The Impressive Performance of the Zo6 Corvette Supercar

 The new Z06 delivers a level of performance that situates it squarely among the half dozen or so fastest road going cars in the world. It'll sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds, turn the standing quarter mile in the low 11s, and top out at 195 mph. Even more impressive than the car's savage speed however, is its genteel civility.

While the Z06 delivers racecar like performance there is not even slightest hint of racecar crudeness. This beast is feature packed, smooth, comfortable, and entirely suited for daily commute duty even if that means crawling along in bumper to bumper traffic along a pot holed highway in the heat of summer. HID lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and Head Up Display with track mode and g meter are all standard. The car also has a revised gauge cluster that displays the Z06 logo on the tachometer and, like other 2006 Corvettes, it has a new, smaller diameter three spoke steering wheel. The seats feature two tone leather surfaces, with Z06 logo embroidery and contrasting stitching.

The new Z06 engine, called LS7 in tribute to a super high performance big block that was supposed to go into production as a Corvette option in 1970 but never made it, sounds more like a race piece than a road engine. Its .591 inch lift cam pulls strong all the way to a 7,000 rpm redline, 11.0:1 compression puts the big squeeze on the air/fuel mixture, low restriction intake and exhaust featuring 3 inch diameter pipes systems optimize air flow, dry sump oiling keeps it all slick, and heavy duty forged internals help ensure that everything holds together even when it's pushed to the limit. Despite all of this however, the engine purrs at idle like a content kitty cat. Even when you bury your right foot and unleash all 500 horses the 7liter alloy mill is silky smooth. To be sure, there is a deep throated roar in the exhaust note as the rush of power simultaneously throws you back and surges the car forward, but there is none of the snarling nastiness that has traditionally accompanied the astounding level of acceleration the Z06 yields. While the Z06's blinding acceleration and hair raising top speed are obviously numbers to be reckoned with, they are only part of the new car's allure. As with each of the vehicles created under chief engineer Dave Hill's tutelage, the new Z06 is all about optimum balance. Complementing its fantastic propensity to go is an equally impressive ability to stop.

In place of the 12.8 inch front and 12.0 inch rear rotors found on the regular C6, the Z06 utilizes rotors that are 14 inches in diameter up front and 13.4 inches at the rear. The oversize rotors, which are cast with integral cooling holes, wear larger, stronger calipers. The fronts feature six pistons, the rears have four, and all use individual pads for each piston in order to achieve more uniform wear. To make sure that the brakes continue functioning in even the most severe circumstances, all four assemblies are fed a continuous stream of cooling air. The fronts get breathed on through openings adjacent to the grille and the rears get their outside air from scoops on the quarter panels.

The Corvette engineering team's quest for totally balanced performance is also evident in the Z06's handling upgrades. It retains the same short long arm suspension layout and transverse leaf spring design as other C6 Corvettes, but benefits from unique rear spring and roll stabilizer calibrations. Larger wheels and tires also do a great deal to improve road holding in all circumstances. Up front the latest generation Goodyear Extended Mobility Tires, sized at a meaty 275/35ZR18, ride on Z06 only 18 x 9.5 inch cast spun aluminum wheels. At the other end of the car Goodyears measuring a steamroller like 325/30/ZR19 mount 19 x 12 inch versions of the special 10 spoke rims.