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2006 Chevy Corvette Z06: American Supremacy
Santa Monica, CA -- Never once throughout any of my school years did American history educate me or my fellow students on the storied background of one of the most famed vehicles to hail from the good ole U.S.A. Yes, we covered eclectic transportation topics such as the Egyptians’ golden chariots and the German’s wartime Benzes. But on no account did a teacher mention the great American sports car simply known to most as the ‘Vette!
Chevy has advanced the recipe for its current generation 2006 Corvette Z06 to a level unattainable even to some of the greatest. And when a breakthrough invention finds its way to your doorstep, you better use it for its intended purpose. Well put. So I took the wheel of my weekend Velocity Yellow Z06 and best believe I proceeded to drive it like I stole it! Since the Z06 runs up to 90 mph in first gear, you can get a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about. Except, there were no black and white Impalas on my tail.
 From the moment I scheduled Chevy’s 2006 Z06 for the 2005 Vibe Awards in LA until the instant I reached ground level, I was pretty giddy about the drive. Not my normal state of mind when a test drive comes to mind, but the mind-boggling stats of the ‘Vette are just ridiculous. Like topping out at 198 mph, running the quarter mile in 11.7 seconds at 125 mph, and galloping to sixty mph from zero in a mere 3.7 seconds (according to Chevy). I had driven a Z06 about four weeks prior, but that was during a cold, gloomy day in NY opposed to palm trees, sunshine and the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Southern California. Here we go. As soon as I engaged the starter button a thrilling race dialogue took place in my head. Especially when fire lit through the 4” quad pipes after pounding the throttle to unleash the ‘Vette’s 505 horses. Translation? It didn’t take long to move via L.A. traffic to get to the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica after touchdown at LAX!
Chevy’s Z06 Recipe
 To begin to understand the Corvette’s (let alone the Z06’s) sports performance validity, you have to get under its skin for definition of Chevy’s muscular, yet technological engineering for the American coupe. Firstly, the ‘06 Z06 was built alongside the track ready C6.R which was designed for endurance racing. Hence, Z06 DNA encoding involves racing technology and heritage. Its 505 horses and 470 pound-feet of torque is derived from Chevy’s 7.0-liter LS7 small-block V8, the most powerful passenger car engine for Chevy and GM. Transfer of power is via either a 6-speed manual or the new 6-Speed Paddle Shift automatic transmission. My vehicle was a manual,  allowing me to control the stalwart engine exactly how I needed to.Aggressively! To lighten its load to 3,132-pounds, Chevy used lightweight materials usually reserved for exotics like aluminum, a magnesium roof and engine cradle, titanium connecting rods and carbon fiber fenders and wheel wells. This savoring recipe allows the $65,000 ($72,345 as tested) to compete against world premieres more than double, triple, and quadruple its price. The Dodge Viper is super fast, but not as fast and not nearly as stable as the Z06. The Ferrari F430 is fast (0-60 in 4.0) but just slightly misses the mark and is costly in comparison. The Porsche 911 Turbo S is crazy fast, but needs a turbo charger to keep up and well exceeds the 100K mark. A Ford GT can hang but is not street practical and runs over $150K. Check this stat -- the Z06 hangs with both a $1.4 million Enzo and a $440K Porsche Carrera GT. Crazy! Said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager, “Corvette is a global icon for world-class sports car performance at an incredible value, and offering the fastest production Corvette ever at this price is another testament to that reputation.”
Real World Experiences
Back on the sunny roads of Santa Monica the ‘Vette continued to show and prove its bi-polar mannerism. When relaxing and cruising the Z06 is well mannered and easy to drive. Shifting is smooth and the clutch is tamed. The cockpit is comfortable as well. At stoplights opposing drivers take you for granted because the Z06 is visually similar to its base C6 Corvette. Elusive differences include wider 4” pipes, bigger tires and brakes, cold air nose scoop on hood (more engine breathing), higher spoiler on the back (to create more downforce), cross-drilled rotors, lightweight materials, twenty grand, and of course the extra power. The cabin is very much the same and very much boring. I would expect more interior enhancement for my 72 grand. You definitely know you’re in a GM product. But once you race past 130mph in third gear you forget all about the seats you’re sitting in!
 The Z06 handles curves like a Kawasaki Ninja, accelerates like mice from cats, and brakes like a parachute against the wind. An opposing biker became a believer after a simple test on the PCH around swift, increasing radius turns. Of course he was clueless of the ‘Vette’s prodigious power because it was so quiet -- due to a bi-modal muffler system which allows the Z06 to tour town quietly -- only opening its roar when driven aggressively. The light struck green and the biker, riding a Japanese sportbike, took off emphatically. I thrust into gear and smoked him around a bend. The heads up display clocked my digital speeds. A little more throttle and the mystery biker became as immortal as that ghost they call Casper. At the next light I waited for a few seconds before mystery man joined me. He had no choice but to give me my props. Don’t try this at home folks!
For 2006, expect Chevy to produce around 5000 Z06s. No convertible will be made because of design aspects. The body needs to be rigid and a drop top adds too much weight. Z06 colors include Velocity Yellow, Daytona Sunset Orange, Machine Silver, Victory Red, Le Mans Blue, and Black.
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