Lexus LFA vs Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Z07 Package

Shush, don't let the Toyo-yoyo fanboys and fangirls see (hear) that... they'll think we're comparing a car that's SUPPOSED to be benchmarked against cars even higher tier than ZR1... to a Corvette already faster than this one, the Z06...

Hahahaha back then, if you weren't more than a second quicker than a vette in the 1/4mile, you wouldn't see which way the vette went on a racetrack or a winding road!

The problem was that Chevy was constantly benchmarking mid-engine and rear-engine cars with the Z06 and ZR1 versions of the Corvette model. The LFA is also a front-engine car, as are BMW and Mercedes' midsize super grand tourers (M6 Competition/M8 Competition, SLR McLaren/SLS AMG/AMG GT), so it comes to no surprise that the C6Z is closer to an LFA or SLR/SLS than to a 458, and likewise the C6ZR and C7Z both are closer to an M8 Competition or AMG GT R than to a 488 — as far as straight line goes (the manual transmission is the only thing holding the C6 models slightly back).

Even the Ferrari 812 Superfast is closer to (and in some cases, slower than!) a C7ZR than to the Prancing Horse's own 488 GTB in most mag tests in both departments (straights and road course). If only Ferrari moved the engine a little up front then it would be around 0.1sec slower in the ¼mile per 1% increase in the front weight.

Back then, front-engine cars (especially without a highly advanced AWD system such as RS Quattro, M xDrive, or AMG 4MATIC+ combined with a turbocharger, NOT supercharger or atmosphere pressure) were NEVER known to be perfect straight-line cars unless they were using slicks and/or a prepped dragstrip. The AMG GT Black Series changed all of that; it's now on par with the McLaren 600LT and Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

But to be fair, it was not just the layout and the transmission that affected the Corvette badly, but also the downforce (especially for C7 in straight line metrics). The C7 Grand Sport and Z06 models naturally produce extra drag at around 300 feet before the quarter-mile, whereas the C7 ZR1 is just at a normal rate until it reaches the first half mile from a dead stop.

Well, considering that a C7 Z06 with an automatic did 11.1@127 (best) in a magazine ¼mile test with Z07 package, that's actually the equivalent to 10.8@133 (faster than ANY 458 even Speciale, but slower than a 488 GTB). Why? Because 11.1-2.5%=10.7x, and 127+5.0%=133.xx. Professional YouTubers took their bone stock Z06s (no stage aero or Z07 parts added) and got a similar trap speed to this 133.xx estimation I got, and since most dragstrips are prepped, take 2-4% away from my 10.7 estimate as well!!

While C7Z does 10.3 on drag radials and 10.6 on stock tires ON A STRIP, 488 GTB can only do 10.4 WITH A MID-ENGINE LAYOUT on stock tires (guesstimate equivalent to 10.7 on a strip and 11.0 on street tarmac with a front-engine layout based on traction, power-to-weight, torque curve and gear ratios).