Corvette Grand Sport and Nismo 370 similarity?
 

Anyone see a similarity here?

The wheels are similar but I've seen much older cars that have wheels that look like the nismo. Nismo's wheel design isn't new.

haha i thought the same thing the first time i saw pictures of the vette

In looks but not in power
 

The grand sport is what was the Z51 option with some Z06 goodies thrown in. It now has a dry sump and the LS3 is hand built with all the dry sump engines. The engine still is listed as 420 hp. however, it beats the old Z51 by two tenths in 0-60 so most feel that it is putting out better then 420 (or 436 with the optional NPP exhaust). Any car that can do 3.9-4.0 is serious. It will however, not feel as good as the 370 when going around sharp corners. Chevy produces a Corvette Grand Sport every decade or so.

serious indeed for 55K I like it..it will be the best bang for your buck vette this year.

No similarities, looks like any Corvette over the past 10 years and has no likeness to the 370

umm... they are both sports cars?

I actually don't like the noses on either car. The Corvette's just isn't working for me anymore, must as I love the numbers on the car (especially the GS). The Nismo is just too fishy for me; I can't get over it.

I wouldn't say so. The C6 (with the Z51 package or the new GS) handles amazingly well...among the best sports-cars out there. It's lighter, lower, and has a very low center of gravity with bigger wheels/tires, to boot.

No.

wheels are very very similar i noticed that about a month ago when i browsing pics of the two


http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9654/nismo370z12.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....ndsport010.jpg

As much as I like the vette, GM it is past time that something was done to it. It is way too dated. It needs to be brought into 2010. Corvette, this shape = boring, too old and been around for years.

While I would generally agree with the statement, it does look like a vette. Plus due to all the financial difficulties the C7 has been delayed for a bit..

I am not a vette guy, but I give them kudos. There is still interior issues, but what counts the most (the performance) is top notch for what you pay.

And the ZR1.. oh dear

Porsches have been going off the same design evolution for decades, while a lot of people scold them for it, the connoisseurs keep coming back

I wouldn't call the Nismo gods gift to handling.. It may be fun to drive, but it lapped Laguna Seca slower than a 135i which has all kinds of luxury bias.. and this was driven by a professional driver.

Nismo rims still look better, but its an old design anyway.

Please, feel free to elaborate as to why you would think this?

i love corvettes

id get one.. but only z06 or zr1

Z51-equipped Vette is more car than 99% of this board could handle on a track.

In case anyone was curious I was really just going after the rim similarity. Kinda sucks to buy the Nismo "exclusive" version of the 370 when other cars are practically wearing the same wheel design. I can understand a little similarity but those are almost dead on....

:iagree:

Didn't you get the memo? American cars don't handle...

Forget the lap ring record of the CTS V for a production four door, or the top two times belonging to the Vette and Viper...

I don't even like domestic's, but I am growing weary of the BIAS. These are performance cars, and when they demonstrate that, it's time to show respect..

Period

Hey, I currently drive an 08 Z51 Convertible Vette with NPP (436hp / 416tq), thus I can add some personal insight for those who may be interested.

A few quick observations about the Vette:
1. Looks GREAT
2. Amazing power with smooth delivery
3. NPP exhaust is music to one's ears
4. Comfortable seats
5. Decent gas milage
6. Very good audio with the 3LT premium package
7. Thus far, not one issue / starts up every time with a noticable "brrrummm"
8. No racer wanna be types... they know the Vette is one of the top sharks on the road
9. So very cool heads up display on the windshield in front of the driver

1. Not bad, but cheap interior for a $65k car.
2. Handles like a boat, wide turn radius, but it holds the line
3. Rather pricy to maintain (ie. tires, brakes, even oil changes are double the norm)
4. Overall fit and finish is sub par for a $65k car
5. GM nickle and dime savings in silly things.... very thin-plastic glove box, crappy electronic disply (circa 1990 green),
6. 6AT transmission is good, but no where near as refined as those found in Lexus & BMW. Some gear search in the Vette, but it never fails to quickly jump to lower gears when you push it.
7. On the convertible, way to much cowl shake. The S2000, M3, and SC430 have significantly less or no cowl shake.

People seem to always notice the Vette, it is a sharp looking car. Actually, sometimes it is a bit too noticable when you just want to blend.

My hubby keeps telling me to get another Vette, but I really appreciate the Asian manufacturing / build quality in fit and finish, as is with my 08 Lexus IS350. The Z will be more fun to drive than the Vette, better handling, 6MT w/ synch, smaller package and enough power to still have fun. I'm also looking forward to the Z's updated instrument display.

Oh, and buying from "Government Motors" leaves me most displeased.

I just noticed today how similar the A5's rims were to the sport package rims...I think even closer than the Grand Sport:

MightyBoBo
 

My comment about the the handling feel of the vette was just that, an opinion. My opinion is that the C6 does not feel as connected to the road as the 370Z. That does not mean that it will not handle as well or go around a track faster but just the way it feels to me. Kinda like the way a Porsche feels connected to the road compared to many other cars. Again, I know the vette will handle but to me it is harder to tell when it is on the edge then some other cars. As DropTopGal states, it is a great performance car for the money and the sound of the V8 with the NPP exhaust is intoxicating especially for an old guy like me. Again, I take nothing away from the vette as it is a fine and very fast sports car.

Does anyone know why the Nismo is so slow? I mean, the nismo has all these upgrades to the suspension, wheels, tires, aerodynamic package, etc.... over the sport package 370z. The Nismo is supposed to be the top of the line Z, the track monster of the Z line up, the super Z if you will. Yet, performance tests show it to be only as fast as, or in some cases even slower than the sport package Z.

And I was flabbergasted when Motor Trend's Driver Car of the Year test recently got a slower lap time in laguna seca with the Nismo than the 135i. The sport package Z is dead even with the 135i in linear acceleration and braking and destroys the bmw on a tight handling track where the bmw's soft suspension and skinny wheels understeer like the titanic.

Yet somehow, the supposedly "improved" Nismo Z was actually defeated by the 135i? The nismo really is turning out to be quite an embarassment.

In one test it only pulled a .91 on the skidpad, far less than the .97's to .99's the regular sports package gets. It has wider tires, so my guess would be some really bad rubber on the road or they left those shipping spacers in when they tested it. :D

The vette certainly has good performance but as far as looks go...eh.. its old and tired IMO. How many years have vettes looked like this? and then the vettes and vipers seem to have merged into almost identical looking cars. Bleh. Old, tired and 500,000 of them at every light.

Don't mean to rag on your car, just my .02, as I used to love old vettes (1971 is my favorite) but its time to refresh the current model.

:confused: The current model came out in 2005. That;s less than 5 years ago.

yeah and what a remake it was. different headlights and a different third brake light? maybe more, I don't know, I am not a fan of corvettes. I know they look pretty much just like they did 4-5-6-7-8-9-10 years ago with a few minor changes. Just my opinion but its old and tired and with 46 billion of them on the road I don't really look at them that hard to be honest. Of course I never really liked the giant rear end of the (I guess) c5 and c6 vettes.

But to know more of what I am talking about, I did go and look up c5 corvette (started 1997) and c6 corvette on wikipedia and they look like the same car with different headlights to me.

I guess we must be looking at different vettes.

http://www.dealsonwheels.com/databas...-000009big.jpg
http://www.thebestcorvette.com/chevy...5-corvette.JPG

^ I don't see how you don't find them similar. I mean it is an evolution of the C5.

Nope, we are looking at the same vettes. Its just one of those things where we are going to disagree. I think my point is pretty obvious from the pictures you posted. Find some pictures of c5s and c6s from the same angles and it will be even more obvious IMO. no big deal, its not a test question.

Have a great day.

Never said they weren't similar, just that the C6 is quite a bit more refined. Kinda like the difference between a 350Z and a 370Z. :D They shorten the car, cleaned up the lines, bumped the power, and refined the handling. Sounds familiar. :D To me the C5 looks like a bridge between a 2001 era Camaro and the C6.

nope !

DT gal is right. I just sold a 2008 C6 for the Z. It is a ton more fun, only fractionally slower, and I'm not embarrassed to be seen in it!

On wheels, They are trendy like color...You'll see several manufacturers embracing the same styles at about the same time. Just a fashion thing, nothing more.

With regards to the earlier post about a “Z51-equipped Vette is more car than 99% of this board could handle on a track”; you could make the same statement about most any half-way decent high performance sports car on the market today and any “board” that exists on the internet today.

Frankly, there are VERY few people, including “enthusiasts” that are capable of taking a high performance vehicle to its limits regardless of their location or what nameplate is on the vehicle….putting the size of the fish that got away and the size of a man’s private parts, there is probably nothing that gets exaggerated more than a person’s driving ability.

Moving on….

I love Corvette’s. It was a brand new baby blue 963 Corvette Stingray with factory lake pipes that first enthralled me as a kid (my family had stopped at an oasis on the Pennsylvania turnpike during a trip)…I had always aspired to owning one and it is one hell of a performance care FOR THE MONEY. But I wouldn’t buy one today.

The biggest problem with Corvettes are that 1) there are just too dam many around and 2) the old farts and/or young rich kids that own them and the “my-you-know-what doesn’t stink” attitude which, as best I can tell, is standard equipment with the ‘Vette! :)

Thats precisely my point. Everyone thinks they can only be Johnny Hardcore and get the ZR1 or Z06, but nothing less. And yet, those same people would do what with them? Use it to hold their golf clubs? Drive it to the store, and then hide it away in the garage, only to never ever see a track?

So my point is, for $30K a used Z51 Vette is THE bang for the buck car that can do just about anything (IE, daily drive in nice weather comfortably, and track on the weekends). Period. End of story. It'll kick the Nismo's *** all over the track. And lets not even go into how cheap LSX's are to mod...

Boy that is the truth.....Though I met FEW pretty nice Vette guys, the overlying attitude is that....well, you summarized it above......
Technically its a very interesting and competent car, but overall the Z is a better one and suits me far better... Ironically, all the local vette guys I met via the corvette forum also, or now own Nissan Z's......I don't miss it at all...

:iagree: