22 Jan Collection in action: Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Brought into SA eight years ago as a promotional vehicle by GMSA, this Corvette Z06 has now been donated to FMM – and brought back some fond memories for newsletter editor Mike Monk…
It is incredible to realise that the Chevrolet Corvette has been in production for 65 years – yes, really – during which time there have been seven generations of what can be considered America’s first modern sports car. Today, the original C1, built from 1953 to 1962, was considered a bit limp in the performance stakes as the 3 859 cm3 Blue Flame inline-six, which dated back to 1937, was hardly a powerhouse. The introduction of a 4 342 cm3 small-block V8 in 1955 improved acceleration times by 1,5 seconds but still the car was a slow but steady seller until 1957, when popularity increased as the car benefitted from a number of revisions and minor facelifts as America’s post-war boom began. But what about FMM’s new acquisition?
Well, back in late 2010 GMSA imported a pair of sixth-generation (C6) Corvettes into South Africa for promotional purposes, one black the other gold, initially to appear at Auto Africa. Sadly, fairly soon in its life the black car was written off in an accident when being driven buy one of the country’s foremost racing drivers, but thankfully the gold car has survived a punishing career in the hands of a myriad wannabe racers, all determined to take it to the limit…
One of the car’s earliest tasks was to take part in CAR magazine’s annual performance car shootout that took place at Zwartkops Raceway for publication in the January 2011 issue. A mix of 12 cars were organised for the shootout, divided into pairs and each pair allocated to a member of the editorial team. I got two heavy metal sports cars from both sides of the Atlantic, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 GT2 sports racer, and the Corvette – one for the track, one for the road. But this story is about the Chevy…
Apart from recording routine driving impressions, as part of the event, the highly personable German professional racing driver Sabine Schmitz, was brought in to drive the cars at Zwartkops and give her opinion. Sabine is best known for her ‘taxi’ exploits around the Nürburgring, and she has appeared on TV’s Top Gear on numerous occasions.
Both the car and Sabine proved to be immense fun. Sitting alongside listening to her commentary and enjoying the ride, our first session around Zwartkop’s challenging layout proved frustrating due to not having managed to completely dial-out the car’s two-stage ESP system. “This car’s castrated,” was Sabine’s comment. Dissatisfied, back at the pits and without the benefit of a handbook, we played around with the electronics until finally we found the lock-out mode, so went out for another track session. I was not complaining…
This time Sabine really got into the spirit of the car, steering as much with the accelerator as she was with the wheel – “I love drifting” – each slip and slide bringing on a burst of laughter from us both. “Love the seven-litre engine. Everything is perfect, brakes are really good, nothing to complain about. Every lap was the same. I had fun!” were her immediate post-run comments. In the post-shootout wrap-up, Sabine always mentioned the Corvette and rated the car third out of the demon dozen. For sure, a memorable occasion.
Launched in 2005 for the 2006 model year, the C6 was more an evolution of the C5 rather than a complete makeover. Wider front and rear fenders and a front air scoop were the obvious visual differences over a standard C6. The adoption of an all-aluminium monocoque was a Corvette first, and together with the use of some magnesium parts and carbon fibre panels (the footwells have a carbon fibre skin and balsawood core) helped keep weight to a respectable (for such a large car) 1 440 kg. Moving the battery to the boot helped overall weight distribution. Improved build quality was a C6 target and the Z06 came equipped with leather trim, high-intensity discharge headlights, dual-zone air conditioning and a heads-up-display with track modes and a g-meter as standard.
The Z06 featured a V8 with capacity increased from 5,7 to 6,0 litres. The Z06 model appeared the following year with a 427ci (7 008 cm3) small-block V8 – the largest small-block ever offered by GM. With just a single overhead-cam and two valves per cylinder, it pumped out 377 kW at 6 300 r/min and 637 N.m of torque at 4 800. Driving through a six-speed manual transaxle, a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 3,7 seconds was claimed, a standing-start quarter-mile in 11,7 seconds at 125 km/h, along with a top speed of 319 km/h.
As a matter of interest, commencing with the 2011 model year, Z06 buyers were offered the ‘Corvette Engine Build Experience’. Buyers paid extra to be flown to the Wixom, Michigan Performance Build Centre to help assemble the engine. Then later they took delivery of the car at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The Z06 rides on 18-inch alloys up front and 19-inchers behind. Front brakes are 14-inch discs grasped by red, six-piston calipers, with 13,4-inch discs with four-piston calipers at the back. Four-channel ABS is standard, as is an active handling system complete with a ‘competitive driving’ mode.
Simply getting behind the wheel sets the pulses racing. The view over the w-i-d-e bonnet flanked by raised fenders is impressive intimidating almost. Yet the cockpit is snug, cocooning in fact. Everything is at hand and pressing the button to fire up unearths the rumble and sound that epitomises big-capacity American V8s. The clutch is nicely weighted, the stubby gear shift is snick-snick precise and once on the move the engine’s torque characteristics come to the fore. In fact, it has so much grunt that if you only had third gear it would allow to gingerly pull away and reach well over the Imperial ton…
The heads-up display is easy to read, and is a reminder of the bonnet-mounted rev-counters that became fashionable on ’60s muscle cars. The seat is comfy without being particularly supportive given the g-forces the car can pull through corners, and the ride is hard as one would expect, but the Z06 creates an immediate sense of contentment and enjoyment that makes one look for an excuse to go for a drive. Play hooligan even. No matter what the intent, there is a sense of never being let down. Er, except that in 2010 this car displayed some dodgy electrics – and there is still a bit of a problem today, especially with the central locking system. You just have to follow a strict procedure to avoid frustration…
But that aside, the Corvette Z06 is an absolute delight to drive. It feels unburstable and eight years down the line, still looks great, its gold paintwork glistening in the summer sun. The last C6 was manufactured in February 2013 and represents one of the best generations of the iconic Corvette. Be sure not to miss it when visiting FMM.
