The C6 is the sixth generation of Chevrolet Corvette produced from 2005 to 2013. The C6 turned the Corvette into a superhero. Anything that could have been improved up from the previous generations was, which made for a car that exceeded everyone’s expectations. The objective of bringing up the C6 was to help the current recipe evolve into something better which was greatly achieved.
To achieved a compact kind of machine, five inches was cut off from the length and one inch was shaved from the sides, while the wheelbase actually increased a little over an inch. Chief Designer Tom Peters, drew inspiration from airplanes, specifically the YF-22 fighter. Its aggressive looks came from the wide and pointed fender curves, sharp rear lines, and tapered cockpit style which communicate the aeronautical influence perfectly. The aerodynamics of the car was developed with the C6.R GT racecar in mind. To maximize cooling and low drag coefficients the production engineers revert back to the center grille opening as opposed to the split grill of the C5 (and several Pontiac models of the time). Let take a closer look at some of the car features.
The Striking Design
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This automotive icon comes with a quartet of circular rear lights that harks back to the original C1 ‘Vette from 1953. The long bonnet and low, sleek roofline are clearly traceable back to the C3 of 1968.
The ‘Vette is smaller, lighter, more agile and faster across the ground, the wheelbase was increased by 30mm despite the overall length and width shrinking by 125mm and 25mm respectively. The C6 is also around 100kg lighter than before at just 1517kg, despite bigger 18in wheels at the front and 19in at the rear.
The C6 and Z06 have many similarities, except a few vents and a Gurney flap on the rear deck. The more focused Grand Sport adds a more elaborate vent treatment behind the rear wheels and some graphics.
The ZR-1 features bespoke wheels and badging, and black bumper and sill extensions. A clear cover in the carbon fiber bonnet allows an unobstructed view of the engine, which looks only a step away from the ‘shaker scoops’ fitted to a range of iconic muscle cars.
The Posh Interior
The interior design was refined as the ’90s puffy and the plastic style was replaced with aluminum accents and a simpler design that still retained the twin-cowl dash that started with the C2. It also retained its characteristic dual-cockpit design theme that saw passengers literally inserting themselves inside having opened one of the huge, long doors
The quality of materials used in the C6 interior is also better than before as full leather comes standard. The finishing is of the highest standard softer and richer surfaces. The C6 sat-nav and the trip computer are equally antique.
Coupé models have a fabric and plastic cover arrangement, rather than a proper tonneau. The boot area is large measuring 634 liters which is larger than the convertible’s 144 liters. The challenge faced by this large cargo space is that it is open to the cabin, whereby luggage can slide forward under heavy braking.
Convertible models also have a proper electric hood, although you still have to unclip or re-clip the roof in place on the header rail manually, which is not the case with most of its rivals like Porsche and BMW as the entire operation occurs automatically.
The Performance
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The Chevrolet C6 Corvette comes with an LS engine under its hood which punched out to 6.0 liters. The compression was bumped up to 10.9:1 and the intake was redesigned to flow 15 percent more air. This shot the power up to 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque maintaining its stance as a performance car. Its six-speed Tremec T-56 came as standard equipment with an automatic as an option. An updated version of the C4 and C5’s Computer Aided Gear Selection (CAGS) was included to allow drivers to skip from first to fourth gear when driving at low revs, around-town speeds. This sneaky little feature allowed Chevrolet to circumvent the gas guzzler tax that many other high-performance cars succumbed to at the time.
The Chevrolet C6 Corvette get really exciting with its Z06 and ZR1 editions. The Z06 featured a fire-breathing, hand-built 427ci (7.0-liter) LS7 engine with titanium connecting rods. It was kept healthy under spirited driving via a dry-sump oiling system. The frame was made of aluminum instead of steel, and the fiberglass was ditched in favor of carbon fiber front fenders just to shake off some weight. Like the C5 Z06, much of the insulation within the chassis was removed. 275 front and 325mm-wide rear came standard, wrapped around bespoke forged aluminum wheels. Six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers were tucked behind for maximum stopping power, a necessity considering the car flew to 60 mph in just under four seconds and ran an 11.7-second quarter-mile at 125 mph.
The ZR1 badge returned in 2009 and came back with a vengeance. The special 6.2-liter LS9 engine had a blower strapped to it making 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque. Giant carbon Brembo brakes and stopped this monster in 97 feet and after it got to 60 mph in a mere 3.3 seconds. The roof, hood, fender, rocker panels and front splitter were all made of carbon fiber to keep things light. The magnetic dampers made for laser-precise handling rivaled the best of European manufactures.
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