Supercar Smackdown - Z06 Vs. F430 Vs. Gallardo

When General Motors announced the LS7 Z06 Corvette, no one knew exactly what we were in for. This was true simply for one reason, we're not used to getting legitimate supercars. Sure, the General has made some valiant attempts at supremacy over the past few decades with the likes of the GNX, Turbo T/A, ZR-1, C5 Z06, and maybe even the Syclone, but none of these could confidently battle the true supercars.

Back in the fall of 2003 when then GMHTP staffer Steve Baur mustered an 11.97 out of a bone-stock GM press fleet C5 Z06 on street tires, we thought greatness had peaked. Here was a legitimate street car available at any Chevrolet dealer that could rip off an 11-second ET. Besides the rocket-like acceleration, the C5 Z06 was also a real performer around the road course. Life was good. Little did we know, life was just beginning.

As soon as word hit the streets about GM's new LS7 C6 Z06, we all dropped jaw. Reading the spec sheet was like watching a slot machine count coins during a payout--our eyes glazed over and we enjoyed every last tic. Apparently, the brass at GM decided to pull out all the stops and deliver the baddest Corvette yet. The spec sheet read like a GM junky's fantasy...505 hp, 427 cid, dry sump oiling, titanium rods, carbon-fiber body parts, six-piston brakes, 26 mpg. Above all, one thing was brilliantly clear: the GMHTP staff needed to get serious with GM's new star.

To truly size up the General's supercar, we set out to find some worthy competition for a GMHTP-traditional smack-down at Raceway Park in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Our regular C6 Z06 local, Sal Zaino, was too busy testing an experimental polish on a new Ford GT to step in. Plus, he was worried his Jersey-bred pride would take over and cause him to ruthlessly thrash his beloved Z06 mercilessly (we ultimately coerced Sal into bringing the Ford GT in hopes of working it into the lineup, but even the lures of imminent GMHTP fame couldn't break his resistance to race). We let Zaino off the hook for a promise of a few bottles of his new polish. Instead, we tracked down the co-owners of Jersey-based East Coast Supercharging (ECS), Doug Ring and Chris Coriell. They were up to the challenge and were more than qualified to wring out every last drop of performance from their own 2006 Z06. With a Z06 signed on, we sought out some big guns. Being from the state of New Jersey (some all-too-proud locals actually consider it a sovereign country), there is no shortage of "traditional" supercars and no shortage of the bravado necessary to willingly pilot one down the quarter-mile "insurance-less," for the sake of GMHTP's editorial purposes. Insurance companies don't even allow driving a supercar within the vicinity of a track, let alone offer coverage while throwing down the hammer on the 1320. Nonetheless, through some Jersey networking and stretched promises of fame and glory, we were able to secure committal from willing participants.After passing up a few local Lambo owners who balked at the idea of no-insurance testing, we hooked up with Rob Ferretti. Lucky for us, Rob's no stranger to pushing the limits, especially in his fleet of supercars. Yes, fleet. Rob owns Super Speeders, LLC (www.superspeeders.com), the company behind the infamous "One Lap of NYC" videos. Racing Lambos and Ferraris down a dragstrip is warm-up material for Rob's real passion. His hard-core street race videos are purely intoxicating, borderline psychotic, and addictive to any enthusiast. So the stage was set for the GMHTP supercar smack-down at E-Town. The players were lined up: 2006 Corvette Z06, 2006 Ferrari F430, and 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo.

Technically, our job for the day was to run a stringent performance test, quantify performance, and award the winner. While at it, we'd scurry around in hopes of capturing the experiences of the day through photography to pull our readers beyond the story to enjoy in the same presence we had with such superior machinery. The task of completing these types of track performance tests is a common one we're used to arranging time and time again. But arranging a concours d'elegance of the supercar performance world meant more. Track days are never dull by any means and we've tested an impressive roster of performers, yet we could feel something special in the air this day. The automotive radar of most connoisseurs of this sport, let alone automotive journalists, is normally a freakishly acute and powerful sense. The instant Rob first initiated combustion in the F430 to back it out of his trailer, it became evident that our automotive senses were at their zenith. Immediately, our collective memory of what a Caprice's pitiful 4.3 liter V-8 sounded like was erased--replaced with the spellbinding acoustic rumble of a 4.3 liter from an Italian town called Modena. Our trance-like attraction to the F430 was interrupted only moments after it rolled off the ramp with the screaming rage of a V-10 awakening. With the Lambo, there were more than twice the number of valves we're used to and two extra slugs pumping away--needless to say, this 5.0 liter didn't sound much like a TPI motor. The Gallardo rolled from the trailer with fierce attitude. Its predator-like looks backed with a sound that would make Schumacher skittish had us trying to reel up our dropped jaws and collect ourselves. As we drifted off and soaked in the Italian artistry, we abruptly snapped out of it when the hometown bully Z06 muscled its way up to the lot. The menacing brute brought with it the glorious sounds only made possible by the decadence of 427 American cubic inches. As the Z rolled up, the only thing missing was a piped-in national anthem and a fighter jet flyover. One by one, we watched and studied these phenomenal machines overtake the staging lanes and prepare to attack the track.