2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 First Drive Review

At first glance the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 could easily be mistaken for a GT3-spec racer. Bulging fenders house seriously large rubber, the rear spoiler could have been stripped straight from a racecar, huge tailpipes that look ready to spit hot fire. The $85,000 sports car’s hunkered down stance makes the Z06 look like it is ready to pounce, giving the carbon clad 200 MPH supercharged speed machine a purposeful look. Not to mention that it has a front grill that defies physics.

The Corvette Z06 is available with three stages of aero, each stage adds endplates to the front splitter as well as an adjustable rear spoiler that really does increase down force at speed. By checking the Z07 box on the order form, owners will receive the hardcore aero package with the largest endplates on the front splitter and an adjustable wicker bill on the trunk that can be raised all the way for maximum down force on the rear end. The hard core option also comes shod with a set of nearly street legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup semi slick tires and bespoke Brembo carbon ceramic brakes that work together wonderfully at reducing speed in the Z06, of which there will undoubtedly be plenty.

Replacement for Displacement

Speaking of speed, the Corvette Z06 is now supercharged and the previous generation’s 427 will not be missed. There is a replacement for displacement, and it comes in the way of a 6.2 Liter LT4 V8 with an Eaton blower between the banks that produce a very potent 650 HP. Whichever of the seven manual forward gears (eight in the automatic) you are in, the 2015 Z06 is capable of illegal speeds in a matter of seconds. For those who like to show off with their street legal racecars, the Z06 Carbon Package leaves a bit of the Stingray’s skin uncovered for a peek beneath the curtain, highlighted by the carbon fiber hood and continuing inward. Getting into a Z06 is more like slipping into the cockpit of a fighter jet than stepping into a car. The seating position is way down low in the chassis, and while Corvette seats have never been known to be great, these are equally good on track and driving to work everyday. Once inside the Z06 gives its driver a sense of purpose, the cockpit envelops its occupants, with easy-to-use controls just within reach. The feeling is not one of claustrophobia, but more of a snug, secure sensation.

Traction modes make a difference, but just don’t turn them off. We learned this fact on the track at the Spring Mountain Raceway in Pahrump, NV. The car will rotate in Track Mode. The car will bite you if you don’t show respect, and thanks to the all-new Corvette Performance Monitor, it allows you to collect real time data and share videos on YouTube - so the world will know. The 2015 Corvette Z06 has gone from being the better version of America’s best value sports car to achieving the status of on the of best GT cars in the world and is certainly going to be the sharpest knife in the paddock at any amateur track day, regardless of which flag is flying overhead.

From Road Car to Racecar

The Chevrolet Corvette is commonly referred to as America’s most affordable sports car and with the introduction of the seventh generation Z06 General Motors’ goal was to create America’s best sport car. Chevrolet has demonstrated real track proven success, competing on world-class racetracks against much pricier competition. This is the result of the C7’s structure as well as Team Corvette’s own systems and process. While the engine up front is still a pushrod V8, its 650 supercharged horse power makes it the most powerful production engine ever offered by GM. For the first time in Corvette history, the racecars roll off the same assembly line in Bowling Green as the production cars, and race teams' primary focus is on reducing drag, not creating down force.

With the 2015 Corvette Z06, Chevrolet is bringing the best America has to offer to a wider, more affluent audience. There is now a convertible, as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission (which is actually 60 MPG faster than the seven speed manual). And, why not? This way, track enthusiasts can start at $85,000, then order the hard core Z07 aerodynamic package and carbon ceramic brakes on a sweet convertible with chrome wheels, two pedals and a set of stripes that tops out at $120,000. 

Special Edition Sports Car

Normally, a special edition sports car is designed to resemble the track-only racing version it actually shares little with underneath the skin. This is an attempt by automakers to forge a connection with the most passionate of enthusiasts, fans of motor sport. Thanks to the few who live with gasoline coursing through their veins around the clock, a manufacturer is willing to invest millions upon millions of dollars to win championships. This proves to the potential consumer that this road going clone is definitively the best car out there, and helps dealers sell cars. In fact, a few years ago, Team Corvette dropped down in class to better align their image with other GT2 contenders like Porsche and Ferrari, while using more road car parts than before.

This is not quite the case with Team Corvette. This team of Corvette midwives not only races at Le Mans, but are also responsible for designing your dentist’s new car, and they use the knowledge gained on the track to improve not only the machine, but their processes as humans as well. While the street legal version of the C7.R racecar differs from its roughbred brethren, the pair have never been closer in build. From the start, Team Corvette was handed a hefty task, homologate the C7 to race at Le Mans in 2014. But in order to do that, the Z06 the race car is based on had to be ready to debut by the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January despite being a 2015 model. Traditionally a new car is launched, and then after some development a factory backed racing program takes root and serves as real world R&D, or great PR opportuny. However, Team Corvette needed a foundation to tackle the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2015 Z06 came ready to play.

Z06 as a Track Day Toy

One of the most popular choices for those who frequent High Performance Driver Education, or “track day” events is the Corvette Z06. These cars are chosen because of their affordability, and with very little safety equipment installed, are highly capable on a circuit and can be run all day long. If you start pulling back the carpets, you might even be surprised to see how much extra meat was left behind in places where you might want to weld something like, say, the base of a roll cage to the chassis.

When it comes down to it, the Corvette’s engine began life in a Chevrolet Silverado. Albeit a very high tech and fuel-efficient pick up truck motor, the Chevy Small Block’s pushrod design is quite archaic, which means that it has been engineered to perfection throughout the ages and any small part that you could conceivably replace on your own is available at any auto parts store.

The additional accessibility of an automatic transmission for the first time ever, and, having one less thing to worry while dodging slick grass patches and unbending concrete walls, means that this sort of activity will appeal to a broader range of drivers. They can rest assured that, thanks to the countless miles of competitive endurance racing, their new Corvette has been sorted out to a NASA-like level with track-proven results.

The FRC Story Back Story

When the C5 Corvette was still in the product planning phase, hot off the success of the ZR-1 from the early 1990s, GM bean counters decreed that, for the fifth generation of America’s favorite sports car, there would be a Coupe, a slightly more expensive convertible and a $30,000 entry level Corvette. After a bit of frustration from Team Corvette, what they came up with was a stripped-down, Fixed Roof Corvette (FRC). Thanks to the lack of hatch and removable targa top panel, this car was not only less expensive, but had a stiffer, more responsive chassis as well. Team Corvette continued to tweak the brakes and handling of the FRC, and after 2 years finally found an extra 50 HP in the form of a new “spinner motor.”

The only thing more difficult than designing a lasting piece of work, is to assign it an equally appropriate name; this was the case when the members of Team Corvette found themselves standing around in awe of their creation. Luckily, one staff member/historian noted that, “What y’all have created here, is a Z06.” Before 2001, the Corvette Z06 was a factory option package from the 1960s that included better brakes, beefier suspension and improved cooling. The result was that these rare “tanker” cars had a huge fuel cell, which meant they could race for long distances without having to pull in to the pits. Essentially, the result was a racecar that you could order straight from the factory. Since the C5 Corvette reintroduced the nameplate at the beginning of the new millennium, the Z06 has since been included in the car’s product plan.