Performance car sales are up 20% since 2011, and these expensive, high-performance cars were recently featured in Car & Driver’s yearly Lightning Lap event competition that is in its 9th year.
Each year Car & Driver takes 20-25 of the best performance cars to Virginia International Raceway’s (VIR) 4.1 mile Grand West Course layout to see which is the fastest. The winner is determined solely by clock time.
The top 5 cars in Lightning Lap 2015, along with their 2015 prices, were:
1. Chevy Corvette Z06 ($100,000)
2. McLaren 650S ($300,000)
3. Lamborghini Huracan ($250,000)
4. Porsche 911 GT3 ($160,000)
5. Mercedes AMG GTS ($130,000)
One drawback of the event is that those evaluating the cars must assess them within just a three day period with each car getting about 15 to 20 laps to establish its times. Reports have surfaced that in recent years Chevy Corvettes have overheated in race track light conditions, but the general consensus is that they are still fun to drive and perform well in most conditions.
Suffice it to say that there are many who would still prefer a Porsche or Lamborghini over a Chevy any day.
Take a ride in the Chevy Corvette Stingray as it rode the course
