Proof finally arrived in 2006 that the Americans can actually make a car that drives well. In fact, jaws could be heard shattering against polished marble office floors in Maranello and Stuttgart when the same country that produced such automotive horrors as the AMC Gremlin built a car which lapped the 'Ring faster than just about anything out of Europe at the time.
This one (thanks to PHer 'Gaz' for the spot) recently came up for sale with a dealer in Leicester (who also happens to have a 600bhp Skyline in stock by the way...), just after I'd given up on finding one to cover for our 200mph-ish feature. Typical...
Anyway, this one has been imported from the States and shows a full service history including a CarFax report (the American equivalent of HPI) and an HPI report. Also, it's just been sent to Corvette specialists Dart Corvette for a full health check. It came back positive but with the advice that the front brake pads (...all 12 of them) be replaced, which the vendor is having done as we speak. This is a very, very good thing because a full set of front pads costs (drum roll...) £286, and no, that doesn't include fitting - which would be around £100 at a specialists.
Aside from the cost of the brake pads these things are good news. GM is happy for the oil to be changed every 10,000 miles, although a specialist I spoke to recommended changes at every 6,000 miles. There are of course downsides to every car, and the 'Vette has its fair share. First of all you can only get them in LHD (although I'm told that the Australians have converted some to RHD), which some people are happy with, whilst others wouldn't even entertain the idea. The seats too are a bit of an oddity. They're really comfortable for touring but, ironically, fall short if you want a seat to hold you sufficiently under hard cornering.
I reckon £39,475 is stratospheric money for a 2006 car - you could probably find an 08 model for that money, but that's the thing; there are very few of these on the market. You can import them yourself, but don't forget that you'll need to have the electrics converted by people like these at a cost of around £1500 - and that's after you've gone through the whole importing rigmarole.
Owning a Z06 demands compromises, but in terms of Nurburgring lap times versus outlay, they're a bit of a bargain, surely?
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