Chevy Corvette vs. Porsche 911

Except the Corvette is definitely not a clumsy beast. Sure, the Lotus was more precise around the racetrack, but the Vette handled terrifically, too. The Elise’s lap time — 3:09.2—was just 0.1 second quicker than the Vette’s and largely the result of the Elise’s sticky tires, which allowed the Elise to carry more speed through every corner. Those tires — Yokohama A048s — are part of the model’s optional Track package ($2495), so they were allowed, but they’re gumball tires that probably won’t last 2000 miles when driven on the street. 2006 Lap Times

As before, there was only one entrant in this class, this time in the shape of a Porsche 911 Turbo. Despite a strong 480 horsepower, it wasn’t that happy around VIR and ran an unexpectedly mediocre 3:05.8 time, partly because of its 3528-pound mass, partly because the power went away after a couple of laps, and partly because it really doesn’t like to dance. Although the Audi R8 was down on straightaway speed, it was undeniably easier to drive fast. The Turbo suffers from an overly stimulating amount of midcorner lift-throttle oversteer, although it’s reasonably stable as long as it’s set up early and powered through the turns. As with all 911s, the brake-pedal feel and the steering are superb, but the engine note is a bit too muted. 2007 Lap Times

Tucked under the decklid of the 911 Carrera S is a 3.8-liter engine whose placement and power make the 911 a completely different animal from the Porsche Cayman. With 385 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, the 911 leaves corners with an urgency that is missing in the comparatively relaxed Cayman S. Down the front straight, the Carrera S kept on accelerating all the way to 141.7 mph, 7.2 mph faster than the Cayman S. 2009 Lap Times

There were several surprises in this class—and the biggest was the astonishing performance of the base Corvette equipped with the Z51 package. The Vette was a returnee to VIR because we experienced a data problem with its quickest lap last year. We had to publish its second-quickest lap time (3:09.3) then, which we didn’t think represented the car’s capabilities. 2007 Lap Times

The 911 GT3 was the second-fastest car of the day, turning a lap in 3:01.8. That was slightly disappointing, considering the Dodge Viper SRT10 coupe and Corvette Z06 posted better times during our previous outing at VIR. The Porsche didn’t disappoint in the way it performed, however. It’s a tactile treat, with beautifully weighted steering, sublime brake-pedal feel, a satisfying short-throw shifter, and a majestic Wagnerian engine note. 2007 Lap Times

With a herd of 15 cars, 11 more than the LL2 group in our 2007 derby, this category was by far the biggest, ranging from predictably fast rides such as the Corvette Z51, a big favorite last year, to some that we expected to sizzle but didn’t: A particular disappointment was the Subaru WRX STI. 2008 Lap Times

The Corvette Z06 was brutal and tricky to drive at the limit. With the stability- and traction-control systems off, it loved sideways action, whether the driver lifted at the entrance to a corner or was flooring it out the exit. The Z06 had serious brakes, talkative steering, and the most compelling engine note, but driving it fast was spooky, if oversteer makes you nervous. Mastering this car was challenging and satisfying, but drivers needed to be on their game. Still, with a lap of 3:01.1, it was the fastest of the LL3s and awfully close to taking overall honors. 2006 Lap Times

It didn’t take long to dial in the new 911’s lap time. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the new 911—or 991 in Porsche Sprache—is comfortable at the limit. And, once you find that limit, it’s easy to stay there. Much of the credit has to go to the 991’s four-inch-longer wheelbase and its widened front track. 2013 Lap Times

Last year, a Corvette with the Z51 handling package produced a stellar 3:01.2 lap to lead the LL2 pack. The track suspension can no long­er be optioned on a base Corvette, though it is part of the new Grand Sport’s armament, which also includes Z06 tires, footwear, and bodywork. 2009 Lap Times

The overall champ of the day was the Corvette Z06, which took nearly three seconds off the time posted by another example last year. The Z06’s 2:58.2 lap made it the first Lightning Lapper to get around VIR’s Grand Course in less than three minutes, which is all the more remarkable considering it does not have the sticky, racing-type tires the 911 GT3 enjoys. As before, the Z06’s combination of huge horsepower and light weight gave it an advantage on the two long straightaways and in the run up to the Sector Two esses. 2007 Lap Times

The 911 Turbo S isn’t one of Porsche’s hard-core track devices, but it shadowed the non-street-legal Ariel Atom 3 from 2010 by 0.1 second. It also shaved more than eight seconds off the last 911 Turbo’s time, set in 2007 in a non-S. The current Turbo S has an additional 50 horsepower from a new direct-injection flat-six, which certainly helps, but other changes wrought for the 2010 model year—the seven-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, a revised suspension and all-wheel-drive system—have also made this new  Turbo a far better track lapper. 2011 Lap Times

Everyone agreed: The 911 GT3 RS might not have been the fastest car in this particular Lightning Lap event, but it was the sweetest to drive. It starts flattering its driver in the cabin, which is tailored to the serious pilot like no other car here. The bucket seat wraps intimately around your torso, the Alcantara-trimmed shifter has flick-o’-the wrist short throws, and the steering wheel’s rim is just the right thickness. 2011 Lap Times

With great steering and handling, the latest Corvette is a highly engaging road car. But aside from a few laps at GM’s Milford Road Course and the very short Streets of Willow Springs circuit in California, we hadn’t spent much time hustling a C7 around a track. Until this year’s LL Thrash-a-palooza, that is. 2014 Lap Times

Horsepower: 370; Weight: 3214 lb; Price as tested: $125,373

In the latest chapter of the Porsche 911 at VIR, we have the Carrera T, a 911 equipped with the outgoing base car’s 370-hp engine, a few weight-saving measures like thinner rear-window glass, and some sticky dealer-installed Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 tires. Dropping a few pounds and adding grip will always improve performance, but since we’ve never lapped a base 911 at Lightning Lap, we don’t know how much quicker the T’s tweaks make it. We can say that it’s 5.5 seconds quicker than the 2013 Carrera S, which made 400 naturally aspirated horsepower but wore less aggressive P Zeros. 2019 Lap Times

We knew the ZR1 was going to be fast—but not this quick. Only two cars have gone faster than the ZR1 in our Lightning Lap challenge, but both of them—the Mosler MT900S and the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, from the 2008 event—are much more in their element on a track than on a street. Yet the Corvette combines startling pace around VIR with lots of luggage space, plus a tractable engine, good visibility, and a supple ride. 2009 Lap Times

Considering the speed produced by its 560-hp twin-turbocharged six, the Turbo S never comes across as a threat. For one, you can see the 911’s nose, the track, the track workers, and the sky. Some of that is useful to a quick lap. But a bigger slice of confidence comes from the calmness that the robots engineered into this car’s chassis. Dynamic anti-roll bars cancel body list, adaptive powertrain mounts clamp down on the engine and transaxle’s movement, four-wheel steering stabilizes cornering, a seven-speed dual clutch shifts perfectly every time, and the four-wheel-drive system makes it possible to go to full power earlier than you can with rear-wheel drive. Putting your foot down and letting the car’s electronics figure out the rest is a classic GT-R pilot’s move, now available from Porsche. 2014 Lap Times

How much are stickier tires worth? About a second according to our clock. With the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, which are lightly disguised race rubber, the ZR1’s best lap was 1.1 seconds quicker than it was on more roadworthy Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. 2012 Lap Times

Someone inevitably asks: Which one is your favorite? In this field of dreams, it’s impossible to pick one. But if we had to drive one car as fast as possible for an entire tank of gas, it’d be hard to choose anything but the Porsche 911 GT3. 2015 Lap Times

Horsepower: 495; Weight: 3665 lb; Price as tested: $86,865

An obsession with lap times is why the Corvette‘s 495-hp 6.2-liter V-8 is now behind the front seats. Sure, the mid-engine placement helps acceleration, improves handling, and spices up the look, but lap times are the main reason why. The move paid off, with the C8 lapping VIR 4.8 seconds quicker than its direct predecessor, the 2014 C7 Stingray, a car with an identical power-to-weight ratio.

2021 Lap Times

Basically, the Grand Sport is a Z06 with 460 horsepower instead of 650. Like the Z06, it’s weaponized fiberglass, just with a little less fissile material. Equipped with the $7995 Z07 package, which adds Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and carbon-ceramic brakes, the Grand Sport clings to Turn 1 with 1.19 g’s of grip, a close second to the Z06’s 1.20 g’s, the most grip we’ve ever recorded in that corner. 2017 Lap Times

Horsepower: 500; Weight: 3262 lb; Price as tested: $165,120

As you get comfortable in the GT3, more of your focus can turn to enjoying the speed it generates—and the sounds, the 4.0-liter hammering redline 18 times per lap. What’s a small-block? Ferrari who? You’ll forget every other major performance player when ripping the GT3 up to the Climbing Esses at an average speed of 127.0 mph or at the bottom of Spiral, where it kisses 47.5 mph (an all-time LL record) on its way to a 2:47.0, tying the 2016 GT3 RS on the leaderboard—an intrabrand victory if there ever were one. 2018 Lap Times

It’s not as scary as it looks. Everything that makes the Porsche 911 GT3 RS intimi­dating—the tires that barely fit, the shark gills on the fenders, the ironing board hanging off the tail—makes for a friendlier car on the track. The tires, vents, and that wing work to make your palms just a bit less sweaty as you nose the $189,760 GT3 RS into the fast Climbing Esses at 137 mph. 2016 Lap Times

For 2017, Porsche added 20 horsepower and reworked some of the 911 Turbo S’s electronic systems—the dual-clutch transmission will now bounce off the rev limiter in manual mode, and there’s a new, less intrusive Sport mode for stability control. But we let the prescient PDK automatic shift itself at the 7200-rpm limit, switched stability control off, and rode all 580 horses bareback. Helping to lop off big chunks of time are new tires, track-ready Porsche-spec Pirelli P Zero Corsas that bring increases in stick over the stock P Zeroes. The result of the extra power and grip is that the new 911 Turbo S lapped VIR 4.4 seconds quicker than the Turbo S we tested three years ago and two-tenths of a second quicker than last year’s GT3 RS. 2017 Lap Times

Horsepower: 650; Weight: 3550 lb; Price as tested: $100,245

Seconds before the Corvette Z06 crosses the start-finish line to begin its hot lap, you’re subjected to 1.20 g’s of lateral acceleration for six full seconds through Hog Pen. A silence falls over the switchboard in your head. Every neuron lines up to get the Z06 moving through space as quickly as possible. Gone are the employment doubts, the mortgage-payment anxieties, and the hair-thinning concerns that clutter up your daily thoughts—domestic worry is not possible at 1.20 g’s. Belt into a Z06 with the Z07 package like this one and the automotive-induced enlightenment lasts exactly 2:44.6. 2015 Lap Times

Horsepower: 640; Weight: 3637 lb; Price as tested: $216,050

The Porsche 911 Turbo S‘s 640-hp twin-turbo 3.7-liter flat-six brings 60 more horses than the last gen’s 3.8-liter. But even knowing this, we weren’t prepared for this level of improvement. The new Turbo smashes expectations by lapping VIR 4.3 seconds faster than the previous Turbo S. The added power equates to higher speeds on the front straight (163.4 mph) and entering the Climbing Esses (143.4 mph), gains of 2.1 and 3.2 mph, respectively, over the last gen. The Turbo S fires off Turn 1 at 82.2 mph, the fastest we’ve ever recorded.

2021 Lap Times

Horsepower: 520; Weight: 3249 lb; Price as tested: $212,960

The GT3 RS’s 4.0-liter flat-six wants revs to work—a lot of revs. Most cars are on boil and rich with torque around 3000 rpm, but life begins at 5000 rpm in the RS. And unlike the GT2’s turbocharged engine, which spins to 7000, the GT3 RS’s six revs to a loud and cutting 9000 rpm. Hitting that redline rings unprotected ears. Our golden years will surely consist of a lot of nodding during cocktail parties. 2019 Lap Times

Horsepower: 755; Weight: 3669 lb; Price as tested: $141,485

At the start/finish, the lap timer stops at 2:39.5, beating our previous VIR record holder, the Ford GT, by 3.5 seconds. It’s not even Lightning Lap 12’s top time (that award goes to Chevy’s cross-Atlantic rival, the 911), but an adrenaline rush like this usually costs at least twice as much. 2018 Lap Times

Horsepower: 700; Weight: 3362 lb; Price as tested: $332,336

Porsche doesn’t eke out Lightning Lap records. When the 918 Spyder ascended the throne in 2014, it lopped 2.8 seconds off the former champ’s time. Now in strolls the 911 GT2 RS Weissach and almost doubles that interval, cleaving 5.2 seconds from our previous quickest time. Before this year, our best lap around VIR was a 2:43.0 in the Ford GT, just a tenth of a second quicker than the 918. But as of 2018, we have three cars in the 2:30s. Porsche didn’t merely crush the record, it stayed nearly two seconds ahead of the other two cars that also did, including its Chevrolet rival. 2018 Lap Times