C8 Corvette Z06 vs Porsche 911 GT3. In spite of many differences, the Z06 comes surprisingly close in terms of performance.
The C8 Corvette Z06 was easily one of the more heavily anticipated new vehicles for years prior to its debut, and that hype hasn’t died down one bit since it was finally unveiled just a few months ago. Demand for the new Z06 far outweighs supply, leading to some shady practices from certain dealers and heavy markups, as we expected. However, the incredible performance and lofty $100k+ starting MSRP of the C8 Corvette Z06 also pose an interesting dilemma – we’re now comparing this car to some pretty exotic machinery from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. However, one of the most cross-shopped vehicles for the C8 Corvette Z06 is the Porsche 911 GT3, so it’s worth taking a closer look at how a Corvette Z06 vs Porsche 911 GT3 comparison plays out.
Right off the bat, it’s worth noting that the latest version of the Porsche 911 GT3 starts out at $161k – far more than the Z06, unless we start ticking options boxes. That’s worth keeping in mind as we look at other aspects of these two machines, as it could prove to be a make it or break it decision for those that aren’t interested in things like the Z07 Performance Package or various carbon fiber goodies.
Regardless, the C8 Corvette Z06 wins the power game in this comparison, as its 5.5-liter LT6 V8 generates 640 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque versus the 911 GT3’s 4.0-liter flat-six and its 502 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque. Put the two on the scale, however, and the 911 makes up for that disadvantage by weighing 473 pounds less – 3,213 versus 3,686. The Corvette still wins the pounds-per-horsepower battle at 5.5 versus 6.4, but the Porsche has its fair share of suspension and aero tricks to make it faster around the track than most might expect.
In fact, shockingly enough, the 911 GT3 is actually just a tad quicker than the C8 Z06 – in MotorTrend‘s testing, the Porsche accelerated from 0-60 in 2.7 seconds versus 2.8 for the Z06, while both cars completed the quarter-mile in 10.8 seconds, with the Corvette out-trapping the 911 by just 0.3 miles-per-hour. On both the skidpad and MT‘s figure eight cause, the Corvette barely edged out its track-focused rival.
There are other considerations, of course, including the fact that the GT3 is more of a track-focused machine that suffers from stiff ride quality compared to the cushier Corvette, but these are the sorts of things that may or may not concern potential buyers. The bottom line is, it’s obviously a good thing that we have so many amazing performance vehicles to choose from these days, and as has historically been the case, the Corvette Z06 is a tremendous value in that space.
Photos: Chevrolet, Porsche
Keyword: C8 Corvette Z06 vs Porsche 911 GT3