Take a look at an American sportscar icon, specially converted to right-hand-drive, that Philip King says was made for the racetrack. Corvette z06. TWO iconic sportscars celebrate birthdays this year: the Porsche 911 turns 50 while the Chevrolet Corvette, after six decades, is one of the oldest nameplates still in production. Between them, they represent two polar opposite approaches to performance and if success is measured purely by sales, then Corvette wins. With a total of 1.4 million buyers against 820,000 for the 911, it's been about 30 per cent more popular. Price has something to do with it: in the US a Corvette starts at $US52,000 against more than $US85,000 for a 911. In Australia, we must look on in envy. Not just at the price differentials - 911s begin well over $200,000 here - but in the case of the Corvette, simple availability. America's finest is built only in left-hand drive. If you want a Corvette, you must get one converted. Luckily, there are a few operations which do just that. One of the newest is Trofeo Motorsport, based in Victoria. Trofeo aims to do start-to-finish conversions, with prices starting around $150,000 for the Grand Sport, which is powered by a 321kW 6.2-litre V8. Conversions of the high-performance Z06 model with 376kW 7.0-litre V8 cost more, with options capable of bumping the price to $260,000. Next to a 911 that's competitive Trofeo says, with a Corvette capable of Ferrari performance for a fraction of the price. Read Philip King's full story and road test review on the Corvette in Weekend A Plus in tomorrow's Weekend Australian.