Track Test Of Three 500-Horsepoewr Sports Cars

[M. ROD]

Track Test Of Three 500-Horsepower Sports Cars: 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper SRT10-C, and Ford Shelby GT500

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2625a.shtml

2/26/2007 on SPEED TV

 

[Bobpantax]

They apparently are not the brightest bulbs at MotorWeek. They are showing a photo of the 2008 Viper when they tested the 2006 Viper. I also wonder who was driving the cars. The quarter mile stats and the 0 to 60 stats for the Viper appear to be high.

 

[Kai SRT10]

The Motorweek host is a ******.

 

[Snakester]

I Tivo'd this show and just watched it.
This was actually an entertaining program to see.
The Viper was a red coupe with black stripes and looked great.
I like all three of these cars, so despite not being an ideal match up, it was fun to watch.
The writers of course had all of the typical "brute force" comments about the Viper, but they still picked it as a great weekend high performance car. And even though the Viper's performance numbers were lower than a skilled driver could do, it was fairly close to the Z06, being only 4/10ths and 1MPH slower in the 1/4 mile, and was less than 3 seconds behind the Z06 on their test track. The GT500 performed better than average on acceleration tests, but it was clearly out matched on the track by the Viper and Z06.

I'm not sure where they got their prices as it's been a LONG time since anyone had to pay $90K out the door for a new Viper coupe, the Z06 on the other hand was about right at $78K, and I don't know of a single dealer in the country that is selling a GT500 for $43K out the door, as most of them have $20K markups even in the winter.

It was a fun comparison to watch, but I do miss the comparisons where they also include cars like the similarly priced 997S and perhaps a Gallardo or F430 to show how these cars stack up against the Europeans.

Hopefully soon we will start to see some comparative track tests with the 600HP '08 Viper.
First off, the new Viper will have to be compared against higher end European cars as it will clearly be in a different league than cars like the Shelby GT500, and compared against the $$$ European performance cars it's price will look like a downright bargain.

 

[Bobpantax]

"And even though the Viper's performance numbers were lower than a skilled driver could do, it was fairly close to the Z06, being only 4/10ths and 1MPH slower in the 1/4 mile, and was less than 3 seconds behind the Z06 on their test track."

In the world of racing, the above numbers are not "fairly close". In a 25 lap road race, 3 seconds turns into 75 seconds. That would be a significant part of one lap behind. However, based on other tests comparing the two on a road course, I think that the stated statistics for the Viper and the Vette are flawed.

 

[96GTS]

I got a chance to drive an SRT-10 at an SRT Experience, and it is much better than my GTS. The brakes are phenominal, and it just felt like a better car to drive.

I beat 2 new ZO6 vettes and a FGT in my GTS at a recent auto-cross, and I'm sure I could have gone faster in a Gen III. These pansy test drivers that can't post better times in the Viper lack the "testicular fortitude" to push it to it's limit. I don't even bother stopping to look at the magazines anymore because I already know what they're going to say. They make it look like the Viper is second rate, and the fact is that the only thing second rate about the Viper in these tests...is the DRIVER! There is a special group of people that are lucky enough to own Vipers, and they don't need some biased magazine to tell them which car is better.

 

[Snakester]

In the world of racing, the above numbers are not "fairly close". In a 25 lap road race, 3 seconds turns into 75 seconds. That would be a significant part of one lap behind. However, based on other tests comparing the two on a road course, I think that the stated statistics for the Viper and the Vette are flawed.

If you look at other track comparison tests between the Z06 and the SRT-10 Viper, the Viper always is a bit behind in straight line acceleration, but (depending on the track and driver) it's actually sometimes a bit quicker than the Z06 on circuit courses.

Three seconds per lap would be significant if we took these times as gospel.
But realistically, different drivers and different tracks can easily provide different outcomes with cars that are this closely matched.

And of course with the 600HP Viper coming out, it's a moot point. The Z06 will definitely trail the new Viper in acceleration and on circuit track performance, and it will take the Corvette SS to match the Viper's capabilities in the future.

 

[Mastiff]

I agree with Snakester on the price issue. A dealer near me has 11 shelbys in stock and expects to get $60,000 each. $68 for the convertible. A new Viper coupe or convertible can be had for about $75K and I checked out a price on a Z06 about a month ago and stripped down you can get it for about 70K if you find a dealer that will sell it at MSRP. IMO, the Viper is the best deal!!

As far as performance tests go, The Viper gives up about 300lbs to the vette which equates to about 3 tenths in the 1/4. If they lightend it up some and installed a 3.55 gear ratio (instead of the 3.07) The 0-60 and 1/4 would be faster than the Vettes. The stock vette runs a 3.42 gear ratio.