess you are right. But I think this R&T comparison is still worth taking a look at when this topic is being discussed.
Corvette's are based on huge displacment motors and flimsy construction. while these cars are capable of producing impressive numbers when pushed to their limits by skilled drivers, they don't procure the same satisfaction as their European counter parts, Which is the main reason for poor sales out side U.S. despite low prices when compared to European competition. True motoring experience for us mortal folks rarely if ever takes place at limits and is not confined to a bunch of numbers. Driving pleasure is about feeling, balance and the most important factor; the emotion created when driving the car. Ferrari has become a myth not only by winning the ultimate driving race in the world; F1 chamionship for decades but also by being able to create an emotion between man and the machine that other manufacturers have rarely matched.
Watt, you must be getting into the medicinal drugs again. Kicks 430 ass? Well, the 430 is faster in a straight line, has more responsive steering, brakes are essentially identical in performance, looks better, and sounds better. The GT3 does come with stickier tires, I'll give you that, so track performance is probably similar, given equal drivers. I'm still looking for the "kick ass" part, unless you mean the price advantage. Gary
Owning both (street cars), and racing at Road Atlanta one year in a Foumula Ford and for three years in an Atlantic Car, I find it very hard to believe that the ZO6 is 4 seconds faster than the F430. IMO, Maybe the F430 was not driven as hard as the ZO6.
I have no idea how they came up with what they did. Depending on the tires and who is driving, it's totally plausible that an F430 could lap the track faster than a C6 Z06. But there is exactly zero chance of an F430 legitimately trapping 5 mph faster. You could just mash the throttle off the line with both cars and you'll virtually always end up substantially faster in the Z because wheel spin really kills ET, not MPH. It's just the delta that makes it fishy. If the F430 was really nearly 5mph faster than the Z06, it would be Carrera GT fast.
Am I the only one that gets the impression none of us believe any report that does not support our belief system? So many threads spend time debating motivations, sources, driver, track, etc., when weight, horsepower, torque, etc. tells us all we need to know.Give me a red wagon we more hp than a Ferrari and I will beat you in a straight line. Give me sticky tires and a chassis that keeps it on the ground, and I will out run you on a track. Rocket science it ain't. Some Lexus site probably reveals some asserting a Lexus 430 is faster than BMW M5 ---- just because... Who cares about weight or gearing, horespower or torque...It had to be the driver, no it was the track, no it was the magazine editor...no no no... Best
Bottom line boys and girls it's a Ferrari no ifs ands or butts Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I dont own either car, I just think these arguments are never ending and I liked this statement. But I think it should read "facts" instead of facts.
Didn't follow the complete thread but drove yesterday with my cousin, he has a C6 Z06 and i have a 430 F1, on the "german Highway" . Under 240 kmh they are both as fast maybe the 430 a bit quicker because of faster shifting with the F1. Above 240 hmh Z06 is faster. Bart
Someone mentioned the GT3 and having got a chance to hammer the **** out of all the cars mentioned here recently, I have to say that the GT3 has one of the biggest holy **** factors of any of them. Going around the track in that car is a scary experience, and not in a bad scary, but scary in the fact that the car defies your brain's common understanding of what is possible in a car like that. You push it harder and waiting for it to slip up, knowing it will, and it simply just doesn't. I can't say it was necessarily 'fun' to drive though. I managed to make myself car sick in the thing, something I didn't think was possible. You want to talk about a car to kick ass at the track, you owe it to yourself to check out the GT3! It aint nothin like their turbo vacuum cleaner regular street car... On to the Z06. Yeah it's fast and it tracks well, maybe a hair better than the F430 in many situations depending on the driver, but the Vette is a car they keep trying to improve by stuffing ever more powerful motors into the same chasis and retuning that chasis. Someone made the point to me once that Ferrari begins with the engine, and then designs the car around the engine, and you can feel that everytime you drive it. It simply feels faster on the street, and that's what you pay for, the driving experience. If you want the fastest numbers at the track, well that's not what Ferrari is selling you, and they're not claiming to! What they're selling you is a car for the street derived from their racing experience, that will bring the feeling of the track to the street. I spent the whole afternoon today hammering a C6 Vette convertible, and regardless of how fast I was technically going, it sure as heck didn't feel as fast or as fun as a 360/430. If your brain is made of silicon and processes 0's and 1's and has been programmed to translate "best lap time = fun" then maybe the Z06 would be as fun as the 430, but I think to most peoples human brains it isn't.
I agree with most of what you have said and what a great feeling it is to be in a car that makes you feel as you did. Do us both a favor - drive a Z-06 --- much different chassis and motor... No need for comparisons - just fun. Best
What you say about the Vette vs the Ferrari is very right on. I have had 8 Vettes and currently have a C6 Z51 6 speed for a daily driver and traded in my 06 Z06 for a 360 spider 6 speed. You are right..it has nothing to do with numbers....my Ferrari feels so much faster than the Z51 and feels so much more direct and more fun to drive than any Vette that I have ever owned.
