Straight-Line Horsepower
The next day we head to the test track to run the numbers. The GT-R opened a lot of eyes when it ran 11-second quarter-mile times earlier this year, so our expectations are even higher for the more powerful ZR1.
Launching the 2009 Nissan GT-R is a no-brainer thanks to its electronic launch control system. Set the switches to their appropriate positions, hold the brake, let the engine speed come up and let it rip. After a few consistent runs, our best time from zero to 60 mph is 3.8 seconds (3.5 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). The quarter-mile goes by in 11.8 seconds at 118.6 mph. These are mighty respectable numbers for an $80K street car, and more important they're numbers that are easily repeatable.
With the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, it's a whole different story. This Corvette might have huge 335/25R20 tires in back, but since they can't even maintain grip when you put your foot down at highway speeds, you can probably imagine what happens when we try to nail it from a standstill.
We try every method possible to get the car out of the hole quickly — slipping the clutch, modulating the throttle and various combinations of both. The result is a best 0-60-mph time of 3.8 seconds (3.5 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds at 128.3 mph.
The acceleration numbers of the Nissan GT-R and the Corvette ZR1 might look close, but the ZR1's trap speed says it all, because it's pulling away fast at the end of the run. An impromptu drag race between the two cars shows that although the GT-R can keep up with the Corvette up to around 100 mph, it's all over from there on out.
Well Turned
There's more to attaining supercar status than quick quarter-mile times, so the slalom, braking and skid pad tests are next. With its sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, the GT-R should have an advantage here, but the ZR1 has some pretty high-tech hardware of its own.
A set of carbon-ceramic brake rotors are included as one of the Corvette's most notable upgrades, and they're no joke. They provide enough bite to haul the ZR1 down from 60 mph to a stop in just 96 feet, an amazingly short distance matched only by the $192,000 Porsche 911 GT2.
Through the slalom cones the ZR1 shocks again, with an average speed of 74.7 mph. Not only is this fractionally faster than the all-wheel-drive GT-R's 74 mph, it smokes the GT2's 71.6 mph by a long shot and leaves the last Corvette Z06's 69.2 mph feeling a bit slow.
The ZR1's number on the skid pad is no less impressive, as the sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires hold on long enough to generate 1.06g.
Despite the Corvette's world-beating numbers, we don't lose sight of the GT-R's still impressive stats. Not only does the 3,918-pound Nissan post nearly the same slalom speed as the 3,366-pound ZR1, the GT-R stops from 60 mph in 106 feet and posts a 0.93g on the skid pad. On a normal day against normal cars, these numbers are good. But next to the ZR1, they suddenly look a little soft.
