LV51FER
New Member
Here's my take.
I haven't driven a GT500 but the car has been extensively reviewed here in the UK and been found wanting, It's heavy and it's a copout with a (naff) Shelby badge to sell it. From my reading of the road tests, my supercharged modified GT would be the better car because it's lighter and has a better power to weight ratio. A performance car mag tested the supercharged Roush 420 and loved it, rating it between the BMW M3 and 350Z for handling and performance. They thought the GT500 was inferior in many ways.
Here's a comparison between the GT500 and it's natural rival in the UK, the Monaro VXR500 which costs at least £4k less than an imported GT500. The Mustang lost and it's not hard to see where the deficiencies were but based on looks, it would be the GT500 every time:
http://cars.uk.msn.com/Reviews/artic...mentid=1077431
Now I've had a 1998 Camaro Z28, albeit modified, for 4 years and I loved that car. It had real character and a real depth of ability (with Bilstein suspension). I followed it with a 2002 Corvette Z06 which always felt "special" like you were driving a real sports car. It cocooned you and went like stink but the gearbox was lousy and the seats were rubbish. However, the interior was always a great place to be, a touch of the exotic because of the low slung driving position. Many slagged off the Vette interior as cheap but it was perfectly adequate (I was used to a Z28!) and I loved it.
Two seats weren't enough which led to my selling the Z06. I should also say that the Corvette was a very efficient car and lacked a bit of the character of the Camaro. If Chevy still made the Camaro, I'd have bought another one but they didn't.
My Mustang was an attempt to fuse the practicality of the Z28 with the performance of the Z06 and, through supercharging, in large part, I have succeeded. The interior of the Mustang is totally different. It's a saloon car interior with a totally different driving position to both the Corvette and the low-slung Z28 which you sat in rather than on. That to me is the failing of the Mustang driving position, it feels like a normal car due to having to be able to see over the hood. The Z28 and the Corvette felt better to sit in. The plastics are cheaper too and less tactile but it's meant to be retro, right?
I still miss my Z28 to drive but maybe that was because it had so many mods and a really loud exhaust and racing stripes and it was just a great car for blowing other cars away. Oddly, I don't miss the Z06 for that reason, I miss it for the droolworthy exterior that made you feel like you had a junior Lamborghini. It's been slower coming but after modifying the Mustang, I've come to love that too - the interior, the supercharged performance, the handling. To me, despite the better looks, it still lacks some of the Z28's character, it's a bit too much of a modern car.
I would take my car over a C6 because the C6 is pig ugly and there is the decider for me. I would also take my car over a GT500 because I'm not a fan of the Shelby nose although the public at large would probably disagree but I'm not really a poser. Without driving the two cars back to back, it's hard to disagree with testers who have done exactly that and who make an emotional decision about which car they feel is best. You may have to manipulate figures to do it but I see nothing wrong with doing that if it conveys the right result.
You have to remember that testers look for different things and find weaknesses you may never discover. In the real world, the decision may be completely reversed based on your own buying priorities. But in reality, the GT500 has 4 seats and the Vette hasn't so hasn't had to compromise. In a way, you should be glad and proud of the fact that the GT500 wasn't totally wasted by a bespoke sports car but they're not comparable.
You should worry more about an LS7 engined Camaro.
I haven't driven a GT500 but the car has been extensively reviewed here in the UK and been found wanting, It's heavy and it's a copout with a (naff) Shelby badge to sell it. From my reading of the road tests, my supercharged modified GT would be the better car because it's lighter and has a better power to weight ratio. A performance car mag tested the supercharged Roush 420 and loved it, rating it between the BMW M3 and 350Z for handling and performance. They thought the GT500 was inferior in many ways.
Here's a comparison between the GT500 and it's natural rival in the UK, the Monaro VXR500 which costs at least £4k less than an imported GT500. The Mustang lost and it's not hard to see where the deficiencies were but based on looks, it would be the GT500 every time:
http://cars.uk.msn.com/Reviews/artic...mentid=1077431
Now I've had a 1998 Camaro Z28, albeit modified, for 4 years and I loved that car. It had real character and a real depth of ability (with Bilstein suspension). I followed it with a 2002 Corvette Z06 which always felt "special" like you were driving a real sports car. It cocooned you and went like stink but the gearbox was lousy and the seats were rubbish. However, the interior was always a great place to be, a touch of the exotic because of the low slung driving position. Many slagged off the Vette interior as cheap but it was perfectly adequate (I was used to a Z28!) and I loved it.
Two seats weren't enough which led to my selling the Z06. I should also say that the Corvette was a very efficient car and lacked a bit of the character of the Camaro. If Chevy still made the Camaro, I'd have bought another one but they didn't.
My Mustang was an attempt to fuse the practicality of the Z28 with the performance of the Z06 and, through supercharging, in large part, I have succeeded. The interior of the Mustang is totally different. It's a saloon car interior with a totally different driving position to both the Corvette and the low-slung Z28 which you sat in rather than on. That to me is the failing of the Mustang driving position, it feels like a normal car due to having to be able to see over the hood. The Z28 and the Corvette felt better to sit in. The plastics are cheaper too and less tactile but it's meant to be retro, right?
I still miss my Z28 to drive but maybe that was because it had so many mods and a really loud exhaust and racing stripes and it was just a great car for blowing other cars away. Oddly, I don't miss the Z06 for that reason, I miss it for the droolworthy exterior that made you feel like you had a junior Lamborghini. It's been slower coming but after modifying the Mustang, I've come to love that too - the interior, the supercharged performance, the handling. To me, despite the better looks, it still lacks some of the Z28's character, it's a bit too much of a modern car.
I would take my car over a C6 because the C6 is pig ugly and there is the decider for me. I would also take my car over a GT500 because I'm not a fan of the Shelby nose although the public at large would probably disagree but I'm not really a poser. Without driving the two cars back to back, it's hard to disagree with testers who have done exactly that and who make an emotional decision about which car they feel is best. You may have to manipulate figures to do it but I see nothing wrong with doing that if it conveys the right result.
You have to remember that testers look for different things and find weaknesses you may never discover. In the real world, the decision may be completely reversed based on your own buying priorities. But in reality, the GT500 has 4 seats and the Vette hasn't so hasn't had to compromise. In a way, you should be glad and proud of the fact that the GT500 wasn't totally wasted by a bespoke sports car but they're not comparable.
You should worry more about an LS7 engined Camaro.
