MotorTrend Pits the Corvette Z06, Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R Against Each Other

What weights ten tonnes and costs more than US$240,000? If you said, “a gold plated bulldozer”, you’d be close but no cigar. The answer is three sub-100k supercars: the Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford Shelby GT500 and Nissan GT-R. These three industry titans, with nameplates stretching as far back as the 1960s, were the recent subjects of an epic comparison test by MotorTrend. Here are three would-be-supercars – over 500hp and 3 second 0 to 60 mph times – that don’t command the supercar price tag.

The US$55,330 GT500, US$90,950 GT-R and US$98,010 Z06 are all within the budgets of most mid-life crisis suffers (providing you sell the house, the kids and the dog) and offer the sort of performance that was once the sole reserve of great Italians like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati.

And they’re not stripped out racers either. The Z06, for instance, comes with such luxuries as heated leather seats, Bose audio, Bluetooth and sat nav. You can’t buy a second-hand Lamborghini with that sort of equipment for US$98,010.

If you want to find out who wins this legendary battle, you’ll just have to check out the video. Even if you don’t care who wins you should check out the video anyways for a sweet-as drag race between the Z06, GT500 and GT-R. Now that’s something you don’t see everyday...

Shelby Introduces Limited Edition 2012 Shelby GT350, Adds Convertible Option for the First Time Since 1970

At the 2011 Chicago Auto Show, Shelby unveiled the limited edition 2012 Shelby GT350, which enters the new model year with two fresh color options and, for the first time since 1970, a convertible body style. Based on the Ford Mustang GT, the Shelby GT350 comes with three engine choices, including a base version with a naturally aspirated 430HP V8 mated to either a manual gearbox or an automatic transmission, and two supercharged variants delivering 525HP and 624HP.

The new color options are Race Red and Kona Blue, both with white Le Mans stripes, while the Performance White with blue Le Mans stripes combo continues for the 2012MY. Last but not least, the new GT350 convertible can be ordered with a light bar, while other options include a once piece drive shaft and color coordinated billet aluminum engine cap set.

“Last year, we brought back the GT350 45 years after it was launched,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby American. “They look and sound just like the ones we built in 1965. We’re repeating history by offering two additional colors and building a few convertibles for the second year of production.”

Prices, not including the donor Mustang GT, start from US$26,995 for the naturally aspirated version and US$33,995. The company said it plans to keep production limited to 350 units.