The Impressive Performance of the  Zo6 Corvette Supercar Cont'd

Helping advance all performance parameters, and adding to the car's outstanding balance in a literal as well as figurative sense, is its extensive use of lightweight materials. The Z06 uses the same perimeter design chassis as ordinary C6 Corvettes, but instead of steel the hydroformed side rails and the cross members that join them are crafted from aluminum. In a similar vein, the Z06 front suspension/engine cradle is cast from magnesium rather than aluminum and the front fenders and wheel housings are manufactured using carbon fiber instead of SMC fiberglass. The sheet compound that sandwiches the balsa core floor panels is also carbon fiber in the Z06.

   The magnesium cradle and carbon front body parts not only shed unwanted mass, they do so in the area where lower weight is most beneficial. Making weight that's over the front wheels disappear, along with relocating the battery from under the hood to the rear, enables the newest Z06 to boast a perfect 50/50 front/rear weight distribution.

  The insatiable desire to jettison weight extended beyond the Z06's chassis and into its engine. Though they share the same exterior dimensions, the LS7 cylinder block is actually lighter than the regular Corvette's LS2 block because of the LS7's larger bore. The potent LS7 is further trimmed down by virtue of titanium connecting rods, hydroformed exhaust headers, and special lightweight pistons. The power plant's unique aluminum cylinder heads, which are fully CNC ported for enhanced air flow, are slimmed down courtesy of titanium valve springs, push rods, and intake valves.

  While getting significant amounts of weight out of the Z06 was essential, Dave Hill and his team were adamant that durability and certain other very important considerations would not be sacrificed as a result. Excellent examples of this are the heavier internals that go into making the 6 speed transmission stronger, and a beefier differential that features larger ring and pinion gears to better withstand the LS7's increased torque load.

  The change from a hardtop body style to a fixed roof coupe also adds a little bit of weight but results in better aerodynamic efficiency and increased high speed stability, an important consideration in a car that will go nearly 200 mph.

  The move to a conventional coupe body style for the C6 Z06 rather than the hardtop used for C5 is but one of several important features that distinguishes the new car's appearance. Others include the wider fenders, which flare out to house the  bigger wheels and tires, adding 3 inches to the base car's 72.6 inch overall width. A splitter beneath the wider front fascia, a Ferrari Maranello like cold air scoop in front of the hood, large air extractors behind each front wheel, quarter panel scoops to channel cooling air to the rear brakes, Gurney lips along the sides of the front fascia, and a pronounced spoiler integral to the rear fascia are additional distinguishing features.

  If a wider coupe body, front air extractors, air scoops for the brakes, Gurney lips, integral spoilers, and a front splitter all sound familiar it's because you've seen various versions of them on another Corvette in recent years. I'm referring to the fabulously successful C5R racer, and it is not a coincidence that these previously race only features have worked their way onto a road going Corvette.

   GM engineers and aerodynamicists who worked with the race program and then transitioned back to the Corvette production team brought a knowledge base that was earned the old fashioned way, with many, many hours in GM's full size wind tunnel and Swift Aero's moving ground plane tunnel, and lap after searing lap on circuits ranging from Sebring to Le Mans. Corvette engineers and stylists did more than simply incorporate lessons learned on the race track into the Z06. The new car's creators actually worked very closely with the folks at GM Racing and Pratt & Miller, the Wixom, Michigan engineering and fabrication outfit responsible for building and running the factory Corvette racecars to develop the Z06 in conjunction with the creation of Chevrolet's next generation racer, the C6R.  

    So that's what it takes to put the fastest car that General Motors has ever offered, a Corvette whose progenitors brought honor and glory to America's sports car with multiple manufacturer, team and driver championships, three GTS victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a perfect, undefeated 2004 season, into your garage. Chevrolet has not yet announced a price for the Z06, and probably won't do so for several more months, but be prepared for an MSRP somewhere in the vicinity of $70,000. It is certainly expensive, but absolutely a bargain, especially when you consider the fact that the very small number of other cars delivering Z06 levels of performance start at about a quarter of a million and go up from there.