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Corvette C6 ZR1 vs 997 Porsche 911 Turbo: Which Would You Take Home at $90,000?

It's rare for a ten-year-old sports car not to depreciate to fully equipped Honda Civic territory. But to not only maintain value but appreciate means you have your hands on an undisputed all-time great. The C6 Corvette ZR1 and Porsche 911 Turbo are two of that upper echelon.
Vette vs Porsche 12 photos
Photo: World Imports-Lotus of Jacksonville/Discovery Auto Center
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Choosing which one of these two you'd rather keep in your driveway is going to depend on several factors. Let's break down the facts as we know them to help you make an informed decision. Firstly, both the Porsche and the Chevrolet are bonafide sports cars in every sense of the word. But the way they reach that status couldn't be more different.

One is front-engined, V8-powered, and rear-wheel drive. The other is flat-six powered, rear-engined, and all-wheel drive. One is supercharged, and one is turbocharged, one's German, the other's a red-blooded American. In truth, The Corvette and the 911 have been passively competing with each other for decades. Purchased oceans across from each other by entirely different fanbases. Only to interact with each other in rare instances.

But when the ZR1 edition of the C6 hit the scene in 2009, it set an entirely new precedent. For decades prior, the 911 was a hands-down better performance car than the Corvette, if not objectively uglier. A 6.2 liter supercharged LS9 V8 engine making 638 rampaging American stallions was more than suited to making the 911 sweat a bit for the first time in history.

By comparison, the paltry 480 horsepower figure from a 3.8 liter Twin-turbocharged flat-six in the facelifted and upgraded 2010 model-year 911 Turbo sounds lackluster. If you believe this, then you must not be familiar with how magical Porsche's all-wheel-drive systems were even 13 years ago. Considering that a 2011 911 Turbo was rated at 500 horsepower, this figure may be underrated.

The Porsche will jet to 60 miles per hour in around three seconds to the Vette's 3.4 seconds. The ZR1 makes up for this deficit at higher RPMs with a surge of power at the tail end of the quarter-mile. The result is two supercars that can run low 11 second quarter-mile times all day long. They're also sophisticated enough in the brakes and suspension department to be world-class corner carvers.

So then, let's talk cash money. We've found a 29,919-mile example of a 911 Turbo from 2009 on sale via Discovery Auto Center in Tampa, Florida on sale for $89,990. At the opposite side of the state resides a mint condition 2009 Corvette ZR1 at World Imports/Lotus of Jacksonville. Its sticker price is a whopping 800 pennies, 32 quarters, or $8 more.  Of course, this Vette sports the special 3ZR trim package that includes heated leather seats, a ten-speaker stereo system, and a now outdated sat-nav system. When it comes down to a price difference that small, you're liable to make your decision not with your wallet or even your brain but with your heart. Which one would you take home? let us know in the comments below.
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