FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - Jeddah....Race.... ▄▀▄▀▄▀ SPOILERS ▄▀▄▀▄▀

I challenge you to a virtual duel, Sir!

Fair enough. This guy knew a thing or two about fast cars:
http://www.mcqueenonline.com/sportsillustrated66.htm

 

In some ways it was: cheaper, probably more reliable, easier to maintain and fix, with a good dealers network, and not so far behind in performance.

 

From this article, I retain this:

"Other than the Ferrari, it was (the Corvette) the best car I drove at Riverside."

"And, let's face it, it went out of the door at $5,500 instead of $14,000."

"One of the fastest production car you can buy for that kind of money."

Well, I feel totally vindicated.

 

https://classicandsportscar.com/features/transatlantic-tussle-chevrolet-corvette-vs-jaguar-e-type

“Now, as in 1963, it takes a bigger cheque to put an E-type on your driveway, but with it come some useful improvements over the Corvette – among them sharp rack-and-pinion steering and all-round Dunlop disc brakes boosted by an American Kelsey Hayes servo.

Both come into their own when you really stretch the Jaguar’s legs, and it’s soon carving up long sweepers with a capability the Chevy can only dream of.”

 

Who? Oh yeah… The poor man’s Paul Newman…

 

Important to note that I’m only really talking about handling on a road course. Not drag racing. The Corvette can and has done that, but who cares about drag racing other than 16 year-olds?

 

I feel that you want to compare apple and pears, just for the sake of arguing. Also, I don't understand why you keep bringing up the E-type Jaguar all the time. It wasn't considered as an exotic in its days: it was mass-produced with stamped body panels and borrowed its engine from the MK6, a saloon car. An excellent car nevertheless, and built to a price too. William Lyons knew a thing or two about cost control !

The true exotics were hand made cars built by craftsmen and produced in limited quantity; the Ferrari 250GT, the Maserati Sebring or Mistral, the Aston Martin DB4 were the real exotics, with aluminium bodies hand-formed on the English-wheel, tubular chassis cut and welded one-by-one, bespoke highly tuned engines with crankshafts machined from steel billet, etc ....
In the early 60s, Ferrari produced 600 cars in a good year, Maserati the same; those were true exotics.
Of course they were better than a Corvette, like a Rolex is better than a Seiko, although both give the time.

The Corvette was built to a price, so borrowed many components from the Chevy range to keep the cost down.
It also used boat building technology for the body; surely less "noble" than alloy bodies, but more affordable.
It was for a long time the only American sportscar, and was fantastic "value for money".

 

Just messing with you Jim. Jaguar used better materials and the cars were built to a higher standard of finish. To be fair both marques had quality control issues from the late 1960s onward.
My last comment on the Grand Sports:
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I think we are just using different definitions of "exotic," based on connotation and denotation.

https://www.shiplux.com/blog/classic-vs-antique-vs-exotic-cars/

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exotic

I liked using the E-Type as an example because it's an easy comparison to make.

I dislike the Corvette because I feel like it is historically overrated, especially by Americans. My perception is that it has always been an unoriginal catch-up car that has consistently copied European designs and engineering. GM has been notorious for getting their hands on Ferraris and taking them apart to copy them, and they continue to do this with the 458 and the C8.

 

So now you come out with your prejudice.

I don't dislike any car, because they all come for a reason with their qualities and their faults.

Cars are industrial products, and like all manufactured objects they should be appreciated with several factors in mind: market targeted, cost of R&D, manufacturing cost, economic climate, etc ...


For comparison
Corvette Stingray £88 620
Ferrari 296 GTB £269 000
Ferrari F8 Tributo £232 754
Lamborghini Huracan up to £299 294
Maserati MC20 £222 000

 

Prejudice? You must check your diction, William, because all of my opinions have been based on reason and experience.

 

I don't like the current gen Corvette. I liked the front engined ones. Massive, cheap engine up front, simple manual in the middle, drive at the back. Plastic body panels to keep cost down. Car sold for not a lot. It was unpretentious and unashamed.