Corvette Z06 vs Porsche 911 GT3 RS and BMW M4 CSL
Hagerty’s Jason Cammisa and Randy Pobst race a Corvette Z06, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a BMW M4 CSL to determine which is best.
Held at Southern California’s Willow Springs race track is the battle of three powerful sports cars. All three with twin-turbos, aero, and plenty of carbon fiber. Additionally, all three to be piloted by none other than SCCA champion and lap record king, Randy Pobst. All three are cars that Pobst has been behind the wheel of and adored — but this is the first time all three would be pit against one another.
What’s most interesting about this battle is where the engines are in each contender. The Porsche be default is rear mounted, the Corvette has theirs in the middle, and the BMW has the engine up front. Though, all three are rear-wheel drive — adding strengths and weaknesses in different areas of the car. If anyone can find the faults and strengths of each vehicle, it’s definitely Randy.
Out of all the vehicles tested, the Z06 makes the most power at 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque — mainly made possible by the Z07 package. In previous test runs, the Z06 beat the base model Porsche GT3 RS — so both Cammisa and Pobst have high hopes for the American. The Porsche is the least powered with only 518 horses, though it is the lightest of all three. Despite the M4 being the largest of the contenders, it was the second most powerful with 543 horsepower. What makes Pobst the most skeptical of the Beamer, though, is the choice in tire. The other two are fitted with performance oriented Michelin Cup 2R tired, and the M4 has regular ol’ Michelin Pilot Sport 4s’s.
With the Porsche being the lightest one of the bunch, it was the first to cross the line — but the Z06 was very close behind. The Porsche’s lap time was 1:24.3, while the Z06 was 1:24.9. The BMW, on sloppy running shoes, was the last with a time of 1:28.2. Overall, Pobst had wonderful things to say about the Z06 — like the fact that it handled well, was ridiculously fast, though a bit “unruly.”
To watch the entire race and laugh at Cammisa’s commentary, watch the video below.
