Oh, you silly fanboy wars, or how I learned to truly love supercars.
Because they're direct competitors. The Z06 was GM's shot across the bow to the supercar world; their answer to the Ford GT, their warning to Ferrari that those performance levels are no longer the territory of the super-rich. Nissan fired back with the GT-R, slightly outperforming and slightly underpricing the current Z06.
Look for Chevy to likely retaliate when the C6.5 rolls out, and definitely when the C7 hits.
And the truth is that they're two different answers to the same problem. They are wildly different driving experiences.
The Z06 holds to the traditionalist viewpoint - rear wheel drive, minimalist, and a honkin' huge V8 - while the GT-R is the toy of the PlayStation generations, sporting more gizmos, switches, and displays than the International Space Station.
Chevrolet did nothing new with this time around, applying a tried and true recipe for performance to the Z06. They shoved a 427ci pushrod V-8 under the hood (Overhead cams? Overhead valves? Who needs 'em?), allowing the Zed to romp around with a massive, Ferrari (and GT-R) stomping 470lb-ft of torque to prop up its not-shabby 505hp rating. Then they sprung it with an equally old-school suspension - transverse rear leaf spring say what - that is capable of inducing an F430 devastating 1.18G on the Nürburgring. Nearly infallible grip and gobs and gobs of torque make the Zed a potent track weapon, in the most traditional way. Enzo Ferrari would be proud of the Z06, I think, as I'm sure Bill Mitchell and Zora Duntov are.
Chevy did it right - prodigious power, fantastically functional suspension, 50/50 weight distribution, and (relatively) light weight make for a truly supercar class vehicle.
And it reigned undisputed for years; even the C5 Z06 was the king of its class of one. The supercar world has quaked, and Italian thoroughbreds are being stomped by the upstart kid from Detroit on their most hallowed raceways. The C5-R (and it's successor C6-R) dominated the hallowed Le Mans - six consecutive Manufacturers Championships, including the most recent season - a feat not equaled in the entire history of Le Mans.
Then, Nissan shot back. Building on the legacy of the Skyline GT-R, the fantasy plaything of every kid who grew up playing Gran Tourismo or watching Initial D, this techno-racer came to the game carrying every gadget in the world. Active torque distribution? Yep. A rear-mounted, dual clutch, semi-automatic transmission? Yep. Certainly Nissan has held true to their techno-organic styling trend; Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura credited its influence to Japanese culture, specifically citing the anime/manga Gundam as a primary factor in the GT-R's design. Nakamura said "The GT-R is unique because it is not simply a copy of a European-designed supercar, it had to really reflect Japanese culture." And Nissan's styling of the GT-R is certainly unique - the love it or hate it nature of the GT-R's appearance has polarized fans since the first hints of its taut, off-angle lines, and form follows function mindset were visible. The design carries an air of stiffness and visual heaviness, quite contrary to the light and tight lines of the current Z06.
Packed with technology, the GT-R is Nissan's technological showcase. Next generation ATTESSA-ETS all wheel drive, multi-function LCDs, independent transaxle design, semi-automatic DSG gearbox, yaw-rate feedback control, and more that Nissan is keeping mum about, the GT-R has more toys than every geek in your IT group at the office.
The two challengers are as fundamentally different as two cars in the same class can be. One is a raw, traditional sports car experience that rewards driver incompetence with smoky spinouts and visits to the tire wall more often than not and lives on the roar of a huge V-8 and the screech of tires in a smoky burnout. It's an American muscle car made to run with the big boys, the greatest automotive achievement of the modern American car industry. The other is a refined, techno-beat-thumping, computerized machine that makes even the worst amateur look like the next Mario. It's Japanese precision and attention to detail pureed and poured into a block of styling that is a distinctly different as Japanese fashion.
The real discussion isn't which is better, because neither one is. Distinctively representative of two incredibly opposite schools of thought, the choice that needs to be made isn't which is the better car, it's which you like more. Do you think the rumble of a V-8 and powerslides made through the vaporized rubber from the last lap are your kind of fun? Then head over to your local Chevy dealer and order a Z06. I recommend Le Mans blue with the Competition wheels and LT4 fancy interior. Or do you prefer the precision engineering, flawless driving experience of the GT-R, computer control and flappy-paddle gearbox included at no extra charge? Then swing on by your local Nissan dealer and drop a deposit.
Either way, there is no clear winner here except us; the enthusiast market in general. Two vastly different approaches to winning the supercar market from the Italian lines that have held it since time immemorial, and both of them winners. The CEO in his F430 or 599GTB is no longer untouchable rolling down Mulholland Boulevard - both the Zed and the R can hang with and even beat the best Milano and Sant'Agata Bolognese can offer. And they can do it at a third of the price.
The GT-R and the Z06 can both be yours for right around $70,000US. No matter which you choose, stop fighting amongst yourselves and go make spaghetti with a Ferrarista's meatballs.
Look for Chevy to likely retaliate when the C6.5 rolls out, and definitely when the C7 hits.
And the truth is that they're two different answers to the same problem. They are wildly different driving experiences.
The Z06 holds to the traditionalist viewpoint - rear wheel drive, minimalist, and a honkin' huge V8 - while the GT-R is the toy of the PlayStation generations, sporting more gizmos, switches, and displays than the International Space Station.
Chevrolet did nothing new with this time around, applying a tried and true recipe for performance to the Z06. They shoved a 427ci pushrod V-8 under the hood (Overhead cams? Overhead valves? Who needs 'em?), allowing the Zed to romp around with a massive, Ferrari (and GT-R) stomping 470lb-ft of torque to prop up its not-shabby 505hp rating. Then they sprung it with an equally old-school suspension - transverse rear leaf spring say what - that is capable of inducing an F430 devastating 1.18G on the Nürburgring. Nearly infallible grip and gobs and gobs of torque make the Zed a potent track weapon, in the most traditional way. Enzo Ferrari would be proud of the Z06, I think, as I'm sure Bill Mitchell and Zora Duntov are.
Chevy did it right - prodigious power, fantastically functional suspension, 50/50 weight distribution, and (relatively) light weight make for a truly supercar class vehicle.
And it reigned undisputed for years; even the C5 Z06 was the king of its class of one. The supercar world has quaked, and Italian thoroughbreds are being stomped by the upstart kid from Detroit on their most hallowed raceways. The C5-R (and it's successor C6-R) dominated the hallowed Le Mans - six consecutive Manufacturers Championships, including the most recent season - a feat not equaled in the entire history of Le Mans.
Then, Nissan shot back. Building on the legacy of the Skyline GT-R, the fantasy plaything of every kid who grew up playing Gran Tourismo or watching Initial D, this techno-racer came to the game carrying every gadget in the world. Active torque distribution? Yep. A rear-mounted, dual clutch, semi-automatic transmission? Yep. Certainly Nissan has held true to their techno-organic styling trend; Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura credited its influence to Japanese culture, specifically citing the anime/manga Gundam as a primary factor in the GT-R's design. Nakamura said "The GT-R is unique because it is not simply a copy of a European-designed supercar, it had to really reflect Japanese culture." And Nissan's styling of the GT-R is certainly unique - the love it or hate it nature of the GT-R's appearance has polarized fans since the first hints of its taut, off-angle lines, and form follows function mindset were visible. The design carries an air of stiffness and visual heaviness, quite contrary to the light and tight lines of the current Z06.
Packed with technology, the GT-R is Nissan's technological showcase. Next generation ATTESSA-ETS all wheel drive, multi-function LCDs, independent transaxle design, semi-automatic DSG gearbox, yaw-rate feedback control, and more that Nissan is keeping mum about, the GT-R has more toys than every geek in your IT group at the office.
The two challengers are as fundamentally different as two cars in the same class can be. One is a raw, traditional sports car experience that rewards driver incompetence with smoky spinouts and visits to the tire wall more often than not and lives on the roar of a huge V-8 and the screech of tires in a smoky burnout. It's an American muscle car made to run with the big boys, the greatest automotive achievement of the modern American car industry. The other is a refined, techno-beat-thumping, computerized machine that makes even the worst amateur look like the next Mario. It's Japanese precision and attention to detail pureed and poured into a block of styling that is a distinctly different as Japanese fashion.
The real discussion isn't which is better, because neither one is. Distinctively representative of two incredibly opposite schools of thought, the choice that needs to be made isn't which is the better car, it's which you like more. Do you think the rumble of a V-8 and powerslides made through the vaporized rubber from the last lap are your kind of fun? Then head over to your local Chevy dealer and order a Z06. I recommend Le Mans blue with the Competition wheels and LT4 fancy interior. Or do you prefer the precision engineering, flawless driving experience of the GT-R, computer control and flappy-paddle gearbox included at no extra charge? Then swing on by your local Nissan dealer and drop a deposit.
Either way, there is no clear winner here except us; the enthusiast market in general. Two vastly different approaches to winning the supercar market from the Italian lines that have held it since time immemorial, and both of them winners. The CEO in his F430 or 599GTB is no longer untouchable rolling down Mulholland Boulevard - both the Zed and the R can hang with and even beat the best Milano and Sant'Agata Bolognese can offer. And they can do it at a third of the price.
The GT-R and the Z06 can both be yours for right around $70,000US. No matter which you choose, stop fighting amongst yourselves and go make spaghetti with a Ferrarista's meatballs.