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Can the all-rounder ZR1 best the track-focused 911 GT3 under the warm California sun? Edmunds holds all the cards.

The Corvette ZR1 is the best way to go to and from the track. There’s just no beating being able to make the drive to track day in total comfort, then unleashing all 755 horses and 715 lb-ft of torque from the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 for a few laps before heading back home in the top tier of Corvettes.

But can it best a car that, while also street-legal, was designed purely with the track in mind in the first place? Edmunds’ Alistair Weaver and Carlos Lago are determined to find out by comparing America’s supercar with one of Germany’s Teutonic terrors, the Porsche 911 GT3.

“One of the Corvette’s primary strengths has always been value,” says Lago. “Not only does this particular ZR1 cost $30,000 less than that GT3, it has more: more tire, more power, more torque, even a bigger rear wing. And there’s actually one more gear in its optional automatic transmission. But the real highlight of this car, when you see it for the first time, is the fact that its supercharged V8 is so big, they had to cut a hole in the hood so it can fit.”

“This generation of the 911 is codenamed ‘991,’ and this is actually Porsche’s second attempt at a GT3 version of this car,” Weaver says. “The first one was fitted with a 3.8-liter engine, which, to be honest, proved to be a bit troublesome. But this new one has a four-liter that’s been comprehensively redesigned. This is basically a race-car engine. So, there’s no supercharger, no turbocharger, just a purity of purpose [with] instantaneous throttle response.”

Original Post:

Corvette ZR1, 911 GT3 Go Head-to-Head in Big Power Comparison

 @CorvetteForum