Rice vs Muscle

April 24, 2:00 AMTampa Sports Car ExaminerMichael Berenis

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East meets west in this all out rice vs muscle competition for supremacy. I use the term "rice" because it is the most commonly used term for JDM performance. The entire epic saga of rice vs muscle simply cannot be captured in one article. It's magnitude and various scenarios are far to in-depth for immediate coverage. Splitting performance enthusiasts into war like factions is not what this article intends. It is my intention to open eyes of both sides to see that the best of rice vs muscle is a combination of both. Experience everything. But for now, let's take the best of both breeds; Corvette and Skyline.

In this battle, the modern tyrants "ZR1" and "GT-R" are being reviewed. Guess who wins this extremely unfair race? The Corvette of course, but by how much is what I find interesting. Looking at the classes of each competitor, it would technically be an unfair comparison because the Corvette is a two seat roadster while the Skyline is a coupe with a back seat and full trunk. The Skyline with it's 3.8 liter engine would be more comparable to Chevy's Monte Carlo, Impala, and Pontiac G8 series. The times ran by the Skyline are very impressive for it's class when comparing it against the super car Corvette, even though it's technically out of it's league.

Also consider displacement, the Skyline uses a much smaller engine than the Corvette and was only one second behind it on the hot lap. The Corvette uses a huge motor, 6.2 liter marine engine designed by Mercury aka LS9. Supercharged as well, this is a monsterfied beast of an engine with an anger management issue. By looking at technical specifications and test data, the Corvette should be much faster than the Skyline but it isn't in these tests. This is disappointing, because a Skyline will still keep up with the fastest Corvette ever produced by General Motors. Are the tests garbage or is this legit?

Other tests were also very close, which I commend Nissan for this amazing feat. For such a big car to hang with the most powerful Corvette ever built, that is a big task. With the Nissan Skyline, you can also bring some passengers along for the ride to prove your car can hang with a stock ZR1.

It will take a heavily modified Skyline to beat the stock ZR1. However, if racing that same modified Skyline against a heavily modified ZR1 I would have to say the ZR1 will not only beat the Skyline, but annihilate it in overall performance. In stock form the ZR1 is way faster than the Skyline. There is a lot of street respect for a 200+ mph vehicle, and both competitors are completely capable of these speeds. The Skyline requires modifications to reach 200 mph but the Corvette does not. A fully tweaked out Skyline is a force to be dealt with only by the likes of a fully modified ZR1. But in the end, a top speed battle depends on displacement, aerodynamics, and gearing. I am very excited to see what kind of monsters tuners like "FasterProms" and "Top Secret" will do with these vehicles.

Modified "worlds fastest ZR1" by Nelson Chancleta Miami, FL

Modified older version Skyline by Top Secret

For budget racers, price tag is in favor of the Nissan. Costing almost half as much as the Corvette ZR1 plus availability issues. The Corvette ZR1 is the USA's most saught after vehicle, while the Skyline is third behind Ford's GT500. It is much easier to get behind the wheel of a Nissan Skyline than it's competitor.

Let's address the zero to two hundred times. The Nissan Skyline built by Top Secret claims 23.99 fully modified with 1200 whp and a quarter mile time at 9.6 seconds. There isn't much data available for the Corvette, but consider this. A 1988 Corvette built by Callaway was capable of 254 mph while being a daily driver Mom could pick up groceries in. Now, apply modern technology to a similar car design and you get the Chancleta and Hennesy versions. The Chancleta is capable of a quarter mile time at 10.55 and unknown 0-200 time. The Hennesy is capable 11.03 and unknown 0-200 time. We need more data to make an accurate decision on this rice vs muscle competition.

Overall, these are two completely different types of performance vehicles marketed towards opposite venues of one large market. The Corvette ZR1 offers "muscle" while the Skyline GT-R offers "rice" for lack of better words. Regardless of it's ricey nature, the performance on the pavement speaks for itself. Which car is better? They each have their own aspects and will be considered by individual drivers differently. A driver that looks for brute power, sound, and an overall "bad ass" appeal would go for the ZR1. The only problem I see with the ZR1 is there's only room for one passenger, while the Skyline you can load up your friends to watch you dismantle street competition. The enthusiast that enjoys technology, refinement, and semi-exotic import status would choose the GT-R. It really depends on which type of driver you are.

Let's take a look at the specifications of both vehicles.

2009 Corvette ZR1

•  Base price: $103,970 (plus demand)
• Curb weight: 3324lbs
• Front engine, rear wheel drive
• 14/20 mpg
• 638 hp / 604 tq
• 6.2 liter V8 supercharged
• Top speed: 205 mph (watch top speed video)

2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R

•  Base price: $69,850
• Twin Turbo 3.8 liter V6
• Front engine, all wheel drive
• 480 hp / 430 tq
• Curb weight: 3836lbs
• 16/21 mpg
• Top speed: 185 mph

Video content: Corvette ZR1 vs Nissan Skyline GT-R

After watching the performance capabilities I find it impossible to attach myself to either side of rice vs muscle factions. Why restrict yourself to a limited sample of performance. A true sports car enthusiast appreciates all automobiles and does not discriminate based on geographical location. It amazes me how much geography class plays a roll in vehicle opinions!

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Learn more about the author's car at http://subaru-offroad.blogspot.com