GT350R at Road & Track Performance Car of the Year (Updated: Winner!)

[ghostrider]

Overall I think the 488 gets the win. Ferrari owners need an article or two to put on the wall of their showroom, i mean garage, oops I meant an article to show to the valet.

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[Nac79]

My money is on the ZO6. It's in Kentucky and at the Bowling Green track! If I had to pick out of these, the Shelby would be second to last behind the ATS-V. It's hell of a car, but all the above are born to be sport and exotic cars. The Shelby is an Pony car and will never out corner a true sports car or exotic car! The Ford GT should replace the Shelby for a fair comparison. Nice of R&T to think so highly of the S550 platform. I think the Shelby will be a great car, but outclass in this group.

 

[ITLRUN]

My money is on the ZO6. It's in Kentucky and at the Bowling Green track! If I had to pick out of these, the Shelby would be second to last behind the ATS-V. It's hell of a car, but all the above are born to be sport and exotic cars The Shelby is an Pony car and will never out corner a true sports car or exotic car! The Ford GT should replace the Shelby for a fair comparison. Nice of R&T to think so highly of the S550 platform. I think the Shelby will be a great car, but outclass in this group.

You sure about that sparky?

 

[krt22]

The Shelby is an Pony car and will never out corner a true sports car or exotic car!

:headbonk::headbonk:

 

[Bossing]

The Z/28 is a pony car and it's proven it can out corner a true sports or exotic car. The new Shelby can do better.... BUT in this field of 8, I don't think it can beat the ACR or the 488 or the Z06. The GT4 will be close but the R may edge it out in terms of lap time. The AMG will be close too. Wow... just thinking of the lineup out loud, these cars are all awesome!

 

[Grimace427]

How much do you guys think lap times play into the PCOTY results?

 

[Trackaholic]

Just wrote out my take on each car, but then accidentally navigated away and lost it.

The shortened version is this:

IMO, the GT350 has a chance, but it is a long shot.

GT4 - Also a chance, but most reviews have left me with a sense that the car missed the mark a bit. Maybe this was due to extremely high expectations, but I get the feeling that it isn't as well loved as I expected given that it is the best version of the Cayman yet.

Z06 - Definitely a top contender, as long as it doesn't overheat. Has excellent track performance but also decent luxury and shocks that make it easy to drive on the street.

ACR - Will be the fastest on the track, but too harsh on the street.

488 - Will it have the emotion of the 458, or will the turbos water it down? If the turbos don't suck the joy out of the engine, then this may be a winner.

ATS-V - Will be good overall, but isn't good enough to win.

Bently - Too big and heavy. Will be surprisingly good due to relatively low expectations, but judged against the other cars, it won't be sporty enough.

Benz - May be a winner. MT seemed to really love it, and it seems to be praised heavily. Not as track focused as others, but will have the street aspect nailed.

GT350 - The engine will make it one of the more visceral contenders. The sticky tires and downforce will allow it to hold its own on the track, but it will be slower than the top cars (Z06 and Viper). Not sure how fast the new Ferrari is, but I expect the GT350 to be a little slower than it, and a bit faster than the GT4. It may have a chance due to the "fun factor" of the Mustang, it's value proposition, and the fabulosity (that's a technical term) of the engine.

-T

 

[ForTehNguyen]

the big thing that annoys me on the 488 is the fact that the computer does not give you full engine power until 7th gear. Power is increased progressively up to max torque in 7th to mimic the NA building power feel. Im sure also to maintain grip with this much power going only to 2 wheels. To me feels like youre getting ripped off. Give me everything, why do I have to wait until max gear. It doesnt sound that great either, no more Ferrari scream, it almost sounds like a sportsbike.

 

[Trackaholic]

How much do you guys think lap times play into the PCOTY results?

I think they are mostly for reference. I suspect the feel of the car on the track (understeer, putting power down, body control, steering feel, etc) have more to do with how well it does than the actual lap time.

Not sure if R&T has discussed how much they weigh the various aspects of testing, or if it is more of a subjective opinion after they finish the testing. I suspect it is closer to MT's "Best Driver's Car" than it is to C&D's "Lightning Lap".

-T

 

[PP0001]

My money is on the ZO6. It's in Kentucky and at the Bowling Green track! If I had to pick out of these, the Shelby would be second to last behind the ATS-V. It's hell of a car, but all the above are born to be sport and exotic cars The Shelby is an Pony car and will never out corner a true sports car or exotic car! The Ford GT should replace the Shelby for a fair comparison. Nice of R&T to think so highly of the S550 platform. I think the Shelby will be a great car, but outclass in this group.

With all due respect do you really think that Road & Track is going to give an advantage to the Z06 because they are going to use the Bowling Green track in Kentucky? Really???

If anything it will probably go the other way as R&T would look very foolish giving the Z06 a break just because they are in BG. It is like coaching your son or daughter in sports when we are probably harder on them than we should be and that will probably play out the same way for the Corvette.

If you don't think a Pony car (2012 Boss 302 LS) can not out corner and/or out perform a sports car maybe take a look at the February 2012 Car and Driver "Lightning Lap" results which took place at VIR.

There were 20 contenders in the competition with the Boss in the LL2 class which had 8 cars in this class based on price.

The Boss LS not only beat it's closet class competitor by 6.6 seconds but beat 7 other contenders in the next class up which was the LL3 class and ended up being the 4th fastest car in the whole competition.

The higher priced LL3 class included such fine automobiles as follows with the Boss 302 LS beat the following competitors:

Porsche Cayman R
Audi TT RS
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
Louts Evora S
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
BMW 1 - M Series

Given the above real life data at VIR and the dramatic improvements of the Shelby GT350R over the Boss 302 LS with respect to improved suspension, handling, braking, steering, tires and acceleration please don't tell us that a Pony Car cannot out perform or out handle a true sports car.

If Colin Comer is doing some of the driving during these sessions I will be looking forward to some of his very positive feedback!

 

[Stage_3]

Should be a good shoot-out!
I'm thinking the top four are going to be, in no particular order,.......the Cadillac ATS, the Porsche GT4, the Ford GT350R, and the Chevy Z06.
Again, these are only my "predictions".

 

[DrumReaper]

I do believe that R&T will be relying on one major factor in this comparo... Cost. A true performance car that can manage to run hard, run set, do so consistently, and not cost a ton to replace wear items is a true value. I think they'll see that in the 350R. All the other rides will require a home-refi to budget for maintenance.

 

[02gtnh]

I do believe that R&T will be relying on one major factor in this comparo... Cost. A true performance car that can manage to run hard, run set, do so consistently, and not cost a ton to replace wear items is a true value. I think they'll see that in the 350R. All the other rides will require a home-refi to budget for maintenance.

Could, but the Porche GT3 won last year. So price isn't top on there list.

 

[madweazl]

I do believe that R&T will be relying on one major factor in this comparo... Cost. A true performance car that can manage to run hard, run set, do so consistently, and not cost a ton to replace wear items is a true value. I think they'll see that in the 350R. All the other rides will require a home-refi to budget for maintenance.

It's pitifully appointed interior compared to the rest of the competition will hurt it's results more than any other factor I think.

Additionally, they mentioned that they were disappointed they couldnt include the Mazda because of it's performance which makes me believe the Cayman has this one in the bag already. My prediction, the GT4 takes an easy win this year. Great bang for the buck, brilliant ride, great interior, really has no negatives.

 

[Bossing]

Really have to look at R&T's comparison with an open mind.... meaning beyond the fabulous GT350. Only then will one be able to acknowledge and realistically see how well all the other cars are. Not just in performance metrics but also in its performance features and character.

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