Chevrolet spells hot: Corvette

Chevy could have cut a thousand corners last year when the 2006 Corvette Z06 joined the 500-horsepower club.

It could have — and in the past might have — dropped a 505-hp V-8 into the engine bay of the previous Z06 and called it good.

But this time Chevy needed to get it right. The world has changed and not even the dwindling buy-American crowd will settle for second-best anymore.

The Z06 is the Corvette’s exclusive, high-performance package. It’s lighter, more powerful and more expensive than its base, 400-hp Coupe and Convertible brethren. The 2007 Z06 is priced from $70,000, including destination; the Coupe starts at $44,995, the Convertible at $53,335.

The second-generation Z06 was introduced in 2001 with 385 horsepower. In 2002, engine modifications bumped horsepower to 405 and in ‘06, a new engine brought 505-hp and 485 foot-pounds of torque.

From the beginning, the Z06 was available only as a coupe, because only a fixed roof would provide the body rigidity required by such tremendous forces. But 485 ft-lbs of torque demanded even more strength.

Aluminum Structure

For the 2006 Z06, Chevy engineers replaced the steel structure underlying its fiberglass body panels with a stiffer structure made of aluminum.

They swapped out the fiberglass fenders for ones made of carbon fiber and fabricated a magnesium engine cradle, to which they bolted both the engine and front suspension. Carbon-fiber skin covers the balsa floor panels.

Countless weight-saving measures — even the engine’s connecting rods are made of titanium — brought curb weight down to 3,312 pounds.

None of the ‘Vettes is heavy, but the Z06 weighs considerably less than its Coupe or Convertible siblings. It weighs less even than Porsche’s GT2 supercar.

The Affordable Supercar

Chevy’s goal with the Z06 is to provide world-class performance in an affordable daily driver.

Like beauty, affordability exists in the eye of the beholder, but from the outset the Z06 performed as well as cars costing three times as much.

The Z06 was the bargain-basement entry in the 500-hp club until Ford’s new $41,000, 500-hp Mustang GT500 joined this year. Despite its gaudy power ratings, though, it’s more boulevardier than track monster.

Available only with a six-speed manual transmission, the Z06 blows through the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.4 seconds — more than a second quicker than the GT500 — without ever leaving first gear.

Car and Driver Magazine clocked a quarter-mile run at 11.8 seconds and 125 mph. Top speed is 198 mph.

The engine runs on regular fuel and returns surprising efficiency numbers — 16 mpg city/26 mph highway.

The Z06 handles, too. Chevy claims lateral acceleration numbers of 1.04 g-forces, well into supercar territory.

Corvette racing driver Jan Magnussen piloted the Z06 around Germany’s famed Nurburgring racetrack in 7:42:99, a number rivaled by few production cars at any price.

A sophisticated dry-sump oiling system ensures that the engine will remain well lubricated during periods off high-speed cornering, and allows the engine to be mounted low in the chassis.

Everyday Driver?

The Z06 is surprisingly drivable. The massive, low profile tires signal you right off that no pothole will go unnoticed, but the ride, while stiff, is quite accommodating. The clutch engages smoothly and the site lines are reasonable, although it takes a little while to adjust to the location of the corners.

The seats are comfortably firm and well bolstered and the big shift lever falls easily to hand. The controls are large and easily read, although Chevy packs too much information into the head-up display.

Where its more expensive rivals slather their interiors with wood and carbon fiber trim, the Z06 betrays its price tag with an excess of mediocre plastics.

As Teresa points out, women in skirts will want to take care when exiting. Those big doors require extra attention in parking lots, too.

And if you’re looking for a quiet ride, look somewhere else. The Z06 makes no secret of its go-fast mission.

Let ‘er Rip

Despite the abundance of high-tech materials lurking beneath the aluminum cylinder heads, the engine relies on old-school pushrod technology, which means there’s grunt galore from the moment the throttle tips in all the way to the 4,800-rpm torque peak.

If you have guts enough to put the Z06 through its paces at speed, there will come a time when you will be grateful for its three-stage stability control system. If you’re a pro or a complete fool, you can switch it all the way off; otherwise, you’ll dial it into one of its two operative modes, either one of which should help keep you pointed in the right direction.

Should you want to show the world you’re a fool, you can turn the thing off, stand on the throttle and watch hundreds of dollars worth of rubber evaporate behind you in a haze of gray smoke.

Just don’t, okay?

Its European competitors may out-finesse the Z06, but few outperform it. It may not be your cup of tea, but the truth is Chevy touched all the bases with this one.