Auto Car Magazine: Corvette Z06 in Depth (Europe)

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Corvette Z06 in Depth (Europe)

Page 1: Summary
Page 2: Exterior / Interior
Page 3: Performance
Page 4: Body Structure / Chassis
Page 5: Born on the Track
Page 6: Specifications

Fastest, most powerful production Corvette goes on sale in Europe

The Corvette Z06 is the fastest, most powerful production car ever offered by General Motors At its heart is the LS7 V8 engine, achieving 377 kW (512 horsepower) at 6300 rpm. In first gear it delivers a 0-100 km/h performance of 3,9 seconds and it has a top speed of 320 km/h. It is the first time a Corvette Z06 is available in Europe.

The Z06 is developed alongside the Corvette C6.R race car, for the enthusiastic driver seeking super car performance in a vehicle that can be used daily, and offers an unmatched horsepower to price ratio. The Corvette Z06 combines the attributes that have made the sixth-generation Corvette a sales success across Europe, with raw power and endurance race winning know-how, to create the fastest, most powerful production Corvette ever built.

The Corvette racing program has been a five year-long story of domination, the record including four 1-2 double-victories in the GT1 class of the Le Mans 24-Hour race. Derived from the Corvette racing program, the Z06 is a totally unique vehicle that has its own powertrain, body structure and chassis system and a different body structure compared to Corvette Coupe and Convertible. The phrase 'technology transfer' has never been more appropriate than when used to describe Corvette Z06 road car.

LS7: GM's most powerful passenger car engine ever

The 7.0-liter V8, LS7 engine delivers 377 kW (512 DIN horsepower) at 6300 rpm and 637 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. In a car weighing 1418 kg, that adds up to 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.9 seconds in first gear and delivering a top speed of 320 km/h. The engine is also designed to rev to an unprecedented 7000 rpm limit.

Unlike the previous 427 cubic inch (6997 cm³) engine, which was a big-block design, the LS7 is a small-block V-8, the largest-displacement small-block ever produced by GM and a tribute to its 50 years as a performance icon. The LS7 is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering.

Clear examples of the LS7's race-bred technology are its titanium connecting rods; a forged steel crankshaft; forged aluminium flat-top pistons; racing-derived CNC-ported aluminium cylinder heads with titanium intake valves and sodium-filled exhaust valves and titanium pushrods and valve springs. The engine also features deck-plate honing of the cylinders, a procedure normally associated with the building of racing engines and almost unheard of in a production-vehicle engine.

The LS7 has a dry-sump lubrication system designed to keep the engine fully lubricated during the high cornering loads the Corvette Z06 is capable of producing. An engine compartment-mounted reservoir delivers oil at a constant pressure at cornering loads exceeding 1 g. At the rear of the LS7 engine, a single-mass flywheel and lightweight, high-capacity clutch channel torque to the rear mounted six-speed manual transaxle with upgraded limited-slip differential. Stronger axle half-shafts with tougher universal joints transmit power to the rear wheels.

Unique body structure and distinctive, efficient styling

The Z06 has a unique fixed-roof body-style, with an aluminium body structure for optimum stiffness and light weight. Perimeter rails are one-piece hydroformed members featuring castings, stampings and extrusions which replace many welded steel components on other Corvette models. Advanced structural composites featuring carbon fiber are bonded to the aluminium structure in key areas.

The Z06 retains the 2686-mm wheelbase of other Corvette models, but it rides on all-new wheels, tires, brakes and rear spring and roll stabilizer. Distinctive 10-spoke, 18 x 9.5-inch cast-spun aluminium wheels carry 275/35ZR18 tires in the front, and 19 x 12-inch cast-spun aluminium wheels with 325/30ZR19 tires in the rear. Using Goodyear Extended Mobility run-flat technology, they are the largest wheel-and-tire combination ever offered on a Corvette. These make room for huge 355 mm (14-inch) cross-drilled front disc brakes with six-piston calipers and 340 mm (13.4-inch) cross-drilled rear disc brakes with four-piston calipers.

The Z06 model's styling combines the classic cues and expressive new design of the sixth generation Corvette, with an unmistakable and aggressive appearance. Defining features include a wide front fascia and large, forward-facing grille opening, a splitter along the bottom and 'Gurney lips' along the sides to provide aerodynamic downforce. Exposed HID Xenon headlamps are used, with their advantages of lower weight, less complexity and superior lighting performance.

A cold air scoop in front of the hood and a large air extractor located behind the wheel are functional features that mark the Z06 apart. Wider rear fenders with flares cover the massive rear tires, while a rear spoiler both houses the central high mounted stop light and provides sufficient downforce to balance the front splitter without adversely affecting aerodynamic drag. The Z06's Cd is 0.31. Four, larger-diameter stainless steel exhaust tailpipes provide a final visual identifier.

The Z06 is designed to be a daily drivable high-performance vehicle. A Corvette hallmark, the dual cockpit design theme, continues in the interior. Like other 2006 Corvettes, the Z06 has a smaller, 370 mm-diameter three-spoke steering wheel; a revised gauge cluster displays the Z06 logo on the 7000-redline tachometer and has a new readout on the oil pressure gauge to reflect the higher standard pressure of the dry-sump oiling system.

Z06 features include a Bose audio system with an in-dash six-CD changer, a telescoping steering wheel, side airbags and a navigation system with GPS, along with dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and head-up display (HUD) with track mode and g-meter as standard. Heated seats with available two-tone leathering surfaces, Z06-logo embroidery and contrasting stitching, have fixed side bolsters which are more aggressively shaped to better hold the driver when cornering. The acoustic package is revised to reduce weight and allow more aural feedback from the powertrain.

Corvette production currently averages 31,000 cars annually, of which 20 percent are Z06 models. Already no less than 400 pre-launch orders have been placed for the Z06 across Europe. European distributor Cadillac & Corvette Europe expect every one out of four Corvettes sold in Europe is a Corvette Z06. All Corvette models are built in the United States at General Motors' Bowling Green, Kentucky, Assembly Plant.