2006 Ford GT vs. Dodge Viper SRT10 vs. Chevrolet Corvette z06 - Conclusion - Exotic Sport Coupes Comparison

The Viper feels bred of big-boned, working-class stock--honest, brutal, in your face. Nevertheless, its ladder-frame chassis offers a more compliant ride with better bump isolation and lower overall noise levels. Its suspension copes with bumpy turns better than the Chevy's. But the cramped, claustrophobic cockpit, and the offset footwell (the accelerator lines up under the steering wheel) would be hard to live with long-term.

The Corvette is a featherweight that's had all the right vitamins and adhered to an extreme workout regimen in order to take on the big bruisers. It's technical. Agile. Adroit. Its cockpit is the roomiest and most accommodating. It provides the best rearward visibility, and it's the only one that'll accommodate serious luggage, so it's the best choice for a 1000-mile run, though the road, tire, and suspension noises sneaking in past the minimal sound-deadening can be fatiguing. The Z06 is also the only car that doesn't need contortions to get in and out of. The Viper requires a broad-jump over wide, piping-hot door sills, and the GT's guillotine door tops command immense respect after the first emergency-room visit for cranial trauma.

Verdict? The Chevy-versus-Dodge competition was close, but the Vette edged out the Viper in most objective tests at lower cost and with better fuel economy. Its 7000-rev scream and visceral control feel kept our juices boiling and redlined our subjectivometers, so the big giant brass-tone trophy goes to Chevy and America can sleep soundly, knowing our national pride is well defended against the German 911s, English V8 Vantages, and anything Japan can currently throw at us.

How does the Ford GT stack up? Personality-wise it's the Ivy-League old-money fraternity president and rugby-team captain, a product of impeccable breeding. While the Viper and Vette are busy defending America's honor against the upper-middle-class competition, the GT packs the power, poise, and panache to parry and thrust with the blue-blooded Ferrari and Porsche flagships. Is it better than the other cars put together? The raw numbers may not make the case, but its emotional appeal is extraordinary. Sure, it's hard to wriggle into, it's tight fitting, there's no place to put anything, and the ventilation is so-so. The same can be said about Superman's Lycra costume, but if it could make you fly, what would you pay to own it?