- we have tested both the 2020 chevrolet corvette z51 and the 2019 porsche 911 gt3 rs, and here are our results stacked against each other.
- a video circulating on youtube shows the two high-performance, track-capable cars on the track, and soon we'll be setting a lap time in the now mid-engine corvette at virginia international raceway (vir).
- we lapped the 2019 porsche 911 gt3 rs at vir in 2:41.6.
it shouldn't surprise you if we say that the 2020 chevrolet corvette is a performance bargain. the new corvette makes 495 horsepower from a mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 6.2-liter v-8, does zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and starts at $64,995. that's supercar-rivaling territory at a non-supercar cost. on the topic of rivalries, the porsche 911 is the ohio state to chevy's hometown michigan wolverines, but can the c8 corvette keep up with porsche's most powerful naturally aspirated 911 at the track?
the 2019 porsche 911 gt3 rs starts at $190,050—more than double the price of a 2020 corvette—and is powered by a rear-mounted, 520-hp 4.0-liter flat-six that revs to a shrieking 9000 rpm. if we're comparing horsepower and engine sound, porsche has chevy beat there. the corvette's newly acquired mid-engine setup makes 495 horsepower and spins up to 6500 rpm.
during our testing, and despite slightly less horsepower, the mid-engine, z51-equipped vette tied the gt3 rs at a 2.8-second sprint to 60 mph. the gt3 rs did crush the corvette in the quarter-mile, though. we achieved a 10.9-second quarter-mile at 129 mph, while the corvette posted 11.2 seconds at 122 mph. launching off the line at time-warping speeds might be impressive, but it doesn't amount to anything when setting fast lap times. if you start to look at the split times from our test data, you can see that the porsche will likely pull on the corvette when coming out of corners. the porsche killed the corvette in 60-to-120-mph acceleration, covering that speed in 6.5 seconds compared to the corvette's 7.9-second run.
acceleration isn't everything, though. on a 300-foot-diameter skidpad, the z51-equipped corvette, with 1.03 g's of lateral grip, couldn't even come close to the gt3 rs's 1.24 g's. the porsche attained more lateral grip than the corvette on the skidpad due in large part to its ultra-sticky michelin pilot sport cup 2 r tires, while the corvette wears less aggressive michelin pilot sport 4s rubber, included in the z51 performance package. on track, this kind of grip difference is palpable.
they'll have to stop, too. the z51 corvette is equipped with larger brake rotors than a bone stock c8 and those bigger discs, fronts are 13.6 inches and the rears are 13.8, provide more fade resistance and help the z51 bleed-off 70 mph in 149 feet. the porsche, however, stops sooner. during our testing, the gt3 rs stopped from 70 mph in 128 feet, darn near short enough to cause globe luxation. it's equipped with vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic discs measuring 16.1 inches in the front and 15.4 inches in the rear.
as customers are starting to take deliveries of their new c8 corvettes, we're starting to see more videos of them pitted against other high-performance cars. in a video circulating on youtube, user speed phenom, the same kid who posted a 10.665 quarter-mile in his 2020 ford mustang shelby gt500, had a fun track day with his 2020 corvette z51 with a friend in a rather poorly driven gt3 rs.
speed phenom mentions that it's not a race, just fun, but just know: we'll be posting lap times in a 2020 corvette at virginia international raceway soon, as part of our annual lightning lap feature. in 2019, we lapped the gt3 rs at vir in 2:41.6. for the c8 to lap that fast, it would have to find more than 12 seconds on the c7 stingray, or about six on the c7 grand sport. no matter what time it posts, we're looking forward to setting it.