The Z06’s new LS7 7.0L engines delivers 505 horsepower (377 kw) in an approximately 3,130-pound (1,420 kg) package - a combination that delivers 0-60 performance of 3.7 seconds, quarter-mile elapsed times of less than 12 seconds and a top speed of more than 190 mph on a racetrack or Autobahn.
The all-new LS7 in the ’06 Z06 reintroduces the 427-cubic-inch engine to the Corvette lineup. Unlike the previous 427 engine, which was a big-block design, the new 7.0-liter LS7 is a small-block V-8 - the largest-displacement small-block ever produced by Chevrolet and GM, and a tribute to its 50 years as a performance icon.
The entire chassis has been converted from steel to light weight aluminum, except for the roof rails and engine cradle. It is 200lbs lighter than the standard Vette, but has better tortional regidity.....
This is a mega beast of a car, and Chevy pulled out the obligatory Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times to make the point. With Jan Magnussen, winner of the 2004 and 2005 Le Mans 24 Hour, at the helm, the Z06 clocked a seven-minute, 42.99-second lap of the 13-mile Green Hell, 16 seconds faster than a Z51-equipped C6 Corvette. Porsche’s US$440,000, 604-hp Carrera GT, with a seven-minute, 32.44-second lap, is the only production car to have gone quicker. For perspective, Lamborghini’s US$283,000, 580-hp Murciélago clocked in at seven minutes, 50 seconds, and the US$452,000, 617-hp McLaren-Mercedes SLR at seven minutes, 52 seconds.
The ZO6 Vette is the only car in the USA over 400hp to pass the federal gas guzzler tax requirements..... and at a base price of US $65,800 it has to be the bargain of the century. Although it doesnt have the ultra WOW factor of the slower F430 Ferrari, it is a car that legends are made of.
