- AutoWeek's deduction at the
release of the new Z06 in Detroit's Auto
Show: "Drawing on knowledge derived from its
 endurance
racing program—indeed, using many engineers
directly involved with that program—the Corvette team has put
together a car that promises to run with the world’s best when it
arrives in dealerships late in the year. No playing second fiddle
to Vipers, no need to explain that a Ferrari Maranello or Aston
Martin DB9 sells for four times as much money."
The full story is at
AutoWeek.
- In a January 2 column, New York Times' James
Cobb revealed his baker's dozen of the most memorable cars
reviewed by the
Times in 2004. His take on the C6: "Yes, 'Vette enthusiasts are sniping; some say the C6
(for sixth-generation Corvette) isn't new enough, that it ought to
be called the C5½. Some say that the car feels too civilized -
egad, it actually stays in lane on the Interstate! - or that one's
sports car dollars would be better spent on a used (already
depreciated) C5. But such sniping ignores the equal-opportunity
access of America's homegrown exotic car. For the price of a
Lamborghini Murciélago, you could have a different 'Vette for each
day of the week."
- Road and Track's February issue features two
revelations...well maybe just one! The Reader's Choice for
2005 Car of the Year is the C6 Corvette! ...not exactly
"shock and awe" for those of us suffering from Corvette OCD.
The second article (and perhaps a revelation) is all about the new
Z06. Although covering only two pages, the article
(part of "Ampersand") reminds us that Corvette Chief Engineer Dave
Hill promised us the new Z would be "something special."
Other than the price (ahem, very special), the Vette will debut
with enough umph to push "...the Corvette into Viper territory
with sheer power." The article highlights the
noticeable exterior changes (3 inch wider panels to "accommodate
the 18 x 91/2-in. front and 19 x 12-in. rear allory wheels
outfitted with run-flat Godyear F1 Supercar tires, 275/35ZR-18
front and 325/30ZR-19 rear." In addition, the new Vette
displays an attitude with a "nose-mounted scoop, larger side
extractor vents, and larger quad tailpipes). More subtle
exterior changes include a hood and front fenders made of carbon
fiber! R&T doesn't forget the brakes, which are bold
and "...massive with 14.0 inch front and 13.4 inch rear discs.
The front brakes employ 6-piston calipers and six separate brake
pads, while the rear have 4-piston calipers with four pads."
Frame rails of aluminum and an engine cradle of magnesium help
reduce the curb weight of the Vette bête
to 3130 lb. The interior sports "aggressively
bolstered...seats and a smaller-diameter steering wheel, along
with a revised instrument cluster to reflect the engine's 7000-rpm
redline as well as the car's increased top speed."
Happy New Year!
- GM issues a press release on the new Z06 as the drum roll
begins in Detroit in preparation for the Vette's appearance on
January 10 at 2:05.
MY 2006
- The bad news...new Z06 has a base price of $75,000! Good
news...other numbers are terrific! New Z06 is 260 pounds
less than the Viper and over $10K cheaper. Check out the
weight/power, lb/hp ratio. Three cars have 6.3: the
new Z06, the Ford GT and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The
Ford GT is twice the cost of the Z06 and the SLR McLaren is over 6
times the cost of the Z06!
- Sporting a different steering wheel from the standard C6 Vette,
the new Z06 will have a three-spoke steering wheel with a smaller
diameter.
- More photos hit the net as we inch closer to the January
announcement of the new Z06! Seven
thousand RPM redline, 500 horsepower, 475 foot-pounds of torque,
dry sump oiling and 427 cubes...and that's just the engine.
January's
Car and Driver features the 10Best Cars. Best
Performance car? You betcha...the C6! As
the r ationale for the Vette's selection, C&D lists
the "flat unbeatable...price" and the fact that the new
Vette is "...faster, better to look
at, more refined, and more pleasant to live with."
I wonder what they will do a year from now when the C6 Z06 is
available? Can you say redux? In the same
issue, "The Dirt Road" column references the new Z06 and the
expectation of a price around "$60,000."
- Road and Track's January issue features snippets on 2006
models including the Z06. Nothing new...7.0 liter engine, 20
inch wheel and tire package, flared wheel arches, larger brakes,
race-tuned suspension.... Big news? "A convertible Z06
is also in the works."
- Yellow-rific Z06 pics are the latest to hit the Internet.
- Rick Conti published this "spy photo" of the new C6R...looking
lethal in black with yellow accents.
- If you haven't had your fill of Z06 spy pics, check out the
latest one...passenger side view of the rear at Rick Conti's
(Spitzer Chevrolet in Cleveland) site:
http://www.corvetteconti.com/Catalog/ShowDetail.asp?ProdID=1454&Category=136
- Purported to be a photo of the new Z06,
 DigitalCorvettes.Com
was asked by GM to remove the pic from their web site!
...but not before some specs were gleaned including verification
that the engine is indeed a 7 liter with 500 horsepower, 475 foot
pounds of torque and a redline of 7000! How does a top speed
of 200 sound? ...and 0 - 60 in 3.8 seconds! Not to
mention the front air scoop along with rear brake ducts the same
color as the car (thank you!) in addition to some great looking
flared wheel wells with beeeeggggg tires! Wheels harken back
to the C5 Z06 style, but are polished and show off the great, red
Brembo calipers! The subtle, but noticeable, body
changes resonate with us. Some will lament GM's choice and
wish for a more exaggerated style. As for us, we're in love!
One question does remain, can Dave Hill's grandmother tell the
difference between this and the C6 base Corvette?
- Simultaneously, three magazines compared the C6 Corvette
against the 911. Car and Driver,
Automobile, and Road and Track used their
December issues as bully pulpits on the topic of supercar value.
Motor Trend chose to flesh out the story of the
pulled Vette ad.
- For the fifth time in the last 23 years,
Car and
Driver compares the Vette (with Z51 option) and the
Porsche 911.
 The December issue notes that the "Porsche's
base price is 58 percent greater than the Chevrolet's."
...and that for the "first time (the 911) is longer than the
Corvette." C&D gives the "nod" to the Porsche as the
better "curve carver" because positioning the car through the
curves in a 911 can be done "...in fractions of an inch" while "...with the Vette,
it's in inches." Nevertheless, on the skidpad the
Porsche only pulled .097; off a tick when compared to the Vette's
.098. "In every subjective handling category, except one,
the 911 outscored the Vette." C&D took Chevrolet to task on
brakes, "lifeless" steering and the shifter. ...but the
Vette shined in speed besting the 911 in every speed category
except top-gear acceleration. Although C&D
"...never thought this would be a close match", in the end the
comparison more than confirmed their bottom line:
"...for the money, there isn't a better sports car around"
than the Corvette!
- "Clash of the Icons",
Automobile's title for
their comparison of the Vette and the 911, tests the mettle of
both cars against the the new GM Milford Road Course, 2.9 miles
long and known as the Lutzring because of Robert Lutz' backing
of the $5 million facility. Both cars weigh in at only 4
pounds in difference as "...two makers from opposite ends of the
earth are vying for the sub-$100,000 supercar crown."
Completely different engineering approaches, nevertheless,
resulted in "startlingly close" performance.
Automobile's testers cited the Porsche as offering "... superior
braking and cornering" resulting from "lower profile tires and
the rearward weight bias...." In contrast, "...the
Corvette has a bigger, heavier feel. But mining the vast
torque reserves reveals a supercar's depth of character."
The final word...actually paragraph...? "Even though the
911 is sheer joy on wheels, the Corvette also plays its power
advantage like a pro to seize the fun-to-drive marbles.
Factor in the BMW you could buy with the $33,000 price
difference and the sex appeal of alfresco driving on a balmy
day, and the Corvette takes the final ritual step up to the
supercar throne." (BTW,
Automobile
reached the Vette's top speed of 186 in fifth gear!)
- Pointing out that they are comparing a $54,000 Corvette with
an $89,000 Porsche,
 Road and Track exclaims that
"...the mere fact that the Corvette is even considered
competition is praise." Calling the new Vette a "beautiful
evolution", R&T gives Chevrolet high praise on its "well
thought-out" interior, but points out that the Porsche shifter
is "exquisite" compared to the "heavy and slow" feel of the Tremac in the Vette. Nevertheless, R&T feels that "...what
we have here is an American muscle car that's become so refined
it outclasses its European competition at a fraction of the
cost."
- The December issue of Motor Trend contains an
article about the infamous Corvette ad depicting a boy's dream,
i.e., driving the
 new
C6 Corvette. Lots of interesting facts surrounding the
commercial. The article takes you from GM's review of 100
proposals for advertising during the Olympics through hiring the
10 year-old with no acting experience, chronicles the "material
girl's" appearance on day 1 of shooting, names the stunt driver,
tells you how they jumped the car (wasn't digital) etc. etc.
Of course, after $14 million spent on the commercial ($500K for
the rights to "Jumping Jack Flash"), the ad was pulled in response
to criticism from auto safety organizations.
The interesting article begins by quoting Pliny the Elder, "The
only certainty is that nothing is certain." and ends by quoting
Chevy general manager, Brent Dewar, "It's not about dreaming about
driving a car, it's about the passion of what a Corvette is.
Me, I'm still dreaming." Me too!
- Nuff said!
-
DigitalCorvettes.Com: If you haven't
registered, get thee to DigitalCorvettes.Com. Lots of spy
photos are hitting that web site. ...confirmation of a front
hood scoop, for example. ...and look at those calipers!
-
The CarConnection.Com posted more spy photos of the
White Z06 mule that's been spotted recently. What is that
masked Vette? All speculation for now...500 horsepower from
a 7.0 liter V8, very wide tires, Brembo calipers and what looks
like a removable hardtop! All will be revealed in January
when the Vette is unmasked in the "motor city!"
- AutoWeek has posted a 2006 Z06 spy
 photo...indicating
that "...David Hill’s latest high-performance creation may come
with a first-ever-for-Z06 removable hardtop." However the
article discounts the possibility of an air scoop at the front end
of the hood. In addition to the expected "...wider tires
tucked behind flared front and rear fenders" the article points
out the use of "...lighter-weight, two-piece 10-spoke
wheels...(and) red Brembo brake calipers" all in complement to a
"...7.0-liter 500-hp V8." ...but can your grandmother
tell it apart from the C6, Dave?
- Road and Track's Reader's Choice Best Car of the
Year competition is underway. The C6 is one of the
competitors. Vote
 today
by clicking on the graphic.
- Corvette Racing, unsurprisingly, scores again at the September
25 Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, the penultimate ALMS race in
this
 year's
calendar. Lamborghinis, a Saleen and a Viper vied for victory alongside Vettes.
The #4 car won the GTS class while the #3
was
runner-up despite a strong start by the Saleen S7R. Overall,
the Vettes placed 4th and 5th!
- Automobile magazine's October issue published the 100
Coolest Cars. Number 3 is the Shelby Cobra; number 2 is
the Porsche 911. ...and number 1? The 1963-1967
Corvette Sting Ray of course! The "mid-years" are, and
you'll receive no argument from us, "...the coolest of the cool
because they embody...postwar optimism and creativity in a
glorious piece of rolling sculpture that's bold and brash and loud
and fast, all rolled into a single package."
- On September 4, Maryland's PBS program, MotorWeek, started
off its new programming year with a review of the C6.
Agreeing with all Corvette enthusiasts that "If there's one car
that gets the blood pumping of American (automobile) enthusiasts,
it's the Chevrolet Corvette. And for 2005, the 'Vette is all
new and more stimulating than ever." MotorWeek talked
of a "...leaner, more sophisticated look, especially in the nose,
with its fixed Xenon High Intensity headlights...and out back
where a leaner, more sculpted, tail flows down to beefy quad
exhaust tips." Admitting that the "...speed sensitive
magnetic rack-and-pinion steering lacks feel compared to less
exotic designs" but the bottom line is "...it's quicker and more
responsive, if a little nervous." The C6's "...overall
feel is remarkably neutral, with less roll than the C5.
Both the Magnetic Ride Control and the standard stability system
are seamless in operation, and more importantly, not intrusive."
Braking, "...like the steering, ...lacks feedback, but
"...(is) very progressive, and stability is top notch."
The interior "...will surprise long time 'Vette owners with its
high quality trim and excellent fit and finish." Indeed,
"...the comfy, body-hugging sport seats, with adjustable side
bolsters and back support, are superior to any Corvette seats
before." MotorWeek concluded that "With a lot
more of everything, from performance to comfort, the 2005
Chevrolet Corvette now offers not only speed, style and
refinement, but even more thrills, chills and high-end sports car
value than ever before. While each generation Corvette has been a
huge improvement over the one before, the new C6 really is the 'Vette
we've all been hoping for."
- October
issue
 of
Motor Trend has a monthly Notable Quotable from
Bob Lutz: "The small block Chevy will produce 500
horsepower."
- Banned in Boston...and everywhere else! If you
watched the 2004 Summer Olympics, you saw the debut of a very cool
Corvette ad. The ad, titled "A Boy's Dream," featured a
dream sequence in which an underage boy is portrayed attempting
high speed maneuvers. You won't be seeing it any longer. GM,
under pressure from seven auto safety groups who in a letter
expressed their displeasure with the commercial, pulled the ad on
August 25. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Judith
Stone, stated, "We're delighted that they did the right thing."
The letter to GM Chairman and Chief Executive, Rick Wagoner,
thought it "...doubtful that General Motors would condone the beer
industry showing a 'dream sequence' of 10-year-old children having
an after-school 'kegger.'" Huh?
- Are there any naysayers left? Corvette Racing brings
home their fourth straight ALMS GTS Manufacturer's Championship.
The #4 C5-R placed third overall (behind two cars in the Prototype
Class) at Road America on August 21 and first in class. Thirteen
seconds behind, the #3 C5-R placed second in the GTS Class.
After 8 races in 2004, the Corvettes are undefeated!
Next stop? Petit Le Mans in Georgia on September 25.
- Finally! The U.S. Postal Service announced a 37 cent Corvette
stamp to be issued in 2005 as part of a series to include the 1953 Corvette,
1952 Nash Healey, 1953 Studebaker Starliner, 1954 Kaiser Darrin
and a 1955 Thunderbird. (In 1953, the postage for a letter
was 3 cents.)
- Automobile (September)..."The sixth-generation
Chevrolet Corvette is a nimbler, faster, higher-quality car--and
it's still an amazing deal.
- C6's Hit the Road...National Corvette Museum reported that 70
Corvettes shipped to dealerships from the Bowling Green plant on August 17.
- The August 13-20 issue of BusinessWeek in an
article titled "Cars to Love" with a subtitle of "Cars that do
more than just get you around" touted the new C6 as one that
"...leapfrogs the last generation in every way: The car's
400-hp V-8 bests the old one by 50 hp. The all-new chassis
provides a more comfy ride. It rolls on bigger wheels.
The interior is classier. Best of all, starting at $43,445,
it's a steal compared with European performance cars."
Production will begin in the spring with the Corvette 2006 Z06!
- AutomotiveWeek posted an article on their web
site entitled, "Hand-built engines for new Corvette Z06 will give
GM flexibility." Want a "hand-built" engine.
GM can do! The article describes a new "$10
million...dedicated assembly center for (GM's) boutique engines in
Wixom, Michigan...." which, among other engines, will build the
Z06 engines. "One builder would build the engine
complete. He'll start with a block and take it station to
station until it is complete." The new facility will
be able to handle about 50 engines daily with approximately 50 to
60 people once the facility is fully operational. With this
new operation, GM will now be able to handle engines "that might
not "...necessarily be good fits for our
high-volume factories. But we'd have the flexibility here to build
things like that." "...down the road, if GM's Service
Parts Operations has special needs, such as a high-performance
crate motor, we could be a potential home for that. Whatever
the customer's demand....
- Dave Hill: "Even your grandma will be able to tell the difference between
the new Z and the C6."
-commenting on the exterior differences from
the C6 to the new Z06.
-January -
Public debut at North American International Auto Show in Detroit
-Late May - Base model specs and
option list released
-Late June - orders accepted
for production
-July - C6 Z06 production starts
-Late August - First orders
delivered
-Mid September - Public introduction, models in
dealer showroom
- Purported Z06 "mule"...if you haven't seen it by
now, here's a photo of a supposed 2006 Z06 mule with flared wheel
wells.
- Road and Track (September): "What's not to
like about the new C6 Corvette?" R&T reports
that admittedly "...initial reports characterized
 this
version as a C5 1/2, something short of a full remake on the car."
The magazine happily reports that "Nothing could be further from
the truth." Despite a host of improvements over the C5, the
Corvette's character shines through. The new C6 is a
"...brassy, whomping, V-8-powered American sports car with
packaging and road manners certain to give the new Porsche 911 a
run for its Euro." The author would "...like to see just a
bit more edge in low-speed operation, (but) when pushed hard,
there are few cars that can equal the Corvette's handling and
performance, especially when the sticker price is factored into
the equation." Improvements include "...the new suspension
geometry, longer wheelbase, more aggressive tires and shorter
overhangs (which) give the car quicker turn-in, better body
control and higher cornering speeds." Bottom line:
"The new C6 Corvette has hit on a winning formula — bigger bang,
less buck. Bring it on."
- C
 ar and Driver
(September): Dave Hill is quoted in C&D's article as
saying, "Were not inventing - we're perfecting." The author
exclaims that "...perfect they did...creating a Corvette that's
better in every way." Shorter by 5.1" in overall length, the
C6 uses a shorter wheelbase by 1.2" and the notorious rear flanks
have been trimmed an inch over the C5. As part of perfecting
the C6, the engine's displacement is up from 5.7 to 6.0 liters,
horsepower has increased by 50 along with torque by 25 (40 in
automatics) and a redline that's 6500, the same as the C5's Z06.
One of the complaints against the C5 has been resolved.
"The new seats feature a longer bottom cushion, have supportive
bolsters, and hold the driver in place far better than the old
ones." First time "...luxuries such as a navigation
systems and seat heaters...keyless entry and start-up with a
pushbutton are standard." Commenting on a perennial problem
with previous Corvettes, the author triumphantly states that
"...nothing in our test car rattled or squeaked...."
Ride quality? "It's impressively smooth Skidpad numbers
match "...the best of the "...three Z06's (C&D)...tested and
vastly surpasses the .090 posted by the 'grippiest' of the
non-Z06" C5's. The stability control system is
"...perhaps the best version...(C&D) ever sampled because it
offers an appreciaed safety net and yet permits 0.96g on the
skidpad in both fully active and competition modes." The C6
is "...only 78 pounds heavier than the carbon-fiber $448,400
Porsche Carrera GT." Despite the author's time with
the Corvette, "...its performance was so strong, we never fully
tapped the limit of its potential." Summing up the C6, "It's
the perfect everything sports car." Besides, "Take any
sports car within 20 grand of the Corvette's sticker, and the Vette will flat smoke it."
C&D admonishes the
reader not to bet against the Corvette repeating in the Top 10 list.
The verdict? "Hill and company have given us more of what we
liked, fixed what we didn't. A five-star ride."
- Corvette Fever's (
 September) test team drove the C6 to 300 KPH or
186 MPH. At 300 KPH, "there was almost no lift to the front
end." ...and then "...with folded mirrors and duct tape, they
hit 190 MPH, topped off the tank, and drove it home."
- Motor Trend
 (September) reviewed the C6. The article was
subtitled, "If this looks like a C5 1/2, one drive will make you
C6." The MT staff was "impressed" after just "15 minutes."
- THE CARCONNECTION.COM argued that "...Corvette has had
more in common with the classic American muscle car than
with true sports cars like the Porsche 911. That began to
change with the debut of the fifth-generation Corvette."
Their review of the C6 proclaims the new generation one where
"you're getting performance to rival a 911 at the price of a
Boxster. Compared to the Viper, this is an incredibly
sophisticated car that makes it easy to drive at the limits, but
doesn't numb and dumb you down. Were more American cars as
well-designed and engineered, Detroit would still dominate the
auto industry."
|
 |
to
see the latest...beeeeeggg tires, flared wheel wells and more
discreet rear brake vent. ...but different wheels than the
mule in the photo below.