Car & Driver began their iconic acceleration and braking yardstick in the 1960s, and originally the acceleration portion was to “only” 100 mph. When advances in technology essentially rendered that speed irrelevant, Car & Driver upped the top speed ante in 1998 to a blistering 150 mph, and positioned it as “A New Performance Benchmark“.
This year’s battle has garnered nearly 600,000 YouTube views and proves that this performance benchmark still reigns supreme today. Today CorvSport takes a different twist, with the top 3 things we learned from the Z06’s second-place finish.
#3
The AWD Porsche 911 Turbo S is mind-bogglingly fast, and the only vehicle in the test Car & Driver felt could reach 200 at their test track (which they went on to prove with multiple 200+ runs and a best of 201.38). The numbers from the results chart at the bottom speak for themselves. Wow.
#2
The 2023 Corvette Z06 is badass, and while it may have lost to the 911 Turbo S, it still beat the 911 GT3 RS and some other formidable opponents. This once again proves, that despite complaints about its higher price tag versus previous generations, the Z06 is still a performance bargain that punches slightly above its weight class. [Go to 14:35 in the feature video to see the Z06]
#1
This loss is why the Corvette will soon become a Fully-Electric sports car with AWD
This 2023 running of the 0-150-0 test not only illustrates why the Corvette will make the transition to an all-wheel-drive EV but also why it’s an important shift for all manufacturers who are serious about speed. While technical difficulties prevented the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire from competing on this day, Car & Driver did arrange to have them do the benchmark test at later dates.
And here are the results when the EVs glove up and enter the ring.
The Simple Takeaway
Vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines are no match for the acceleration and all-wheel-drive grip that EVs bring to the fight. As a matter of fact, it’s not even close. Sure, if you watch the video you’ll hear that the braking performance suffered due to the higher EV curb weights, but the 100 ft penalty was dwarfed by the sheer acceleration advantage an AWD EV offers. And this is why there will be an AWD EV Corvette.
Other Interesting Tidbits and a Question
♦ The Civic Type R stopped from 150 mph 46 shorter than the iconic Lingenfelter ZR-1 that shook the contest in 1998.
♦ For a “fancy and plush” sedan, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is ridiculously fast and competent, falling just two seconds behind the Z06 and within 3 tenths of the 911 GTS RS.
♦ Where were Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, and other similar exotics?
So, are you slowly warming up to the idea of an EV Corvette, or will they have to pry your ICE Corvette from your cold hands? We have the fastest-growing Corvette community on our Facebook page, with over 162,000 followers (43,000 since January!). Come join other hardcore enthusiasts and say hello, Douglas B.
