Corvette Z06: a race-bred 500bhp
The new, high-performance Corvette Z06 will make its European debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend of 24 - 26 June. The 2006 Corvette Z06 was introduced in January 2005 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and is, according to maker GM, the fastest, most powerful car it's ever made.
GM plays on the race-winning history of the marque. In its five years, the C5-R racing programme took 35 victories in 55 races, four American Le Mans Series championships, and three double victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans -- plus its Le Mans class win yesterday. By winning every race in the 2004 season, the Corvette C5-R racing team wrapped up the most successful era in Corvette’s 50-year racing history.
Corvette chief engineer linked the Corvette race programme with the road-going car's DNA. He said, “The new Z06 is the dividend from competing so successfully in endurance racing. It combines the strong attributes of the new, sixth-generation Corvette with the spirit, technology and know-how from the race programme to form an American supercar with outstanding credentials.”
The new Z06 produces 500bhp and is expected to deliver 0-60 mph performance of less than four seconds, cover the quarter-mile in less than 12 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 190mph.
The links between racing and the production Z06 are both direct and indirect, according to GM, as the vehicle was developed in conjunction with the C6.R racecar. They boil down to the application of lessons that could only have been learned after countless laps of endurance racing – everything from suspension geometry to aerodynamics. The end product is a unique vehicle with its own powertrain, body structure and chassis system, distinct from other Corvette models.
Previous Z06 models, from the original 1963 model to the 2001-04 editions, incorporated suspension and/or engine upgrades that complemented existing Corvette systems. Specifications for the ’06 model include:
- LS7 7.0-litre Gen IV V-8 hand-built engine using lightweight reciprocating components such as titanium connecting rods and intake valves and dry-sump lubrication
- 500bhp at 6,200rpm, 475lb-ft of torque at 4,800rpm, 7,000rpm redline
- Aluminium body structure with one-piece hydro-formed perimeter rails frame and magnesium front cradle, fixed roof design with carbon-fibre composite front wings and front wheel arches, front fascia incorporating a larger grille, cold-air scoop and lower air splitter, wide-body rear wings and a unique rear spoiler incorporated with the CHMSL
- Fourteen-inch (355 mm) cross-drilled front disc brakes with six-piston callipers and 13.4-inch (340 mm) cross-drilled rear rotors with four-piston callipers
- 18 x 9.5-inch front wheels with 275/35ZR18 tyres and 19 x 12-inch rear wheels with 325/30ZR19 tyres
- 3-inch diameter exhaust with bi-mode mufflers and larger polished stainless steel tips
- Rear-mounted battery to improve weight distribution
- Unique interior features including revised gauge cluster, lightweight two-tone seats with more aggressive bolsters
- Kerb weight of 1,419.7Kg (estimated)
- Three inches (76.2 mm) wider than other Corvette models
- Vehicle developed simultaneously with C6.R racecar
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