Although I think the C7 is a decent looking car, it's not in the league of the Viper. The C7's front end is nice, but I don't like the plastic mesh grill, it looks kind of cheap. The rear is a miss, in my opinion. Not sure about the side rear glass either. Still, not a bad car for the money, especially because of it's performance. The design does look fresh. I prefer the aggressive, curvaceous body of the Viper over the new trend of sharp features that the Corvette employs. The new interior reminds me of the old one, not real fond of that. The seats sound a lot better, I like that there's a GT option and a competition seat option.
What surprised me were the performance numbers. Someone had posted that the C7 would be 3,000 lbs. That would've been a big win for Chevy, and really had me thinking. Nope, it's 3350 lbs, about the same as the Gen V GTS with Track Pack (3356 lbs. according to Car and Driver). More than the base Viper with Track Pack, which the SRT brochure says is 3297 lbs.
Their 6.2 liter is 450 HP, which is 72.6 HP/liter. The Viper's is higher at 76.9 HP/liter, and that's without the C7's direct injection. Of course, the future Z06 will do better as will the ZR1, but then again so will the Viper ACR
My takeaways are as follows: First, the Corvette is an excellent value for the money, and it's a nice looking sports car although it's no Halle Berry. And I do believe that the Z06 and ZR1 (or whatever high-end model Chevy comes up with) will be a force to be reckoned with on the track. Heck, the base model is going to impress on the track too. I drove a C6 for hours around Spring Mountain Raceway and was amazed at how well it performed for a base model (although the brakes got hot). I give it credit for starting at about half the price of the Viper. It's a lot of car for the money.
Secondly, I have to say that I was beginning to second-guess my decision to order the Viper without seeing the C7 first. I can now say that I'm relieved that I made the right decision. Love the Gen V Viper, to each his own but there is no contest in my mind.