Corvette ZR1

100 Renaissance Center Detroit, Mich. 48265; www.chevrolet.com

GT-R Premium

2009 CHEVROLET CORVETTE (ZR1) LENGTH: 176.2 in. WHEELBASE: 105.7 in. HEIGHT: 49.0 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: 4.5 in. Issue: JANUARY 2009 Date Out: 10/14 /2008

Chevrolet

Nissan

Porsche

SCALE: 10 IN. (254mm) DIVISIONS DRAWING BY: TIM BARKER

911 Turbo

980 Hammond Dr., Suite 1000 Atlanta, Ga. 30328; www.porsche.com
2008 Nissan GTR LENGTH: 183.3 in. WHEELBASE: 109.4 in. HEIGHT: 53.9 in. Issue: MAY 2008 Date Out: 02/20/2008
HZ: extend SKY AT TOP of photo to bleed.
333 Commerce St. Nashville, Tenn. 37201; www.nissanusa.com

MyOpinion

s p e c i f i c at i o n s
Mike Monticello FEATURE EDITOR
Id be happy to park any of these fine machines in my garage. But if I could choose, Id take the Corvette ZR1. I just cant get enough of its hairy-chested all-American roar, or its insane acceleration, and Id never tire of trying to tame its supercharged V-8 on the track. For as cool as Chevys new PTM system is, its even cooler to control all that power with your right foot. But my first order of business would be to swap out the stock seats for a good set of aftermarket buckets.
List price Price as tested

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

$106,880 $121,425 Price as tested incl std equip. (ABS, dual front & side airbags, trac, yaw & launch cntrl, Magnetic Ride Cntrl, climate & cruise cntrl, AM/FM/CD; pwr windows, mirrors & door locks), 3ZR pkg (leather int., nav, Bose audio) $10,000, chrome wheels ($2000), pedal covers ($295), gas-guzzler tax ($1300), dest charge ($950). 3365 lb 3530 lb 52/48 105.7 in. 63.5 in./62.5 in. 176.2 in. 75.9 in. 48.7 in. alum. block & heads, supercharged ohv V-cu in./6162 cc 4.06 x 3.62 in./ 103.3 x 92.0 mm 9.1:bhp @ 6500 rpm 604 lb-ft @ 3800 rpm 6500/6500 rpm elect. sequential port premium front engine/rwd comp. , carbon/alum. 15.5-in. floating, drilled & vented ceramic discs/6piston fixed calipers 15.0-in. floating, drilled & vented ceramic discs/4piston fixed calipers forged; 19 x 10 f, 20 x 12 r Michelin Pilot Sport ZP; 285/30ZR-19 87Y f, 335/25ZR-20 94Y r rack & pinion, variable power assist 17.0:114.6:1 2.5 upper & lower A-arms, transverse leaf spring, elect. adj tube shocks, anti-roll bar/upper & lower A-arms, transverse leaf spring, elect. adj tube shocks, anti-roll bar 2 35.5 in./na 43.0 in. na 22.0 cu ft

Nissan GT-R Premium

$84,060 $85,340 Price as tested incl std equip. (ABS, dual front, side & curtain airbags, trac, yaw & launch cntrl, nav, Bose AM/FM/CD/ MP3, climate & cruise control, pwr heated front seats, tilt/telescope wheel, keyless entry; pwr windows, mirrors & door locks), GT-R logo floormats ($280), dest charge ($1000). 3920 lb 4085 lb 54/46 109.4 in. 62.6 in./63.0 in. 183.1 in. 74.9 in. 54.0 in.

En g i n e

Porsche 911 Turbo
$132,800 $149,370 Price as tested incl std equip. (ABS, dual front, side & curtain airbags, trac & yaw cntrl, active susp., Bose AM/FM/ CD/MP3, nav, clim. & cruise cntrl; pwr windows, mirrors & locks, RS wheels ($3835), Spt Chrno pkg ($3470), PTV ($1320), various options ($6995), dest charge ($950). 3535 lb 3700 lb 39/61 92.5 in. 58.7 in./60.9 in. 176.3 in. 72.9 in. 51.2 in. alum. block & heads, twin-turbo dohc flat-cu in./3800 cc 4.02 x 3.05 in./ 102.0 x 77.5 mm 9.8:bhp @ 6000 rpm 480 lb-ft @ 1950 rpm 6800/7000 rpm direct injection premium rear engine/awd unit steel 13.8-in. drilled & vented discs/6-piston fixed calipers

performance

Time to distance, seconds 01320 ft ( mile) 11.5 @ 128.7 mph
11.6 @ 120.4 mph Time to speed Chevrolet Corvette 9.9 8.5 7.3 6.1 5.2 4.4 3.5 2.9 2.3 1.7 1.1 0.4
11.7 @ 121.8 mph Nissan GT-R 11.5 9.6 8.0 6.6 5.3 4.3 3.3 2.5 1.8 1.3 0.8 0.3 Porsche 911 Turbo 11.4 9.8 7.9 6.7 5.7 4.2 3.5 2.8 1.6 1.2 0.7 0.3

G e n e ra l Data

acceleration
do clipping path around corvette

Results

Chevrolet Nissan Porsche Corvette GT-R 911 ZR1 Turbo
30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 20 pts
0120 mph 0110 mph 0100 mph 090 mph 080 mph 070 mph 060 mph 050 mph 040 mph 030 mph 020 mph 010 mph

Performance

Performance points based on proportional scale (normalization).
Conclusion: How can the Porsche 911
060 mph time 0 mile time Slalom Skidpad Braking, 600 mph Braking, 800 mph Fuel economy, EPA SUBTOTAL

Subjective

28.3 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 29.4 17.0 194.7
30.0 29.7 30.0 29.1 30.0 30.0 18.1 196.9
28.3 29.5 29.2 29.1 30.0 29.2 20.0 195.3

200 pts

Subjective ratings based on points awarded in each of 12 categories by editors and scored based on a proportional scale.
Driving excitement Engine Gearbox Steering Brakes Ride Handling Exterior styling Interior styling Seats Ergonomics/controls Luggage space SUBTOTAL Total Points (Price independent)
20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 15 pts 15 pts 10 pts 10 pts 10 pts
20.0 20.0 18.0 18.6 20.0 17.1 17.9 13.9 10.4 6.5 9.4 10.0 181.8 376.5
16.0 17.4 17.4 20.0 18.0 17.1 19.2 12.8 12.8 9.4 10.0 9.3 179.4 376.3
17.4 17.4 20.0 18.6 12.6 20.0 20.0 15.0 15.0 10.0 9.7 7.3 183.0 378.3
Turbo, the car with the slowest lap time, the highest price and the outright winner of only one Performance category (fuel economy, no less!) end up at the top of the heap? Its the old jack-of-all-trades effect. The 911 Turbo doesnt overwhelm in any one performance category, but it also doesnt have any deal-breaking vices, such as the ZR1s interior and the GT-Rs lack of driver involvement. Proving what a fine overall machine the Turbo is, this Porsche won six Subjective categories (versus the ZR1s four and the GT-Rs two). So, back to our original question: Is the GT-R still the king? No, its not. But with first and third places separated by only two points, this was one of our closest comparison tests ever. Its remarkable that three very different sports cars can deliver such similar top-notch performance.
Curb weight Test weight Weight dist (with driver), f/r, % Wheelbase Track, f/r Length Width Height Type Displacement Bore x stroke Compression ratio Horsepower (SAE) Torque Redline/limiter Fuel injection Rec fuel Layout Body/frame Brakes Front:

= mile

alum. block & heads, twin-turbo dohc V-cu in./3799 cc 3.76 x 3.48 in./ 95.5 x 88.4 mm 9.0:bhp @ 6400 rpm 434 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm 7000/7000 rpm elect. sequential port premium front engine/awd unit steel 15.0-in. floating, drilled & vented discs/6-piston fixed calipers

2010 co n d i t est Corvette ZR-1 t i o ns 1/4 Temperature mile : 11.5 sec @ 128.7 mph 60 F 62% Humidity Elevation 2011 Nissan GT-R 350 ft Wind 1/4 mile : 11.6 sec @ 120.4 mph light Location Irvine, California
Test Notes: acceleration With cool and damp track conditions, the ZR1 was quicker without its launch control, the GT-R worked best with it, while the 911 needed lots of revs.
2010 Porsche 911 Turbo Braking 1/4 mile : 11.7 sec Minimum stopping distance @ 121.8 mph From 60 mph 112 ft 112 ft From 80 mph 194 ft 190 ft 864 sq in. 719 sq in. Total swept area Swept area per ton 514 sq in. 367 sq in.

Handling

112 ft 195 ft 710 sq in. 402 sq in. 1.01g neutral 73.0 mph mild understeer

c h ass i s & b o dy

200 pts 400 pts

Final Standings

Wheels Tires
Standings, Price Dependent
Points based on a proportional scale; points range based on percentage of top price.
Steering Steering ratio Turns lock to lock Suspension, f/r

Price as tested

187.9 564.4

200.0 576.3

178.6 556.9
$121,425 $85,340 $149,370 Price-sensitive total points Price-sensitive standings
15.0-in. floating, drilled 13.8-in. drilled & vented & vented discs/4-piston discs/4-piston fixed fixed calipers calipers forged; 20 x 9 f, 20 x 10 r forged; 19 x 8 f, 19 x 11 r Bridgestone Potenza Bridgestone Potenza RE070R RFT; 255/40ZR- RE050A; 235/35ZR-97Y f, 285/35ZR-20 87Y f, 305/30ZR-19 100Y r 102Y r rack & pinion, rack & pinion, variable power assist variable power assist 11.5:1 14.5:1 2.5 2.8 upper & lower A-arms, MacPherson struts, coil springs, elect. adj tube longitudinal arms, coil shocks, anti-roll bar/multi- springs, elect. adj tube link, coil springs, elect. adj shocks, anti-roll bar/5tube shocks, anti-roll bar link, coil springs, elect. adj tube shocks, anti-roll bar 2+2 37.5 in./30.0 in. 45.5 in. 19.5 in. 8.8 cu ft
The Official Fuel Partner of Road & Track
Lateral accel * 1.04g Balance mild understeer Slalom speed** 74.9 mph Balance mild understeer *200-ft skidpad; ** 700-ft slalom, 100-ft spacing.
1.01g neutral 74.8 mph mild understeer

drivetrain

Transmission 6-speed manual 6-speed paddle-shift PSM Gear/Ratio/Overall/(Rpm) Mph 1st,:1 2.29/7.83/(6500) 66 4.06/15.02/(7000) 38 2nd,:1 1.61/5.51/(6500) 93 2.30/8.51/(7000) 67 3rd,:1 1.21/4.14/(6500) 124 1.60/5.92/(7000) 97 4th,:1 1.00/3.42/(6500) 150 1.25/4.63/(7000) 123 5th,:1 0.81/2.77/(6500) 186 1.00/3.70/(7000) 154 6th,:1 0.67/2.29/est (6000) 205*0.80/2.96/(7000) 193 Final drive ratio 3.42:1 2.94:1 (F), 3.70:1 (R) Engine rpm @ 60 mph in top gear 1725 rpm 2250 rpm *Drag limited to 205 mph.

f u el economy

6-speed manual 3.82/13.14/(7000) 41 2.14/7.36/(7000) 73 1.48/5.09/(7000) 106 1.18/4.06/(7000) 133 0.97/3.34/(7000) 161 0.79/2.72/est (6900) 194 3.33:1 (F), 3.44:1 (R) 2100 rpm

acco m m o dat i o n s

Seating capacity Head room, f/r Front-seat leg room Rear-seat knee room Trunk space
2+2 38.0 in./31.0 in. 45.3 in. 18.0 in. 3.7 cu ft
Our driving EPA city/highway Cruise range Fuel capacity Idle in neutral Maximum, 1st gear Constant 50 mph Constant 70 mph
14.0 mpg 14/20 mpg 238 miles 18.0 gal. 60 dBA 90 dBA 72 dBA 75 dBA
14.4 mpg 16/21 mpg 266 miles 19.5 gal. 54 dBA 82 dBA 73 dBA www.roadandtrack.com 78 dBA
16.0 mpg 16/24 mpg 267 miles 17.7 gal. 58 dBA 88 dBA 80 dBA June 82 dBA 1 0

I n terior noise

R o a d & T r a c k www.roadandtrack.com

enriched gasolines