2016 Corvette C7 Z06 does not win Road and Track's Performance Car Of The Year BUT... still gets more credit than deserved

Automotive press has a well established record of Corvette C7 Stingray and Z06 failures sustained during their tests, including the infamous fiasco at Willow Springs and the bullshit "rematch" with Nissant GTR but... as the advertising contributions keep coming in from +General Motors , so do the apologies and bullshit excuses from Road and Track magazine.

Nothing demonstrates this better than the freshly concluded annual Performance Car Of The Year comparisson.

Out of the cars Road and Track assembled for this event, the top four group includes three American cars:  Dodge Viper ACR, Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R and of all things, Corvette C7 Z06 (the fourth car was the new Ferrari 488 and the fourth American car, Cadillac ATS V coupe failed to make to the last round).

The reality of this comparisson is that it is not based on any quantitative results leading to the final conclusion, it is as subjective as it may get, with the writers spending more time writing lengthy essays justifying their "seat of the pants" grading system than analyzing the actual data.

When this bit of bacground is factored in, it is easier to understand why the well established failure called Corvette C7 Z06 managed to score one of the top four spots.

Now, the part that is really confusing is the rather condemning editorial Road and Track published just a while ago, recognizing design flaws and performance limitations of the +Tadge Juechter failed creation, especially when related to the overheating and higher than expected normal operating temperatures typical to the so called certified supercar.

Considering the set up for this comparisson, right in the backyard of Bowling Green Corvette shameful assembly plant, using the National Corvette Museum road track, the lap time achieved by the latest Corvete flagship is a big embarrassment, given the certain coaching Road and Track driving staff received from GM test drivers, especially the portly HMS Jim Mero.

Level 3 Corvette C7 Z06 with Z07 option is as good as the flagship track variant gets, yet, this most track capable Corvette ever fell behind the Dodge Viper ACR by a truly asonishing 1:58.25 vs. 1:58.14, the car that supposedly is so difficult to drive managed on the track it never tried before.  As clearly stated in the article, the magazine writer was supposedly too afraid to test Viper's limits which means no less than a mediocre and unfamiliar driver failing to take full advantage of Viper's track potential.  Hopefully, this was strictly related to driver's lack of skills and not intentional driver induced handicap...

Without subtracting any credit from the car that won this event, Mustang Shelby GT350R, if performance alone was the deciding factor, the new Dodge Viper ACR should be the uncontensted winner because it actually performs as advertised (and Chrysler advertisement has to be one of the weakest around).  Unlike the Corvette C7 Z06, the Viper is normally aspirated, relatively light and includes considerably better aerodynamics and aero aides.  What Dodge Viper lacks is modern design and powerplant and accessible pricing.

However, considering the other cars involved in the comparrisson, the Viper is still below the average price Road and Track disclosed for this comparo, 167 grand, with change.

The "winner" Shelby is certainly a formiddable track car but... it is still a Mustang at the core (just like Z06 is a thinly disguised Stingray) it is still very nose heavy, tall and very heavy, typical of american cars but certainly not a preferrable high performance car approach).

Even though the Viper vs. Shelby question should be raised, with regards to the overall winner, the real question here is why on Earth would Corvette C7 Z06 be there at all?  Because of its "potential"?

Even though the latest piece of certified shit did not win, the fact it managed to be included is a real shame.  By all acounts, this piece of shit should not be even remotely close to the top four cars, it is a real mess and the only area where it truly comes close to real exotics is its complexity and lack of reliability.

To make clear, unlike the claim from the Road and Track writers, the new flagship does not put true exotics to shame, it creates a true embarrassment to the Corvette heritage.  Hopefully,  this death trap did not oveheat its steering rack during the track testing, there might have been an eulogy to the driver involved included with this write up.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a27194/road-track-2016-performance-car-of-the-year/