Chevrolet Corvette vs BMW M3

What's the difference?

Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 supercar is an all-American answer to European rivals Lamborghini and Ferrari, but it’s not just this that makes it so appealing.

Spending a week with the most potent Corvette you can get in Australia has left me with a list of notes on this beast I want to hand over to you. Maybe it will help make your mind up about it or change your mind.

What makes the Z06 the flagship of the Australian Corvette range isn’t little luxuries, but seriously upgraded mechanical hardware, much of it track focussed.

Our test car was also fitted with the Z07 Performance package which adds a carbon-fibre aero kit to pin the Corvette down at high speed while also drawing everybody’s attention to it.

Oh, and then there’s the sound of the largest flatplane crank V8 ever to go into a production car… and look out for your ankles - let me explain…

There’s no point waxing too lyrical here, because the facts surrounding the M3 Touring are more than exciting enough.

It’s a (kind of) family friendly wagon with oodles of space and practicality. It’s also an unhinged performance weapon with a thumping 3.0-litre twin-turbo-petrol inline six-cylinder engine.

And it has been years — decades, even — in the making. So, has it been worth the wait? Let’s strap in and find out.