Chevrolet's new Corvette Z06 shows the benefits of lessons learnt in the hard fought ALMS and GT series over the last few years. Their highly successful campaign has formed the basis of the Z06's development with the focus being put on light weight, stiffness and of course, plenty of horsepower. The latest incarnation, shown for the first time at the
Detroit Show, is the fastest and most powerful production car ever to roll out of the Chevy factory.
The 2006 Z06 continues the illustrious name's traditional values of stunning, muscular looks as befits a cutting edge sports car, but pushes the Corvette bloodline further than ever down the high performance sports car route thanks to new advanced construction materials and methods and a fantastic new engine.
The light 1,420kg weight and excellent chassis stiffness is thanks to extensive use of carbon fibre, aluminium, magnesium and even balsa wood... The horsepower department is well catered for with a race-bred, hand-built, dry sump lubricated, 7-litre V8, which sees the reappearance of the evocative 427cu.in badge on the 'Vette. This LS7 version, as it's know, is a 500bhp reworking of the previous 6-litre model with the larger capacity coming courtesy of bigger bores. This powerplant has a true race proven record of reliability and performance courtesy of countless laps of racetracks all over the world.
Keeping all of this performance in check is a huge brake system featuring 14-inch discs on the front and 13-inch on the rear, as well as aerodynamics optimised not only for stability, but also cooling. The whole package adds up to Chevrolet's most serious assault on the nearly supercar niche yet with true 190mph capability and a sub 4-second 0-60mph time. It promises to be a truly exhilarating car when it goes on sale late in 2005, and will give the Porsche 911 something to think about.
Dave Jenkins - 19 Jan 2005