Comparison: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vs. 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 vs. 2012 Nissan GT-R

When you hear the word "supercar," your brain might be flooded with an image of a lava-hot, zillion-horsepower engine wailing at redline, melting tires and your heart; or a sleek silhouette slicing the sunset at supersonic speed, stopping for a split second to pick up a sexy supermodel, then vanishing into the horizon; or a window sticker whose six- or seven-figure bottom line demands it be placed under crystal, framed in gold, and hung between your doctoral diploma and POTUS handshake pic.

"Wow, you met the president? And I had no idea your Bug-a-tea cost more than a million dollars."

"That's 'Boo-GAH-tee,' and yes, if you want play at 250 mph, you have to fork out the big bucks. Care for a glass of Henri IV Dudognon cognac?"

Now, back to reality. If you can neither afford a six-figure supercar, nor care much about hitting 250 on the speedo, here are a handful of everyday exotics that don't command $100,000 entry fees. And despite their (relatively) economical price tags, these coupes have no problem putting up the necessary super stats: at least 500 horsepower, 0-to-60 within a tick (or tenth) of 3.0 seconds, and 60-to-0 braking that borders double-digit footage.

What nameplates comprise these budget supercars? For one, the $49,495 Ford Shelby GT500, which is blessed with a supercharged 5.4-liter aluminum V-8 cranking out 550 horsepower. Better yet, the 32-valver achieves fuel economy of 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway, meaning no more gas-guzzler tax. How 'bout them apples? Our tester benefited from an SVT Performance Package that adds a sportier 3.73 rear end, stiffer springs, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G: 2 tires, all in the name of improved lap times for the live-axle, 3801-pound pony car. Total cost for this mightiest of Mustangs? A basement $55,330.

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Hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, the $75,255 505-horse Chevrolet Z06 enters this contest as the least powerful. While you're trying to wrap your head around reading "Z06" and "least powerful" in the same sentence, rest assured that the Chevy's feathery 3253-pound curb weight negates any under-hood deficiency. To flaunt such a slim figure, our test car came with the $9495 Ultimate Performance Package (Brembo ceramic brakes, 20-spoke wheels, magnetic dampers) and $3995 Carbon Fiber Package (carbon-fiber splitter, sills, roof, and spoiler), both of which significantly lighten the load. Further fattening the bottom line were the $7170 3LZ equipment group (custom leather interior, Bose audio, heated seats, Bluetooth) and $1795 navigation. The final cost: $98,010.

Our last player, the $90,950 2012 Nissan GT-R, split the power difference between the two Americans, doling out 530 force-fed horses. Thanks to modified boost pressure and valve timing, and improved intake air flow, the GT-R's twin-turbo V-6 produces 45 more ponies than the outgoing engine, all while delivering better fuel economy (16/23 vs. 15/21). Nissan engineers made numerous chassis enhancements, too; namely, the additions of a carbon-composite front strut bar, revised Bilstein dampers, stickier Dunlop run-flats, lighter Rays wheels, and larger 15.4-inch front Brembos.

Why no Cadillac CTS-V Coupe or Porsche? The former boasts weight-to-power of 7.7 lb/hp, and we felt the 6.4 lb/hp Z06 was the ultimate representative of GM's high-performance know-how, especially given the Corvette's available ceramic brakes. Plus, the V's third-place finish in a three-car test against the BMW M3 and Audi RS 5 didn't earn it a spot on the invite-back list. And Porsche? Well, its $136,450 911 Turbo simply costs one figure too many, and its new 330-horse Cayman R is too low on oomph for these supercar requisites.

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TESTING, TESTING, 1, 2, 3

As is the case with supercars, the delineators of supremacy are drawn at the test and race tracks. That's why we subjected each vehicle to Motor Trend's demanding array of objective exercises and a full day of hot-lapping with World Challenge GT champ Randy Pobst at the Streets of Willow in California's high desert. Before we delve into race data, though, let's examine the instrumented test numbers.

Although the GT-R weighs about as much as a dozen sumo wrestlers, being the only supercar here with all-wheel drive and a twin-clutch automatic made it the odds-on favorite to dominate at the drag strip. Sure enough, it did. The portly Nissan, replete with launch control, shot from 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds and through the quarter mile in 11.2 at 122.7 mph. Those stats make the 2012 Godzilla significantly quicker than the 2011 (3.5, 11.8 at 119.8) as well as the Z06 (3.8, 11.8 at 123.4), Audi R8 V-10 (3.4, 11.6 at 122.1), and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (3.6, 11.5 at 125.9).

And the 550-horse Shelby? The GT500 struggled off the line, proof that power means little if it can't be fully utilized. "A tough car to launch, with tons of power at low rpm," says road test editor Scott Mortara. Thus, the Mustang, with times of 4.1 to 60 and 12.4 at 115.8 in the quarter, put down the slowest -- but still blazing -- numbers. Somewhat surprisingly, the live-axle Shelby actually fared better in the handling tests, registering max lateral acceleration of 1.01 g and a figure eight of 24.0 seconds at 0.82 g, both of which place it closer to the Z06 and GT-R than at the strip. As for the Chevy and Nissan, they stayed virtually door-to-door, clawing the skidpad for 1.08 g (Z06) and 1.05 g (GT-R), and weaving through the figure eight in 23.1 at 0.90 g (Z06) and 23.3 at 0.89 (GT-R). All three cars recorded scant 60-to-0 braking distances befitting their soft tires and big Brembos. In fact, just 3 feet separated the shortest and longest stops (the GT-R's 101-ft and GT500's 104-ft).

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TRACK STARS

According to Ford, the '11 Shelby GT500 with the SVT package is 3 seconds quicker around a 2.3-mile test track than the '10. Well, in the hands of Pobst around 1.55-mile Streets of Willow, the Mustang was just plain quick, scorching the course in 1:23.5 seconds. "Very well-behaved, well-mannered car," notes Pobst. "I could drive it real aggressively, because I had a lot of confidence. Good balance through the corners." Sure enough, the Shelby produced maximum lateral acceleration of 1.42 g, nearly matching that of the all-wheel-drive GT-R (1.47 g). The GT500 lost much of its time in braking. The Ford's binders are smaller than the others', and just can't match their stopping power. Entering Turn 10, for instance, the Shelby recorded 0.85 g of braking force, a far, far screech from that of the Z06 (1.02). The GT500 also suffered from an inability to efficiently put down its 550 horses. Exiting Turn 8, or "the Bowl," the Shelby was traveling 72.4 mph. The Z06? Try 75.5. "You need a slow throttle application -- roll it in," says Pobst. "Otherwise, wheels spin, even in third gear."

CLICK HERE TO READ RANDY POBST'S COMPLETE REPORT ABOUT DRIVING THE 2011 FORD SHELBY GT500 AROUND STREETS OF WILLOW

Sure, the '11 Shelby may be 3-seconds-a-lap quicker than its predecessor, but around the Streets of Willow it also happens to be 3.1 seconds slower than the Z06. The Vette's secret? Not power, obviously, as the Mustang hides 45 more horses under hood. Rather, it's the Chevy's huge weight advantage. Think of it this way: Of the Shelby's 550 horses, 548 of them are essentially dragging an extra pound around the track when racing the Z06. Compounding the Chevy's weight edge are its fade-free ceramic brakes. "The braking is very strong and it almost seems to get stronger as they're hotter, even in a single brake zone," observes Pobst. Not only did the Corvette exhibit the highest braking force, but it also delivered the best lateral accel (1.51 g). Says Pobst, "I have the feeling of the body motion -- squat and dive and roll -- but it's controlled. And I like compliance because compliance is grip." In other words, while the Z06 displays a lot of body movement, it keeps its tires firmly planted to the pavement. Pobst predicted the Vette would be the quickest around Streets, but what ultimately kept the Bow-Tie's bullet from the crown was an imprecise shifter, mid-turn understeer, and corner-exit spookiness. "This Vette can get scary a third to two-thirds the way out of the exit, when you're floored and you think everything's good, and then the power overwhelms the grip. And when it lets go, it's sudden."

CLICK HERE TO READ RANDY POBST'S COMPLETE REPORT ABOUT DRIVING THE 2011 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 AROUND STREETS OF WILLOW

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Speaking of sudden, let's review the GT-R's corner-exit behavior. "Coming out of a tight turn, holy cow -- just incredible the way that thing explodes," says Pobst. Indeed, compared to the aforementioned Turn 8 exit speeds for the Shelby (72.4 mph) and Vette (75.5), the GT-R absolutely obliterated them, rocketing away at 80.4. This combination of power and grip helped the Nissan achieve the highest top speed of 122.7 mph, easily besting the Chevy (120.2) and Ford (116.7), and delivered the day's quickest lap time of 1:20.25. Of course, hot-shoe Randy wouldn't have gone that fast had the GT-R not inspired the utmost confidence. "In the Vette I didn't really want to commit to the power all the way. In the Nissan, I ain't worried about it -- it's just so predictable and hooked up." While the Nissan's steel brakes couldn't quite match the muscle and fade resistance of the Z06's ceramics, its twin-clutch gearbox more than made up for them. "The shifts are far quicker than they are in the Mustang and the Corvette. Those regular 6-speeds feel like antiques." Plus, the '12 GT-R is now happy to rotate rather than lightly understeer out of a turn like the '11. "Tail came out but in a beautiful, predictable, no-fear way. And a no-fear rotation -- that's very hard to create in a car."

CLICK HERE TO READ RANDY POBST'S COMPLETE REPORT ABOUT DRIVING THE 2012 NISSAN GT-R AROUND STREETS OF WILLOW

The silver lining of a three-car test is that the last-place finisher makes the podium. That's probably not the most comforting news for Ford. The Shelby -- the fastest and greatest Mustang to date -- is simply outclassed here. Sure, it costs a fraction of the others, but it also performs at a fraction of the others. Still, there is undeniable greatness here. Don't dismiss the fact that Shelby and SVT have produced an extremely rewarding, awfully easy-to-drive 550-horse supercar that shares its basic roots with a $22,995 V-6 coupe.

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Our loaded Z06, essentially a ZR1 with 133 less horses, nevertheless packed a mighty punch. Raw. Powerful. Fast. Nerve-racking. Exhilarating. Pobst called it "a beast." Mortara classified it as "ferocious." But it was associate road test editor Carlos Lago who best summed up the Z06. "Got out feeling like I had just been in a fight -- hands shaky with adrenaline, uttering expletives. God, what a mighty car. I want to give the Z06 a consolation prize." That would be second place.

Winner, winner, giant lizard dinner. Yes, Godzilla takes this one, and quite handily. Compared to the Corvette, the GT-R is quicker in a straight line, faster around a race track, and more forgiving when exploring the limits. Oh, and it's cheaper at checkout. Rarely is a car so powerful and so fast, so composed and so nonthreatening. But that's the GT-R. The budget supercar. Now, where's that cognac?

1ST PLACE: 2012Nissan GT-RPREMIUM

Quickest drag racer, fastest road racer -- the jump-in-and-go supercar, suitable for both amateurs and pros.

2ND PLACE:2011 Chevrolet CorvetteZ06

Stealthy, beastly, and the most rewarding, but only if you don race suits and helmets every Sunday.

3RD PLACE:2011 Ford MustangSHELBY GT500

At just over $55,000, an unbeatable supercar. At under six figures, there are two better.

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