Ok, so we really aren't getting anywhere.
1Day, the problem is, this is starting to look like a page straight out of
www.corvetteforums.com, where things like "monster Z06", "better braking than CGT", "Enzo contender for $400K less", crop up very frequently. Obviously, there, every other attempt at a reasonably decent sports car is feeble no matter what, and if it costs more than the 'Vette, then the Lord be damned. The only thing that can counter this is a page out of Rennteam.com or Rennlist.com or Honda-tech.com, where everybody knows just how bad the other car's paintjob is, or how drab the interiors are.
The issue really is , whether we understand what it is the competitor stands for. I never denied the Z06s achievements on the track, and I applaud them for coming a long way from being just muscle cars, to discreet sportscars. Let us also realise, that GM is primarily a mass manufacturer, who is looking to sell cars at a volume, same so with the Corvette. A lot of Americans will buy the new Vette too, and they will sell a lot more than the 911s, anyday. Which is why, it will be a lot cheaper than the 911s too. Porsche is a niche sports' car manufacturer, who do not have other volume cars to fall back on. They do make maximum profits per car than any other company in the world, which is why they manage to stay independent, which is a smart thing to do. If GM would take a leaf out of Porsche's notebook and learn to make a good deal of money too, they wouldn't be at the risk of losing their throne to the much harder-working Japanese.
Now let's come to the engineering aspect. I am yet to dwell into the details, but GM has managed to improve the Vette a lot. It does surprise people inspite of it's leafsprings, and I have said so in my earlier posts. Now speaking of the "crap 911" as you call it, it is pretty easy to figure out that when you have an engine hanging out aft of the rear axle, theoretically a car shoudn't handle, and should only do donughts. But, instead they stuck with their crazy concept, put so much research and development in to the vehicle dynamics of a 911, that it does handle darn well, well enough to be as fast as the Z06 around the NS, with a lighter, smaller displacement engine, with a lesser power output. Some of them do it with a 7.0L V8 up front, some of them do it with a 3.6L flat-six way at the back. The ones who do it the best, are the ones with a 2.6L V8 making 360PS @ 10,500rpm, and I'm talking about the Radical SR8, the current king of the ring. Either ways, we must think twice before we call the other car "crap", because not everybody buys the pure "Proud to be American" line.
R&T, an American mag, agrees in a comparo with the Vette and the 911, that the Vette is an easier car to go faster in, but isn't as rewarding a drive as the 911. Besides, R&T quotes the 997 to have better braking than the Enzo, so I wonder where you got your info about the Vette from.
I would call that quite an achievement. Wouldn't you? That is what they charge such a premium for. Sure, reliability is the odd issue with Porsche too, and every other manufacturer in the world, but they do hold up pretty well after thousand's of kms. If the C6 Vettes can do that, kudos to them.
I'm off to sleep. Yawn....