I was having one of those “just saying" moments earlier today, the kind when you marvel at a rose’s smell even though you knew just how brilliant its scent would be. As a result, I’m inviting you to take some time to smell the... Porsches. You’d better rush to it, both the 2015 Corvette Z06 and the 2015 Mustang Shelby GT350/R have done it already. While it might not seem so, these are some thoughts on how the US car industry appears to be on a healthy (race) track.
It’s no secret that I enjoy indulging in Zuffenhausen pleasures and yet, in terms of track specials, this has been the All-American year for me.
Don’t get me wrong, the 911 GT3 RS and the Cayman GT4 offer just as many reasons to keep me awake at night as the number of dust specs on the Circuit de la Sarthe waiting to be cleared by Porsche’s tech-fetishy 919 Le Mans Prototype later this month.
Then again, I’ve come to expect such things from cars bearing the Porsche crest. Nevertheless, when Dave Pericak, Ford Performance and Mustang helm man, told me the Shelby GT350R would be better than a 911 GT3 back at the Detroit Motor Show in January, I started shifting my attention towards the Americana side of the 2015 Nurburgring lap times.
Another thing that troubles my sleep these days is Chevy’s imminent 2015 Corvette Z06 ‘Ring lap time announcement. Just like the Shelby, the Z06 spun earlier this year trying to impress that stopwatch. I was actually OK with seeing both events, simply because they offered confirmation on how hard the prototypes were pushed. That’s never wrong and since nobody got hurt, it won’t matter once the official times arrive.
But what does the pair of US track weapons have to do with Porsche? Well, for one thing, both Ford and Chevrolet turn to the Porsche 911 when seeking a benchmark.
While Dave Pericak has let it slip the 911 was used as a benchmark from back when they were developing the standard 2015 Mustang, I’ve just recently learned about Chevy’s Neunelfer reference.
In what can be described as a forum interview about the new Z06, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter mentioned the 911’s upcoming turbo engine revolution to explain the supercharger addition to the Z06 badge. Juechter was simply letting the world know why stricter emission regulations require forced induction.
Let’s get one thing straight though - these cars aren’t trying to be Porsche. They simply use it as a reference point to know where they stand.
As I said in the intro, even a 5-year-old who goes karting knows the 911 is the sportscar yardstick and yet it’s nice to see Ford and Chevrolet talking about the rear-engined machine as a reference point for developing their firepower.
That’s because some of the worst mistakes in the US auto industry were made over ignorance and this sort of open attitude tells me things may have just changed.
Sure, we’re still buried in recalls, but hey, at least carmakers admit their mistakes. To me, all these aspects mean the bewildering display of American performance cars we’ve seen recently isn’t just a shiny red, white and blue flag mounted on a rust-affected pole. It’s a sign of an industry that’s making efforts to improve itself.
Don’t get me wrong, the 911 GT3 RS and the Cayman GT4 offer just as many reasons to keep me awake at night as the number of dust specs on the Circuit de la Sarthe waiting to be cleared by Porsche’s tech-fetishy 919 Le Mans Prototype later this month.
Then again, I’ve come to expect such things from cars bearing the Porsche crest. Nevertheless, when Dave Pericak, Ford Performance and Mustang helm man, told me the Shelby GT350R would be better than a 911 GT3 back at the Detroit Motor Show in January, I started shifting my attention towards the Americana side of the 2015 Nurburgring lap times.
Another thing that troubles my sleep these days is Chevy’s imminent 2015 Corvette Z06 ‘Ring lap time announcement. Just like the Shelby, the Z06 spun earlier this year trying to impress that stopwatch. I was actually OK with seeing both events, simply because they offered confirmation on how hard the prototypes were pushed. That’s never wrong and since nobody got hurt, it won’t matter once the official times arrive.
But what does the pair of US track weapons have to do with Porsche? Well, for one thing, both Ford and Chevrolet turn to the Porsche 911 when seeking a benchmark.
While Dave Pericak has let it slip the 911 was used as a benchmark from back when they were developing the standard 2015 Mustang, I’ve just recently learned about Chevy’s Neunelfer reference.
In what can be described as a forum interview about the new Z06, Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter mentioned the 911’s upcoming turbo engine revolution to explain the supercharger addition to the Z06 badge. Juechter was simply letting the world know why stricter emission regulations require forced induction.
Let’s get one thing straight though - these cars aren’t trying to be Porsche. They simply use it as a reference point to know where they stand.
As I said in the intro, even a 5-year-old who goes karting knows the 911 is the sportscar yardstick and yet it’s nice to see Ford and Chevrolet talking about the rear-engined machine as a reference point for developing their firepower.
That’s because some of the worst mistakes in the US auto industry were made over ignorance and this sort of open attitude tells me things may have just changed.
Sure, we’re still buried in recalls, but hey, at least carmakers admit their mistakes. To me, all these aspects mean the bewildering display of American performance cars we’ve seen recently isn’t just a shiny red, white and blue flag mounted on a rust-affected pole. It’s a sign of an industry that’s making efforts to improve itself.
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