The moment we’ve been waiting for since Chevrolet pulled the silk off its 1,064-horsepower hyper-Vette in July of 2024 is nearly here; the monster C8 Corvette ZR1 is finally available for automotive events and awards season. In the events category, we have Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap as a headliner, and in awards, none get us going quite like Road & Track’s Performance Car of the Year. The PCOTY field for 2026 has officially been revealed, and it is stacked.
After taking a year off, the Crossed Flags are back in the mix, trying to join the 2014 Stingray, 2019 ZR1, and 2023 Z06 to become the fourth Corvette to capture top honors since PCOTY’s inception in 2013. It enters the ring as the most powerful competitor in the event’s history. Along with 1,064 rampaging (and, amazingly, underrated) horses, it adds 828 lb-ft of torque and a maximum of 1,200 lbs. of downforce to the mix in an overall package that weighs 3,885 lbs. and accelerates to 60, 100, and 130 mph in 2.2, 4.5, and 7.1 seconds, respectively, before knocking down the quarter at 149 in 9.5 on its way to seemingly setting the production car lap record everywhere it turns a wheel in North America.
Unlike the E-Ray’s shot in ’24 that saw the creation of two divisions (a sub-$100k “JV” group and a price-no-object set of heavy hitters), PCOTY has returned to its original, all-inclusive, anything goes format. Considering the ZR1’s unparalleled performance metrics and the presence of some pretty pedestrian hardware from VW and Mini this year, it’s lucky for the other competitors that while there is an all-out track session involved, PCOTY was never meant to be a numbers game. It’s all about intangibles like feel. The crown goes to the set of keys that have R&T’s editors running to grab first at the conclusion of their morning briefings.
The Rest of the Field
Contender number one is an all-too familiar foe in the Mustang GTD that, despite its humble working-class badge, costs some $100,000 more than even the most high-option ZR1 while also being significantly slower in every metric. Good-natured – yet, truthful – ribbing between rivals aside, Ford’s overpriced and overweight (4,432 lbs.!) equine is actually supposed to be a riot to pilot – though, we’ll have to take everyone’s word for it because we’re unlikely to see one outside of a museum.
Photo Credit: Lamborghini
The ZR1’s closest bogey in this dogfight is Lamborghini’s new Huracan replacement; the wicked Temerario. While the little Lambo is also a strong candidate for a Weight Watchers subscription at around 4,100 lbs., it’s crazy how compelling the folks in Sant’Agata Bolognese were able to keep their “entry-level” supercar while dropping the signature V10 of its predecessors. In place of the sonorous old NA 5.2 is an all-new 4.0L V8 with an incredible party trick; it can rev all the way to 10,000 rpm… even with a pair of turbos bolted to it. You’ll remember that twin snails limited LT7’s redline to 8,000, down from 8,600 in the non-turbo Z06, so this is quite the achievement. Sure, this boosted work of Italian art needs hybrid assistance just to make 157 fewer ponies than the ZR1, but that isn’t the point. When reviewers call something “supremely adept on track,” “with plenty of character,” with “overall sensory input and inertial cues to keep the experience highly engaging,” it adds up to a real contender in such an emotion-based competition.
Photo Credit: Porsche
While on the topic of legitimate contenders chock-full of emotion, high revs, and a palpable aura that nobody in the automotive press is capable of rising above, the other favorite in the clubhouse has to be the 992.2 Generation Porsche 911 GT3. The pre-facelift 992 GT3 took top honors in 2022, and the new one hasn’t lost a step. It still features a free-breathing 4.0L flat-six out back that can touch 9,000 on the tach while spinning out 502 horses and showing all three of its opponents above (even the 3,831-lb. ZR1) the proper weight class for a sporting vehicle at just 3,250 lbs. It’s also the only car in the entire test that isn’t saddled with an automatic transmission, so it will certainly win points for its extra pedal. The only knocks we can really think of for this entrant is that it still looks pretty much like every 911 ever built, it’s paint job – which, funny enough, is probably part of a pricy “Weissach” lightning package – isn’t very easy on the eyes, and GT3 MSRPs shouldn’t be listed because nobody is going to get one for “just” $242,045.
Photo Credit: MBUSA
The last of the big dogs in the test is the 603 HP Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4-Matic+, which is the non-hybrid version of the E-Ray’s recent U-Drags sparring partner. Among the high-end sports and supercars on hand, the 4,299-pound AMG seems a little out of its depth, but it does feature the prettiest form in the test, so that’s something. The Porsche and the luxury-focused GT kick off a string of German participants to this year’s festivities. Alphabetically, the rest start with Audi’s RS3. The Four Ring’s smallest sports sedan is an interesting one as it makes use of an inline-five with a single turbo. That unique lump produces just shy of C5 Z06 levels of power (394 horses), but with the help of modern tires and the firm’s trademark Quattro AWD system, it launches like a 638-horse C6 ZR1. Not too shabby for $77,045!
The new BMW M5 is next on the docket. With a decidedly not sporty 5,481 pounds to haul around with its 717 hybridized horsepower wrapped in an uninspiring shape, the M5’s makers needed to throw State-side fans of the legendary nameplate a bone to keep them from rioting. That bone came in the form of enthusiastic catnip: the first-ever US availability of the wagon body style. It’s a nice touch, but we’d still have to seriously question the car-guy credentials of anyone who takes one of these home instead of a Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing that adheres so closely to the original M5 formula.
Photo Credit: VW.com
The last German in the fold is the VW Golf R that shares a platform with the Audi but makes due with a 328 HP boosted 2.0L four-banger for about $25,000 less, which sounds like a steal until you realize you’re talking about a $53,731 hatchback, which leaves the BMW-owned but distinctly English Mini Cooper JCW as the most affordable competitor and the only front-driver. It undercuts the little Vee-Dub by some 200 lbs., 3,100 to 3,377, but only makes 228 HP with the same engine configuration as the Golf.
We’re still not over that time R&T proved that an underdog could win by picking a Hyundai as champ, and as such, we won’t rule out any of this year’s players, though if we were betting men, we’d wager it’s the ‘Vette or 911’s award to lose this year with the Lambo and, ironically, the Mustang with the fancy Multimatic suspension playing the part of dark horse candidates. The good news is that we only have to wait until January 15th to find out!
Source:
RoadandTrack.com
Related:
TopGear.com Crowns the Corvette ZR1 as the 2026 U.S. Supercar of the Year
Seven for Seven: The C8 Corvette Remains Undefeated for Car and Driver’s 10Best
Corvette ZR1’s LT7 Named to 2025 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems List
Subscribe Now:
 awards and the C8 Corvette ZR1 is finally able to show what it can do.){kind=link}