This V12 Corvette Was Chevrolet’s Answer To The Dodge Viper.

Greaser · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

This V12 Corvette Was Chevrolet’s Answer To The Dodge Viper.

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

... but the Viper was better looking.

Magician40 · Poncho Master!

Nice video, I have seen this car at the Corvette Museum and was really impressed with the engineering, you might notice the extra length in the front panel that is ahead of the doors to accommodate the longer engine . The exhaust is straight through so the sound you hear is pure 12 cylinders. Not sure about all the blue smoke coming from the exhaust, that would bother me.
Brian

HK1837 · Addicted!

Pontiacanada wrote:
... but the Viper was better looking.

Really? I'm no real Corvette fan but to me the Viper looks like a Mazda MX5 that has had botched plastic surgery! All those ugly bulges, lumps and add-ons look like one of those stupid women that get their faces destroyed.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Pontiacanada wrote:
... but the Viper was better looking.

Ugh, disagree!

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Well it may be listed as experimental but that car is pretty much a pre-production version in my opinion, the under-hood looks almost stock except for the longer valve covers the body work is not rough at all. In 1992 I'm sure there would have been a line up for an 11 second 133 mph quarter mile car, that's got an F40 of the same vintage covered and the Viper far behind. The story of why they never made it would be of interest to me.

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Too bad it wasn't built - would have been cool to see. Serious rubber on the front, btw, especially for the early 1990s. Those look like 305s minimum.

Corvette-ZR12-Video-001-Red-Engine-Bay.j

Gotta agree with Darryl in that the Viper was a better looking, sexier car at the time. The Corvette was somewhat bland and conservative looking during that period - IMHO. Of course, looks are subjective, but to this day I can't help but stare anytime I see any Viper on the road - Vettes... I give them a look, but not in the same way - the Viper just demands attention.

I wouldn't turn either down, other than the fact that the V12 Vette wasn't built as a production car... so there's that.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Nothing like a side by side comparison. I'd agree that the Corvette is more conservatively styled, remember the demographics of a Corvette buyer however, average age 59, average income in excess of $100,000.

-- Edited by 73SC on Wednesday 2nd of September 2020 11:13:58 PM

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Great comparison shots. Styling definitely comes down to personal preferences, and essentially these cars had slightly different philosophies. I think they are both attractive cars, but the edginess of the Viper appeals more to my tastes than the more conservatively styled Corvette.

Remember, the Viper was aimed at returning to the raw performance based sports car and thus many of the amenities available on the Corvette were purposely left off the Viper. The Viper was essentially trying to capture the spirit of the original Shelby 427 Cobra, and by all accounts it did that pretty well.

Through the 1970s, the Corvette had veered off course a little, from sports car to more of a boulevard cruiser, and had thus lost some of the spirit originally imagined by Zora Arkus-Duntov. It was still a nice car, but had softened up a little. Your statement of demographics confirms this somewhat.

Regardless, both nice cars, but I'll take a Viper any day of the week - just my preference.

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Jay Leno dusted off his 93 Viper a few weeks ago that he bought new and went for a tour. This car is more like the old Cobra than a Corvette. Back then it didn't have traction control, ABS, stability control etc.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

The Viper - Cobra comparison is a good one. Jay makes a great point in that the Viper made the Corvette better. Love the story on the dress.

My 93 Corvette is really a 2 seat luxury car, it has everything in it my 98 Cadillac DeVille d'Elegance had back in the day, I swear even the steering wheel is identical.