My first big story pitted the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 against a Porsche 911 Turbo. Much to most peoples’ surprise, the Porsche was faster in a straight line, yet the mighty American absolutely wiped the track with that German missile. We stuck Justin Bell behind the wheel of both, and he made the Corvette go 3.6 seconds per lap faster around Big Willow than the Porsche TurboA year later, during the 2011 Best Driver’s Car competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a Corvette Z06 with sticky, semi-slick Cup tires ran away from the rest of the field, posting a freaky fast 1:34.40 lap time with Randy Pobst behind the wheel. Not only was that time almost 2 seconds per lap faster than the second-fastest car (the Ferrari 458 Italia, 1:36.20) but the 505-hp Z06 had less power than the second- through fifth-place cars (458, Audi R8 GT, Lexus LFA, Nissan GT-R). Today, for the first time ever, we get our hands on the 638-horsepower, 604-lb-ft ZR1 with those same sticky, 80 treadwear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup ZP tires. And we think we’ve found a worthy competitor.
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