2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6 LS2 Convertible from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing.

I'm blown away by this car in all honesty. I test drove it for something to do one Sunday and came away instantly impressed. A few days later, I did the deal, blowing my 20 year old insistence never to buy a LHD car (this is a US import).

Performance is staggering. At 400 bhp, the 6.0 V8 is unstressed and torquey, and through the short throw (if notchy) 6 speed gearbox delivers stunning acceleration. Performance is easily a match for my old V8 Esprit, but with the added attraction that this woofles and howls like a "proper" V8. 0-60 comes up in just over 4 seconds, and I've had 150 mph on the clock with the car still pulling like a train. The car is said to be good for 186 mph and I believe it.

That, I expected. The impressive handling however, I did not. The ride is a little stiff, but it corners flat and there's a surprising amount of feel through the wheel. Turn in is sharp, grip levels face-distorting, and when it does let go, you get gentle understeer which can be corrected by simply easing off and reapplying power. This invokes a lazy powerslide which, thanks to accurate steering and a lovely linear power delivery is an absolute joy to experience.

The car is reliable, and fuel economy isn't even as bad as I was expecting, especially from an American design where fuel until recently was cheaper than mineral water. I get around 20 mpg average, dipping to around 16 when driven hard. The Lotus was similar average, but thanks to its twin turbos, would drop below 10 mpg without too much trouble.

Finally, and I know it's subjective, but I think the car looks stunning. A mix of Ferrari F430 and classic 'Vette lines. Mine's in Victory Red, and from the front, a lot of people mistake it for a Ferrari which is about the biggest compliment you can pay to the styling of a car. Top down and burbling through towns, people stop and stare. It's both beautiful and rare.

So you have Ferrari pace and looks, suprisingly decent handling, and so far so good build quality for the price of top spec cooking 5 series. Only a tacky looking interior give the lower price away, and even that is perfectly useable (ugly four spoke wheel apart). If they did a decent number of RHD versions (instead of the 100 approx which were mentioned) I suspect its rarity would soon be gone. It's a hell of a car for the money.

Toyota supra would leave the corvette standing, round a track, similar pace though.

True I agree with that, corvettes handle like boat, they are all over the place. You can't beat japenese motors!!

What are you talkin about maa, toyota supra is a great car, but a chevy corvette would clobber a toyota supra. Way more hp, more speed, and it's a beauty!

I happen to just LOVE my Corvette. It's one of the most pleasurable cars I've ever owned. It's been about 15 years since I've owned a sports car and have been driving SUV's within this time. I forgot how much fun it was to have such a good looking and easy handling vehicle. I was never a big Corvette fan, until they came out with this new model. Now I'm absolutely hooked. Funny thing is...I've owned Jaguar's in the past and I never got half the compliments as I do with this car. Mine is Silver and it's just a joy to drive!

Stock versus stock, the Corvette is faster. And the fact the new C6 model has been winning near enough every race it entered to and has a better time round the nurburgring than your Supras, should put that fan boy attitude to sleep.

I would have agreed a couple years ago, but the new vette is a massive leap ahead for the americans in what they can do with a car. The thing has stupidly large amounts of power and torque, something the Supra just can't compete with. Remember anything you do to the Supra can also be done to a vette. The Supra is amazing once its moving, but from a standing start the vette would have it every time. Plus the new one handles - what more can you ask for, modern american muscle with good handling.

Wait until you go from a Vette to a Viper. Better handling, braking and power!

If you're gonna compare a car that's nearly $30,000 (or nearly £15k) more to buy, then you can expect it to be a bit better. Unfortunately it's not when compared to a new Z06. Power is roughly the same - both make over 500 horses. And the vette handles better. As shown by the fact of how much quicker it is round tracks. Spend the extra £15k on the vette with some bolt ons (you can get the thing supercharged for that, or twin turbo charged), at which point you can say bye bye Viper.

Yes there is a $20000 U.S.A. price difference and that presents an even wider gap than you first realize. If you are fortunate enough to acquire one than spending even more on performance upgrades is just a natural occurence. Vipers are a very special low production high performance vehicle with a dedicated owner following more suited on the track than the street... not just another Vette at the suburban mall, undistinquishable Porches, Mercedes etc. Vipers have historically had much better suspensions, braking, frames even a better interior. Few of the ones I know have ever remained stock by the way and new Vette or not they will never be a low production Viper V10. So if you can afford a Viper than you can typically afford limitless upgrades for racing. You never hear its just another Vette by the way. If Vettes were low production it might make it more appealing... so many loses its dazzle.

Shame though, that with a racing driver putting the car around the Top Gear track, the Z06 managed a 1.22.4 and the Viper SRT10 managed a 1.28.5.

Sure there will be times available for the Nurburgring where the Z06 Vette is in the top 10 cars going round, with 5 of them being Porsches, and another couple being purpose built race cars. I don't own either, but the new Z06 is a better driving car, sorry to say it. It DOES handle better and obviously has to brake better and go just as well to have times round one of the hardest circuits in the world like it does. The damn thing was built on the race track, it is as much a track animal as any other car around. And it will BEAT a Viper round track.

As to which I'd rather own... Would be the Viper, but the new Z06 is actually a better driving car, sorry to say.

I have owned Corvettes, and my son owns a Viper. When you pay extra for a Viper, it typically does not stop there. There are quite a few owners on the local Viper circuit that are running 1000 hp streetable Vipers, and are willing to spend an extra $50,000 to do so.

The new Vette in stock form is respectable, but Viper owners are totally committed to performance. Vipers in 2008 will be supercharged, and are not sitting on their laurels.

The bye bye Viper unless you have personally experienced one is not applicable.

Stock to stock, the Z06 (the new one) versus the current viper is faster, handles better and brakes better. Yet most people prefer to drive the Viper as it's more fun.

The vette is a better car, just not as much fun to drive. Saw a few reviews pitting them together. The Corvette hit 60 quicker due to not needing to change gear (it'll do 60 in 1st). 0 - 150 the vette is nearly 4 seconds quicker. Posts better times round tracks as well due to it handling better.

But near enough every reviewer loves the Viper more, because it's just more fun to drive. And there are 1000bhp vettes as well that you can buy from new that come like that.

Lingefelter vette.

I just love people that read a magazine article and have not driven either vehicle being commented on. And the article is about a stock vehicle. I have my Viper on the track and on the dyno board constantly. It's not written in a magazine.

The Viper 1st gear is 60 mph... again all of this is stock reviews. Whats with the baffles in the new vette exhaust? There is no substitute for cubic inches by the way.

It's power to weight. A viper is heavier and only has like 3 horses more, so of course it's gonna be slower than the Z06. And the Z06, as has been said, has set one of the best times around the Nurburging.

And the displacement is that much more - 7.0 versus 8.3 for the viper. They need to do a 572 vette in my opinion :D.

Be patient and save your $66000 to put down on the 2008 Viper. Not everyone looks good in a bow tie. In 2008 Supercharged and 650 hp. I have yet to see a Corvette parked in the same garage with a Viper....... if anything its another Viper and that is often the case!