Chevrolet’s 2015 Corvette Z06 is a very important vehicle for the company. It needs to be one helluva follow-up to the bow tie gang’s Stingray, the North American Car of the Year. The 50 ‘Vette convoy in which the new Z06 traveled to Detroit’s Cobo Center made the car look as if it was the emperor of Cybertron.Mark Reuss, General Motors’ global head of product development, was on stage to welcome it…to golf claps. Where was the love, people?! “The Big Nasty” rolled out and quickly shed its checkered-flag cover. Chevy’s “most capable Corvette, ever” will pack the rumored supercharged 6.2-liter LT4, which will develop “better than 625 horsepower” and “more than 635 foot-pounds of torque.” Such figures, and the Z06’s co-development with the C7.R race car, helped it beat the C6 ZR1’s time at the Milford Road Course.
In a departure from the out-going Z06, the 2015 model will offer the choice of two transmissions: a seven-speed manual with Active Rev Matching and a GM-sourced 8-speed auto with paddle shifters. (No mention of the latter being a dual-clutch unit.) The new super-Corvette will also have a removable carbon fiber roof panel, the use of which is made possible by the Z06’s 60-percent-stiffer aluminum frame. Other goodies include Magnetic Ride Control, an electronic limited-slip differential, Drive Mode Selector and the Performance Data Recorder we told you about here: https://ls1tech.com/articles/feel-like-professional-racer-without-even-wearing-helmet-corvette-performance-data-recorder/
Then, Dan Ammann, GM’s new president, came out to introduce (or “day-boo”) the direct-injected C7.R to a backdrop of gut-bucket rock music and engine revs. Sadly, its first appearance was quickly overshadowed by Ammann’s bragging about Chevrolet. Here are some of the company’s 2013 highlights:
– The Camaro outsold the Mustang for the fourth year in a row.
– Cars wearing bow ties won the manufacturers’ championships in NASCAR, IndyCar, American Le Mans, Grand Am and World Challenge.
– It moved 26 percent of all performance cars sold in the U.S.
– Even with a 6-month production break (in which to launch the new Stingray), Corvette sales more than doubled those of the Porsche 911.
– The automaker sold nearly 5 million vehicles around the world.
Then…that was it. An underwhelming – and disappointingly short – world premiere for an eagerly anticipated supercar. Hopefully, the actual vehicle will not be such a let-down. Production of the hyperbolic new Corvette begins later this year. Deliveries will start hitting the road in early 2015. In the meantime, you can check www.corvettez06.com for more information.
Did you watch the debut of the Z06? Was it exhilarating or milquetoast? What do you think about Chevy putting an auto on the options list? Is that sacrilege or a forgivable attempt at higher sales?
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
The new super-Corvette will also have a removable carbon fiber roof panel, the use of which is made possible by the Z06’s 60-percent-stiffer aluminum frame. Other goodies include Magnetic Ride Control, an electronic limited-slip differential, Drive Mode Selector and the Performance Data Recorder we told you about here: https://ls1tech.com/articles/feel-like-professional-racer-without-even-wearing-helmet-corvette-performance-data-recorder/
