Did you ever stop to think that racecar spelled backwards is still racecar? Also, do you remember the "Because Racecar" online movement? A few years ago, this would be a common catchphrase among automotive enthusiasts. People would use it to answer all kind of questions ranging from "Why would you spend that much money on a rusty old car?" or even "Why are your hands all black and oily all the time?"
For anyone who's obsessed about speed, race cars are the Holy Grail of the automotive industry. Purposely-built to go fast and deliver maximum performance, they are bound to scare the hell out of most people. But for car guys they will provide the ultimate thrill, along with the noise, smell and of course looks to match.
Car guys will cherish almost getting intoxicated by exhaust fumes and putting their eardrums at risk for the chance of driving the ultimate machine. While road-going vehicles have to compromise on performance for the sake of driveability, comfort and emissions regulations, race cars will leave all of that behind.
With Corvette Month going on here on autoevolution, we've set out to test as many different generations of the iconic sports car out in the virtual world. And we're using Assetto Corsa, which most would agree is the ultimate racing simulator, to do that.
While Corvettes might feel more at home at tracks like Daytona or Sebring, we still felt like the Nürburgring would make for a more exciting challenge. So far we've done laps at the Green Hell in a C7 ZR1, a C6 ZR1, a C8.R and the old C1.
Photo: Autoevolution
We are using a Lenovo Legion laptop and its keyboard to perform these tests, so we're sure that some of you might be much faster at home if you have access to a steering wheel and set of pedals. But even if you don't, we guarantee you'll have a lot of fun testing what America's finest V8-powered sports cars can achieve on the German racetrack.
Now, by the end of the month we'll most likely split the leaderboard into categories, as it wouldn't be fair to compare the race cars to their road-going versions. Even with less power, these count on lighter and stiffer chassis and slick tires to go considerably faster around the corner.
And we've already seen how impressive the C8.R is compared to the C7 ZR1. Even using C8.R tires on the C6 ZR1 delivered spectacular results, so we decided we'd jump back behind the wheel of another racecar for our current test.
Chevrolet unveiled the C7.R at the 2014 NAIAS, but its first official test would be carried out at Laguna Seca. Chevrolet once again worked with Pratt & Miller to develop the machine that would go on to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA Sportscar Championship as well.
Photo: Autoevolution
It rose above its competition in 2016,2017 and 2018, winning the Teams' and Drivers' Championships in the IMSA SCC. Some of you may have even seen one at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in previous years. But instead of going on and on about how amazing this car is, we decided to give it a go ourselves.
Instead of trying to find a mod for the C7.R we simply used the version developed by Kunos Simulazioni, the studio responsible for Assetto Corsa. This car is part of Dream Pack 1, alongside the Nordschleife and a bunch of other cool vehicles.
The specs are quite simple: 495-hp, 479 lb -ft (650 Nm) of torque, 2,910 lbs (1,320 kg) and a top speed of 174 mph (280 kph). You can pick between 18 different liveries, but we opted for the famous Racing 3 Corvette. The car looks and sounds great, and you should keep an eye out on that side exhaust if you want to see flames coming out now and then.
Even with no driver aids activated, there is a lot of grip to be enjoyed here. But don't underestimate the curbs, especially if you're using first or second gears on wide open throttle. Of course, you can be a lot smoother with your throttle inputs if you're not using a keyboard, so that might not be a problem at that point.
Photo: Autoevolution
Just like with the C8.R, the C7.R is very confidence-inspiring. Even though you'll see sparks coming out in certain parts of the track that aren't perfectly flat, it feels right at home on the Green Hell. It's probably one of the best cars to drive around this track, and we could even imagine a 24-hour race in it here.
Our first lap was less than ideal, but we still munched away at the 12.944 miles (20.832 km) layout in seven minutes and 36 seconds. This was an effortless attempt compared to the finger-breaking challenge we had to go through with the C7 ZR1.
Still, we went off track several times, and we knew we had to improve the result on the second lap. It didn't all go according to plan, but we still picked up the pace by quite a bit. With a fast lap of 7:11.259, this is the fastest we've ever gone around the Nordschleife in a Corvette. And there's still more potential to unlock with it in a future test. You can watch the full lap below, as we try and decide what generation 'Vette we should drive next.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News