Discuss...

 

Honestly it's an Apples vs. Oranges comparison.

Here's why I say this. Corvettes by their nature are true sport cars, they are Chevy's answer to Porsche, Ferrari & Lambos. These are sport cars for those who can afford & and want a true classy sports car that costs at least 50-60K. The Corvette combines luxury, & performance, in a classic two seater sports car.

While the Camaro is more the working man's (or woman's) muscle car - it generally much more affordable to the general public. The Camaro isn't a true sports car - it's a pony car. In some ways a Camaro is also a bit more practical for man or woman with children -since it has 4 seats. The Camaro's natural foes are also pony cars.

And a 556hp supercharged Camaro would be the perfect car to target the Shelby GT500.
While a base Corvette may be able to hold it's own against the Shelby performance wise. Still at it's core the Corvette is a very different animal than the Shelby & the Z/28.
So it's very possible for Chevy to have both.

In all likelihood the Z/28 Camaro will be the better bargain if the customer is looking for raw power & straight line performance. But the Corvette will be the superior choice if they want a pure sports car that can do it all.

 

i agree that they are apples to oranges, but its still a valid question... if i had the money i would be torn. I believe that the camaro will actually be better performance per dollar, but performance is often times based on 0-60 and quarter mile times in the world today. I think the z28 would be a very good handling car, but with the big heavy motor in the front, i think the corvette should be nimbler and out handle it. Close race around a track, and too hard of decision to make if i had the money. The camaro would probably win because of the simplicity of a pulley swap to gain big power.

 

If they really did cost the same amount of cash...roughly a MSRP of 49K USD, I would say the Z28 is the better performance bargain. It is the fastest Camaro you can buy. It will probably not be as fast around a track as a Z51 Vette, but who knows...it may compete with an A6 example of a base C6 on a track that favors big power.

OTOH, what if the Z28 eclipses the base C6 in price due to demand/markup/options? Then I think you are better off with the Vette. No sense in paying Corvette GS money for a 4K plus pound straight line specialist. The Shelby GT500 can be optioned to $50K...maybe more if it is completely loaded.

It's a tough choice. When the 2011 Mustang GT rolls out with it's more powerful 5.0L engine, it might well be the best performance car under $50K.

 

While it is an Apples vs Oranges debate, I LOVE threads like this as I'm a performance per dollar guy

I'd say it honestly depends on what type of performance the driver wants from the vehicle though.

If you want a weekend test and tune or drag track toy then it would be MORE than up the buyers alley to get a LSA Z28 Camaro.

I'm more of a road race/auto x kinda guy, AND I don't think the LSA Z28 Camaro would handle near as well as a Base Vette.

For me, I think I'd have to choose the Base Vette and I'd up the suspension at my leisure

 

Vette, for overall performance per dollar. Though if the CTS-V is any indicator, an LSA Z/28 might actually nip a base Vette in a straight line, which would be a curious situation indeed.

Every comparo I've seen of the Vette (Z51 or Grand Sport, usually) against a GT500 has the Vette coming out on top rather handily. However, if you need / want a back seat, it is nice to have a car that can put up similar performance on the street. The LSA Z/28 would add another option.

 

From a non-performance perspective when I see a

GT500 I think "Damn, that is a bad@$$ car"....

when I see a base Corvette I think "...."

when I see a Z06 I think "Damn, that is a bad@$$ car"

when I see a ZR-1 I think "Damn, if i were a girl I'd need to change my panties"

 

Extrapolating the Z/28's performance specs from what we know about the CTS-V and the Camaro SS, it looks like the base Corvette may out accelerate, out handle and out brake an LSA Camaro.

I think you'll get more drama in a Camaro though, more power, more weight, more tests of the law of physics. More fun??? That we'll see.

Won't matter much though. They'll sell every Z/28 at over sticker...

 

I think the Vette would win convincingly in the handling and braking department. However, I think I've seen six speed auto CTS-V's in the low 12s @ 119 mph. Usually the Vette times I see are in the low-mid 12s @ 116-117 mph.

In a straight line, it would be pretty damn close. Outside of that, it would be all Vette. The Z/28 would have an advantage in the "badass" category, however. Unless we are allowed to include the Grand Sport as a "base" (powertrain) Vette...

 

I don't think the people who can afford these cars new really care about best performance per dollar. They can afford a 50k car and they pick the one that they want. I would probably go with the Vette, but I can't right now since I have a 2 year old. But I am not sure I would go with a Z/28 either. I am actually really looking forward to the Buick Regal GS when it comes out. I just need something more practical with 4 doors.

Kids will do that to you...

 

Let's compare a known entity with the performance and price of a car that currently doesn't exist?

In the words of the StarKist guy... "Sorry Charlie"

 

What's wrong Jeff, no imagination?

 

I'm going to guess that an LSA-powered Z28 will sticker for mid-40's, base. That just makes sense compared to GT500.

If we're talking about performance per dollar and that's all, Vette no contest. There would be a few intangibles however that would go to Camaro.

 

I'd say it depends on what standard features it has. I could see them basing it off a 1SS and charging $39,995

 

They're going to upgrade the suspension (a "Z28" with the same setup as the SS? No way.) They're going to charge the exclusive big-horse premium. The SS is already modestly more than the Mustang GT, I can't see them throwing the price structure out of whack. If the car is supposed to compete with the GT500 in every way, it's going to be priced like the GT500.