It would have been rude to turn down the invitation to break into my test of the latest Corvette C6 with some high-speed instruction at one of Europe's finest tracks. The Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille is owned by motor racing multi-millionaire Bernie Ecclestone - a giant in motor racing if not in stature. Bernie thinks big and the Paul Ricard facility is one of the finest and most technically demanding in the world. I've driven on it several times and it's awesome.I'd been driving the latest Corvette C6 to the circuit along some mountainous roads - and was not impressed. It's big, brash, tacky and American! And you can only get it in left-hand drive. It may be a Stateside icon built in the heartland of the Good ol' Boys in deepest Kentucky, but despite Chevrolet's insistence that it is "credible alternative to a Porsche 911" I fear the truth lies somewhere else. For a start it's not an all-American Boy - incredibly the best bit, the classic V8 engine, is assembled in the Canadian State of Ontario. They won't like that in Redneck country!I'm not a fan of American cars. They are aeons behind Europe and Japan in design, safety, handling and refinement and I have yet to pilot one that comes anywhere near changing my mind. Generally they handle like prams, ride like blancmanges and have the styling subtlety of a John Deere tractor.But the latest 436bhp 6.2-litre C6 with Dual Mode Exhaust delivers the acoustic tones of an orchestra. And yes, its mad 505bhp seven-litre Z06 sister model with titanium connecting rods, dry sump lubrication and alloy frame construction is a mighty beast that made my heart beat faster. But both are typically American - loud, styled like a 1970s Honda and about as refined as a Reliant Robin.Having said that, the 2008 models are big improvements on what went before. The Americans are not noted for listening to other people's opinions but Corvette has responded to criticisms of the C6's previous tacky cabin architecture and materials and upgraded the roomy cockpit with superb stitched leather and better trim.And I suppose I have to give credit to the C6 designers who defeat Porsche in one important area - they've actually managed to build this low-drag supercar with sufficient luggage space under its massive rear glass tailgate to swallow two full sets of golf clubs. However, I suspect that says more about the Corvette C6 driver's priorities than it does about anything else. Taste is well down his list, and in an earlier life he would have been impressed by flared trousers, male hair perms and platform shoes.So what about the track? My instructor was a former Austrian Rally Champion and now a racing car test driver. He knew his stuff and showed me the circuit's demanding corners, where to turn in, which gear to select, where to apply power and where to brake. It was familiar - I'd driven Audi's R8 quattro on the same track last May.But the 'Vette that had been prepared for me was entirely different to the four-wheel drive R8. Rear-wheel drive and a massive 424lb/ft of torque howling to get out at 4600rpm as the V8 hurtled me along the track.Fully helmeted and belted in I took off for lap after fabulous lap. The C6 is furiously fast. All that torque and full throttle pushes you in the small of the back. I was wary of the car's rear drive and potential breakaway, but although I pushed hard and nearly came unstuck several times the C6's improved steering response, superb ABS and powerful traction control helped keep me going in the right direction.The exhaust note is skin-tinglingly good: a deep-throated growl that built to a roar as I peaked revs at nearly 5900rpm through the gears. The tail snatched as adhesion came and went through the massive standard tyres while the heavy clutch did its best to inhibit fast changes through the close-ratio six-speeder. But the engine's fantastic pulling power did help me fly at more than 160mph on the straights - it felt great.By the time I returned to pits the car smelled of burned rubber and clutch and I dripped sweat - but I had a smile across my face as wide as the Atlantic that divides the car cultures of Europe and the US.Yes, it was fun. Yes, at between £45,995 for the 190mph 6.2 C6 Coupé and up to £55,495 for an automatic C6 Convertible, it's reasonable value. Yes, the Z06 with its seven litres of planet-poisoning V8 and 198mph maximum is a real muscle car for £61,995.But it's no Porsche 911. You could argue that paying up to £21,750 more for an entry-level 3.6-litre 911 Carrera than a base C6 is financial madness, but the Porsche is so much better in so many ways.The C6 is great fun - a true American sports car icon. But it is precisely for that reason that it makes no sense to me. It has all the taste and sophistication of a brash thing who thinks a cultural experience is a night out at Disney World. Engine 6162 cc, 8 cylinders Power 437 bhp @5900 rpm Torque 424 ib/ft @4600 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 21.2 mpg / 316 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 4.3sec Top speed 186 mph Price From £48898.00 approx Release date 01/04/2008
