The Viper, like the Yankees, is a better platform to begin with. It has some fundamental advantages over the 'vette that mean it will continue to dominate on average over the long term.
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SlateEd,
"a better platform to begin with." Utterly facinating. I need your help to understand what you see about the Viper platform that is better than the Corvette platform.
"fundemental advantages" Again utterly facinating. Again I need your help to understand what you see are the fundemental advantages that the Viper has over the Corvette.
"dominate on average over the long term" The most utterly facinating of all. Please describe how these advantages will play out over the long term to dominate over the Corvette.
No attack on you! This is a sincere attempt to understand what you mean/see represented in the statements you made.
IBT
IBT,
for the first two, what I mean is, The Viper has evolved as a race car, it's roots are in prioritizing track performance over street performance and comfort. I know that something similar could be said for the 'vette, but the truth is, a hand-built halo car is going to be a better research platform for a track monster than something that needs to meet various gov standards for 15,000 units or more each year. The frame is built in a race-shop. The engine is still NA and producing more than the SC V-8 in the ZR1. Not saying that SRT will (or even should) go to factory forced induction, but certainly the "untapped" potential in the Viper platform is greater than whatever is left in the 'vette.
"On average over the long-term" I'm talking about exactly that... how many MT and C+D articles since 1992 have suggested that the 'vette is a faster car? How many track records can be attributed to stock 'vettes during that same 20 years?
What I'm saying is that a record or two that fall to the ZR1/ Z07 right now don't mean that the Viper as a brand/platform is in danger of being eclipsed by the 'vette in general in the future. Comparing a test-mule on a brand new generation to a supercar version of a well-worn platform is not a reason to freak out and declare the viper "doomed" Assuming both cars continue to be produced for the next (lets say) 10 years - the Viper will take more records and "win" more magazine side-by-sides... just not this one.
If the "score" of model years compared with 'vettes was 20-0 then we would need to be comparing ourselves to Pagani and Bugatti and we'd be looking at a $450,000 msrp for the gen V... the truth is that if the score over 20 model years is 17-3 I think we're still safe to say the Viper is dominant on average, and probably will be again in 2014 or 15...
If 2016 rolls around and the Viper is falling further behind, so that we see a trend with no viable fix, maybe then we start a thread called "doomed"
My analogy to baseball is that the Red Sox' win in 2009 does not negate the fact that the Yankees have more titles than any team ever, and certainly does not mean that for the foreseable future the Sox will be a "better" team. (and as far as business viability, both continue to sell tickets and jerseys; so let's not fire the staff just yet....)