Not performance comparison, the Z06 would annihilate the 308 in every way in absolute performance. Because 40 years. You may as well compare the 308 with a 1940 flat head ford. But rather, joy of driving, being one with the car, exhilaration. I would rather drive the 308, esp with the 3.6L upgrade, on any 2-3 hour or less round trip, especially on secondary roads, than the Corvette. The Corvette has the edge in raw power and handling and going at Warp 2 on the interstate between cities 1000 miles apart; or if you are stuck in stop and go traffic, the auto trans, excellent climate control and surround sound make miserable driving conditions almost bearable vs being stuck in the 308 on say the 5 freeway, anytime, in L.A. The corvette is drive by wire, while it handles most excellently, it doesn't have the same feedback and manual R&P steering, and non-computer assisted disk brakes like the 308, plus the Z06 is a large car, with its 107:" wheelbase, identical to modern F cars, and other supercars, it is relatively huge. The much smaller 308 wraps itself around you, making you part of the car. I guess it gets down to the question of would you rather drive a slow car fast or fast car slow. I will take the 308 for most driving pleasure. Doug Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Of course it’s not all about power and speed, it’s about the feelings when you’re in it and driving it, it’s about the smell and ambiance, and it’s about how uncommon the car is on the road that makes people attracted to it and smile, and it’s about how many people give you a thumbs up while driving the car, these are just a few of many I’ve experienced during the ownership of my 308. So, my vote is on the 308, which sometimes I wish it has the power of the Corvette.
I suppose an extra $260,000 or so buys you a bit more car. Of course the not nearly as expensive ZR1 will do better than my Z06, also. Mike: Too bad you live in CA with its smog laws, the 3.6L upgrade is a fabulous improvement for the 308, it makes it into the car it always should have been...If you ever make it to the PHX/Flagstaff area, let me know and i will take you for a drive. Side note: When we went to pick up the 308 from its engine upgrade, we took the Z06, it was about a 400 mile one way trip. i drove the C7 there, the GF drove the C7 back, following me driving the 308. We stopped for gas someplace in AZ,and the first thing she said was: "You were driving 96 MPH!". I said "Really? I didn't notice." Doug
Yes, why don't you compare the 1979 308 to the 1979 C3 Corvette and run that "annihilation" test again.
Retro is IN nowadays!! A lot of current TV ads feature muscle-era cars, 70's motorcycles (or retros that look like it) and audio turntables. Funny, I was one of the first audiophiles in town to buy a CD player when they came out and was very happy to wave goodbye to records. Luckily, I never got rid of any of them and still have turntables so the young folks think I'm cool in that regard. So for that reason alone, the 3x8 is going to get a lot more "looks" than a current model of just about anything. More fun to drive? Absolutely though I'd take the Vette in a heartbeat for a cross country drive...air conditioning, cruise control, power steering, Good stereo, etc, etc, etc! What's not to like? BUT, the 3x8 wouldn't give up anything as far as speed on the interstate. Yeah, top speed on the vette is much faster but where are you going to be able to exceed 150MPH, which a 328 can manage. Re vette vs 3x8 of the same era, an '89 328 was quicker and faster than a 89 vette. The 328 had more HP and less weight.
The L82 was marginally quicker, the standard L48, nuh-uh. Despite the fact they had an engine that was about twice the size of the 308.
This thread makes no sense to me. I own a 308 because I wanted a 308. I don't own a Corvette because I don't want a Corvette. We loves what we loves. I was at a lecture by David Hobbs a couple of years ago. The moderator said he always asks guests a few standard questions. Most questions and answers were about exotic cars. Then the moderator asked Mr. Hobbs what car he would select to take across the country. Without a moment's pause, he said a Honda Odyssey Minivan. He said it was smooth riding, had lots of creature comforts and had a lot of room for luggage (he didn't mention that he owns a Honda dealership). There was almost an audible gasp in the room, the moderator was certainly taken aback. Back to Corvettes, last summer I spoke at length with Tristen Murphy who was the lead designer of the interior of the C8. Well, okay, I will admit the C8 is a pretty sexy car.
