I drove a bunch of C6 Vettes yesterday, here are my thoughts
 

I helped out at the Lone Star Corvette Club track day and rode/drove all day.

Base C6: Fun car, does everything right. It feels just like the C5Z I drove. Basically, a big turbo Miata, lol. This car took a lot of energy to get out of shape. These were the closest in comparison to lb/hp and gearing to my car.

C6Z: Awesome car, does everything right, stiff enough to appreciate driving on the track, good brakes. I'd say that with like drivers and like tires, these cars are almost dead even with my 265whp/255wtq Miata after you balance cornering and braking with engine output with all that extra tire.

Zr-1: totally different car inside, very nice. Much more numb on the track, fancy brakes feel terrible through the pedal with zero feed-back until you hit ABS. This car had the new magentic suspension and it was super-duper awesome. The car was insanely flat in every corner, flat on brakes, and shockingly easy to drive. This car was so fast and so numb that you could really get hurt on a fast track.

Bottom line: C6Z > *

Pretty much identical review to the one that was in Road and Track this month. They tested them all on the same day with a handful of drivers. While the ZR1 is fast and easy to drive like you said, most were actually a second faster on a normal track in the C6Z.

Holy ----, I might know what I'm talking about, lol.

I mean what I said about the ZR-1 being so numb you could get hurt in it. There were two moments in the first session where I thought we were going off at speed, lol. Then the guy started listening to me.

The ZR1 does seem like overkill - seems more like a bragging rights kind of car than something that most people could put to use in a practical application. I'd be curious to get your thoughts driving the C6 Z06 vs a GTR - that seems like a good comparison for the type of dude that wants to blow $80-90k on a brand new mixed use whip for the track/street.

The $80k solution to a $20k Miata, lol.

Doesn't GTR have porsche-sized-costs for maintenance?

Vs GM sized?

I should also note that it was funny on my first time out how any time a Vette was behind me, I got the passing flag, lol. That changed on the second session.

I take it you didn't get a chance to drive a Z06? Those are supposed to be very different then the ZR1, more difficult to control, maybe better feedback though.

The Z stands for Z06..

The C6Z was hardly "difficult to control". These cars are easier to get around the track at speed than our cars, they're 3' longer, lol. It was the best car I drove all day, bone stock.

Would you be driving a Miata if you could afford a C6Z just as easily?

I'm not really sure. I thought about this for a couple minutes before I answered if that tells you anything. I'd have to clear over $1m per year to have the same percentage of cost to buy it used vs build my car.

I'd probably have an AI racecar and my current Miata. However, that C6Z was really, really ------- good.

Ah. I got C6Z confused with the factory performance package you can get for the base car, bigger brakes, better suspension ect. I can't remember what its called though.

I'd expect the C6Z would be multiple seconds faster than your green car on similar tires/drivers, right before the engine blows up. :giggle:

z51?

Yeah, it's not like I was pushing it on trail braking or anything in more money than I make per year. C6Z are in TTA with tires, I'm not sure how they class without. In order to run mid-pack TTB times in NASATX, you have to run faster than mid-pack TTA which is where most C6Zs fall. I'd love to borrow a C6Z for a few minutes...no one gets to drive the green car though, lol.

Sounds about what my friend said. He rented a base C6 and drove it from LA to Vegas, where he tracked a Ferrari 458 and Lambo...something. He said at the end of the day he had no idea why you'd spend 3x as much for the exotics.

That said, there's still the replacement costs. RS-3s are what, $120 a tire? Front race pads are $50-60 for our wilwoods? Something to consider.

It was really crazy how much that C6Z felt like my car, even with all that tire. It was also crazy how the C5Z felt so damn slow in every way, lol.

Thats the one.

I think "numb" describes my '11 Mustang pretty well.
It will go through a corner surprisingly well for its weight and having a live axle, the suspension is well sorted from the factory and the balance is not bad. Yet, while driving it, you have almost no confidence because there is so little steering feedback.