King of the ‘Vette hill can hold its own with any supercar
I was assigned the Cadillac ATS-V Coupe for the weekend. When I arrived in the parking garage and discovered that it was equipped with an automatic, I ran upstairs for another set of keys and discovered those of a Chevrolet Z06 convertible, also equipped with an automatic. I hadn’t really spent time in an Aisin eight-speed-equipped Z06 since shortly after the car’s launch, and you know, V8.
As you know, the current king of Corvette hill is a monster. With 650 hp and 650 lb-ft, it will readily turn tires to smoke under normal conditions. (When the air temperature drops, those big rear tires tend to behave like the solid-plastic rear tires of a big wheel, so be careful out there.) It’s not just a smoke machine though; the Z06 will take you around your chosen racetrack faster than just about anything with blinkers, provided it stays cool. Depending on who you ask, it may or may not stay cool in certain on-track situations.
The days of poorly assembled Corvettes with shoddy interiors are long gone. Aside from badge snobbery, there’s no other reason to ignore the Z06 when considering the purchase of a supercar. Plus, anyone who places value on the badge of a European sportscar maker is living in the ’90s. They all make trucks now, get over it.
The Corvette interior is miles ahead of past models.
OTHER VOICES
“The Z06 is almost too fast for the streets. Any time I even thought about going to the throttle, the back tires spun. It’s truly a one-season car. Interior materials are way better than they used to be, and Chevy even managed to keep things relatively civil when the top is up.” –Jake Lingeman, road test editor
“This thing’s a monster. I mean that as a compliment. It’s only about 60 hp shy of a NASCAR Sprint Cup car. Lordy. And yet it’s so drivable. The knob on the center console controls everything. Put the control knob in Eco or Tour and the car just cruises around town as nice as can be. Sport quickens the steering and firms the suspension a bit. Track — holy cow, Track! — the exhaust opens up, the steering is razor sharp, launch control is available, the suspension is stiffer — you get the idea. Put the car in Track mode and turn off the traction control and you’re poking a tiger with a stick.” –Wes Raynal, editor
“At $ 85K, this is the most supercar the average guy can afford but at no point do you feel like you are settling.” –Ken Ross, executive creative director
OPTIONS:
3LZ Premium Equipment Group ($ 8,650), Z07 Ultimate Performance package ($ 7,995), Carbon Fiber Visible Package ($ 3,995), competition sport seats ($ 2,495), eight-speed automatic ($ 1,725), gas guzzler tax ($ 1,300), caron fiber interior package ($ 995), Velocity yellow tintcoat ($ 995), custom caliper color — yellow ($ 595), carbon flash hood stripe ($ 500), Z06 black aluminum wheels ($ 495), carbon flash painted spoiler and outside mirrors ($ 100)
