Care to give the performance with the first two engines? Do you have the numbers for the original SBC that came in the car? -track times would be most interesting.

With the latest supercar horsepower tango pouring out of Europe, GM can't stand to see the already potent 500hp Corvette Z06 gazed down upon as a second rate supercar. Instead GM is developing an alleged supercharged 600hp Z06 with carbon fiber components dubbed the "Blue Devil" as reported by Autoweek in a recent interview with General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz. With a curb weight hovering around 2900 lbs. and a price tag starting at $100,000 the European competition should be breaking into a cold sweat as the Blue Devil seen here making laps around Germany's Nurbürgring passes by.


Commentary:
There is no denying this devil in a blue dress will drop jaws with amazing performance but the best and worst part is the price tag. The price is the best part in terms of having an obtainable super car for non-millionaires. However, the worst part is the absence of status and exclusivity that comes with an exotic super sports car's astronomical price tag. Price it too low and the Blue Devil will never shake that second tier reputation no matter how good it performs. Bargains are for the frugal minded and in the realm of supercars this doesn't mix. It is well known that GM has the capability to build amazing cars of such caliber but in the midst of financial difficulty the Blue Devil is a bit inappropriate. GM should stop trying to shed light on its model line by creating an artificial halo effect from an affordable super car. Instead they should concentrate more on anticipating consumer tastes and make desirable products as a result. And I'm not talking about making more SUV's.

The concept here is simple. Start with the already stunning Corvette Z06. Add a supercharger to its 7-liter V8, yielding something north of 600 HP. Use enough carbon fiber to bring the weight down to 2900 lbs or so (about the weight of a Cobalt SS). Call it the Blue Devil, charge approximately $100,000, and let the debate begin. Will it be the fastest vehicle for the money? Almost certainly. Will it be "exclusive" enough to justify the price; that is, does it look too much like its more pedestrian siblings? Frankly, I don't care. It could look like a minivan, and I'd still want one. Rumor from a year or so ago had it that GM was having difficulty getting the lower end to survive at those power levels (keep in mind just how stringent WOT testing is at the OEM level), but it's reasonable to think that they've figured out how to fix those problems by now. Look for this in the 2007 model year.