2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

Yeah…this is what some of us miss and dream about. Real cars with real motors and real kick-ass horsepower. Sorry about the euro-wienies and their ‘eco-friendly’ cars. This is about kick-ass Detroit (actually Bowling Green, Kentucky) steel.
“…500 horsepower is developed at 6200 rpm, and peak torque is 475 pound-feet at 4800 rpm.” Can ya say sweet spot!?

[quote]
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Simply the fastest-ever production Vette.
BY CSABA CSERE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY
February 2005

The number is magic, recalling the era when Detroit dominated the world with its big, powerful, swaggering V-8s. The Chevrolet 427 V-8 first appeared as an experimental engine that powered Junior Johnson to a then-amazing 166-mph lap at Daytona in 1963. It went into production soon afterward, known variously as the Mark IV, the Chevy big-block, or simply the rat motor.

Now the 427 is back, powering the fire-breathing 2006 Z06 Corvette. Okay, so the engine actually displaces 427.6 cubic inches (7008cc), about one more cubic inch than the original. That’s because this new 427 is not a reincarnation of the old rat motor. Instead, it’s yet another variant of the versatile mouse motor, the small-block Chevy V-8 that is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Even so, it’s rated at 500 horsepower-more than any of the bygone 427s and 454s-and these are SAE net horses, not the bogus gross ponies from the '60s.

This V-8, dubbed the LS7, is based on the latest incarnation of the small-block architecture, which GM calls Gen IV. However, virtually every component has been reengineered to achieve the greater displacement and higher output.

Compared with the LS2-the base C6 engine-the LS7 has a new block with a bore of 4.13 inches and a stroke of 4.00 inches (versus 4.00-by-3.62 inches). To accommodate the larger holes with the standard 4.4-inch bore spacing, Chevy engineers switched from the LS2’s cast-in-iron liners to thinner pressed-in liners.(more on the 2006 Corvette at link)
caranddriver.com/article.asp … e_number=1[/quote]

[quote]CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
Estimated base price: $62,500
Engine type: pushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 428 cu in, 7008cc
Power (SAE net): 500 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 475 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 105.7 in
Length/width/height: 174.6/75.6/49.1 in
Curb weight: 3150 lb
Manufacturer’s performance ratings:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.7 sec
Standing 1/4-mile: 11.7 sec @ 127 mph
Projected fuel economy (C/D est):
EPA city driving: 16 mpg
EPA highway driving: 22 mpg[/quote]

" 'scuse me while I kiss the sky!"

2

Yeah I wish it had real kick-ass handeling…this is something American motors lack., but it is a kick-ass car. With my teaching salary, I should be able to afford one by the age of 105 years old.

3

Yeah I wish it had real kick-ass handeling…this is something American motors lack.[/quote]

1.02g on a skidpad…Yeah, the handling really sucks :smiling_imp:

500hp smallblock chevy that can run high 11’s stock? A muscle car man’s wet dream… :America:

4

[quote]
Yeah I wish it had real kick-ass handeling…this is something American motors lack.

1.02g on a skidpad…Yeah, the handling really sucks :smiling_imp:

500hp smallblock chevy that can run high 11’s stock? A muscle car man’s wet dream… :America:[/quote]

I can’t argue, you win! I race cars back home…no a joke, and I have personal issues with corvettes and Mustangs. God I hate them, but do I repect them. Ahhhhh!!!

5

I like this 2005 model. That’s 700 hp.

[quote]The Birdcage 75th, in homage to the spirit of the dream car era, is based on the road racing chassis of the Maserati MC12 and seeks to capture the ultimate expression of speed, sensuality and elegance

6

The new Vette’s performance is amazing, but when I think of a vette, my mind instantly conjures this image:

Pretty paltry performance compared to the new one, but one hell of a ride in 1968.

435bhp Tri-power Big block 427.

0-60 5.3 seconds.

Top speed 145mph.

Quarter mile: 13.41 seconds, but would dip into the high 12’s with some slicks.

THAT is a vette. :notworthy:

7

Euro-wienies? Paaaahhh, hahhhhaaa…!

It’ time that you guys with your double-cheese-hamburger-cars learn, which side of the bread is buttered on… Welcome to the reality! Kick Corvette’s ass in every category:-)

"Early in the process, the Porsche gained points for its universal crowd appeal, its everyday usability, its upscale interior, its surprising refinement and its awesome performance. At the end of the two weeks it was in the lead and pulling away.

That dominance continued at the test track, where it out-accelerated, out-braked and out-turned the Corvette, but it was at the racetrack, where the Corvette was shot down like Sonny at the causeway."

edmunds.com/insideline/do/Dr … eId=104144
edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontaine … geNumber=5

8

[quote=“Shiner”]Euro-wienies? Paaaahhh, hahhhhaaa…!

It’ time that you guys with your double-cheese-hamburger-cars learn, which side of the bread is buttered on… Welcome to the reality! Kick Corvette’s ass in every category:-)

"Early in the process, the Porsche gained points for its universal crowd appeal, its everyday usability, its upscale interior, its surprising refinement and its awesome performance. At the end of the two weeks it was in the lead and pulling away.

That dominance continued at the test track, where it out-accelerated, out-braked and out-turned the Corvette, but it was at the racetrack, where the Corvette was shot down like Sonny at the causeway."

edmunds.com/insideline/do/Dr … eId=104144
edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontaine … geNumber=5[/quote]

In case you didn’t read the entire article, the vette was tested without the Z51 suspension package, which by your own sources admitance walks on the Porsche in both acceleration and a slalom run. The 2006 model sports suspension upgrades, stickier tires, and an extra 100 horsepower.

Show me a stock Porsche that can run a sub-12 second quarter mile, max out at nearly 200mph, top 1.02g’s on a skidpad, and come in for under 70k and then we’ll talk.

Until then…Another cheesburger please :smiling_imp:

9

MJB -
Thanks for adding those bits.
I was going to last night but was just too tired.
Not that I have anything against a 911; I had one and liked it.
But price and maintenance costs were just too much of a negative. Its like a high-maintenace, lovely to have - a pain to keep running. For example - One cold wintery night I neglected to put it in the garage. It snowed and came a freezing rain that night. Next morning I went out to warm it up (it started right up!). Before the windscreen (front windshield) defrosted, I hit the wipers to clear the snow/icwe off. I then went back inside the house. When I came back out 10 minutes later I opened the door to a very familiar smell of burned out electrical motors.
The wiper motors couldn’t handle the ice and frozen snow - burned out. The cost for repair - $618.00 US - yowza!. And this was in 1979 US dollars. The whole dashboard had to be removed to change motors.
Just one example. Scheduled tune-up cost - around $400.00 US. Just your basic nickle & dime stuff that ain’t nickle & dime.
Here, in my opinion, is one of the key areas that seperates the Corvette from the Porches, Ferraris and other exotic Hi-perf cars. Very valid if you’re going to use it as an every-day driver. And Chevy garages are all over and there are also a lot of shops that specialize in Corvettes now. No having to look for “Herr Dietriches Autohaus und Porchen-fixer Studio” to get your oil changed or fron end aligned.
And, the Corvettes are designed for daily use.
IMO, the new generation of Corvettes - 1990 onward - are techno triumphs of automotive engineering.
And the 2006 Z06 is the latest embodiment of a world-class high performance vehicle that doesn’t cost the price of a house and require you towing service on speed-dial. :sunglasses:

10

Vettes are for pussies. This is what I’m getting when I get my next bonus.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4

[quote]Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the fastest, most powerful and - no surprise - most expensive production car in the world. . . A 1,001-horsepower two-seater that blasts to 60 miles an hour in 2.5 seconds - and continues pulling all the way to 253 m.p.h. . . .

The key functions only when the vehicle is at a stop. A checklist then establishes whether the car - and its driver - are ready to go for the maximum speed beyond 250 m.p.h. If all systems are go, the rear spoiler retracts, the front air diffusers close and the ground clearance, normally 4.9 inches, drops to 2.6 inches. . .

With four turbochargers, the Veyron’s mighty 8-liter, 16-cylinder power plant produces 1,001 horsepower and enough torque (922 pound-feet) to uproot a redwood. The engine drives all four wheels via a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. Despite extensive use of carbon fiber and aluminum, the Veyron is, at 4,162 pounds, quite heavy. Even so, the car is capable of staggering acceleration: from zero to 125 miles an hour in 7.3 seconds and to 250 in 55.6 seconds, according to Bugatti.

The price, for those indiscreet enough to ask, is $1.2 million in the United States, before taxes. . . [/quote]
nytimes.com/2005/12/25/autom … _popular_4

11

Bugatti Veyron? Bah! If you’re gonna pay that much money, you might as well get a real sportscar:

Koenigsegg sets Supertest Records

BTW, this thread makes me think you guys are somehow unsatisfied with your Xmas presents. :wink:

12

WOW !!!

Thems a couple of Bad Ass Rides!

13

Eh. Rides I will never be able to drive out of a showroom.

Corvette Z06 is still my attainable bad ass dream car. :slight_smile:

14

not a big fan of us muscle cars… and the corvette does nothing for me looks wise… but the ford gt! wow…

15

[quote=“rk1951”]
Yeah I wish it had real kick-ass handeling…this is something American motors lack.[/quote]

You don’t really need handeling if all you are doing is driving straight all the time.

16

[quote=“rk1951”]
Yeah I wish it had real kick-ass handeling…this is something American motors lack.[/quote]

Eh. I think handling is no longer something American cars are weak on. Look at the numbers on the Corvette, Viper and Ford GT. They are all stellar.

As an aside, I noticed there were no handling numbers posted on that Bugatti. And for a car that chunky, I can’t imagine they are very good.

17

I would want a Mercury Mistress if I were to ever buy a new car.

18

Why wouldn’t you buy one second-hand? I’m sure the handling would still be tight. Sometimes it’s good to have a car broken in for you.

19

Why wouldn’t you buy one second-hand? I’m sure the handling would still be tight. Sometimes it’s good to have a car broken in for you.[/quote]

This “particular” model would have to have it’s tolerances tightened and new seals put in before it could ever be sold second hand… :wink:

20

I’m not so worried about the seals as I am about proper hygiene.

As an aside, would buying a Mistress be considered solictation?