28 Jan Collection In Action: Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Mike Monk recalls a memorable drive with the late, great Sabine Schmitz in the Corvette hat is now part of the FMM collection…

It is hard to believe that the Chevrolet Corvette has been in production for almost seven decades, during which time there have been seven generations of what was America’s first post-war sports car. Originally designed as a show car for the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, it generated enough interest to encourage GM to put it into production, which began on 30 June 1953. However, the C1, built until 1962, was considered a bit limp in the performance stakes as the 3859cc Blue Flame inline-six, which dated back to 1937. The introduction of a 4342cc small-block V8 in 1955 improved acceleration times by 1,5 seconds, but it was far from a tyre-smokin’ powerhouse. The C1 was a slow but steady seller until 1957 when popularity increased as the car benefitted from a number of revisions and minor facelifts as America’s post-war boom began. And the legend was born…

FMM’s car is a sixth-generation (C6), built between 2005 and 2013, of which two were imported to South Africa by GMSA in late-2010 for promotional purposes, one black the other gold, initially to appear at Auto Africa. Sadly, fairly soon in its life, the black car was written off in an accident when being driven by one of the country’s foremost racing drivers, but thankfully the gold car has survived a punishing career in the hands of a myriad of individuals, all determined to take it to the limit…

One of the car’s earliest tasks was to take part in CAR magazine’s annual performance car shootout for publication in the January 2011 issue. The shootout took place at Zwartkops Raceway and a mix of 12 cars was organised, from hot hatches to race cars, divided into pairs with each pair allocated to a member of the editorial team for overall evaluation. I was Senior Associate Editor at the time and was assigned the two heavy metal sports cars from each side of the Atlantic, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 GT2, and the Corvette – the former built for the track, the latter for the road. This car is that very ’Vette.

Apart from each editor’s evaluation of the cars, as part of the shootout the charismatic German professional racing driver Sabine Schmitz was brought in to drive the cars at Zwartkops and give her opinions. Sabine was best known for her ‘taxi’ exploits around the Nürburgring, and over the years appeared on TV’s Top Gear on numerous occasions. Sadly, Sabine died of cancer in March 2021 at the age of 51, following a diagnosis in late 2017.Top Gear even screened a programme about her, such was her popularity.

Around Zwartkops’ challenging layout, both the car and Sabine proved to be immense fun. Sitting alongside, listening to her commentary and enjoying the experience as she powered the Z06 around the track, our first session nevertheless proved frustrating because without the benefit of a handbook, we had not managed to completely dial-out all of the car’s two-stage ESP system. “This car’s castrated,” was Sabine’s comment before the first lap was over. We completed the session but were dissatisfied, so played around with the electronics until finally we found the full lock-out mode. Back to the track, and I was not about to complain…

This time Sabine really got into the spirit of the car, steering as much with the accelerator as she was with the wheel – “I love drifting” – each slip and slide bringing on a burst of laughter from us both. “Love the seven-litre engine. Everything is perfect, brakes are really good, nothing to complain about. Every lap was the same. I had fun!” were her immediate post-run comments. In the post-shootout wrap-up, Sabine always mentioned the Corvette and rated the car third out of the demon dozen. For sure, a memorable occasion.

The C6 was more an evolution of the preceding C5 rather than a complete makeover. Wider front and rear fenders and a front air scoop were the obvious visual differences, along with stiffer springs, shocks and anti-roll bars. The adoption of an all-aluminium monocoque was a Corvette first, and together with the use of some magnesium parts and carbon fibre panels (the footwells have a carbon fibre skin and balsawood core) helped keep weight to a respectable (for such a large car) 1 440 kg. Moving the battery to the boot helped overall weight distribution. Improved build quality was a C6 target, and the Z06 came equipped with leather trim, high-intensity discharge headlights, dual-zone air conditioning and a heads-up-display with track modes and a g-meter as standard.

The Z06 featured a V8 with capacity increased from 5,7 to 6,0 litres. The Z06 model appeared the following year with a 427ci (7008cc) small-block V8 – the largest small-block ever offered by GM. With just a single overhead-cam and two valves per cylinder, it pumped out 377 kW at 6 300 r/min and 637 N.m of torque at 4 800. Dry-sump lubrication was a feature. Driving through a six-speed manual transaxle, a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 3,7 seconds was claimed, a standing-start quarter-mile in 11,7 seconds at 125 km/h, along with a top speed of 319 km/h. Despite the engine’s size, the Z06’s fuel economy was rated a reasonable 16 ℓ/100 km in the city, and 9,8 ℓ/100 km on the highway.

As a matter of interest, commencing with the 2011 model year, Z06 buyers were offered the ‘Corvette Engine Build Experience’. Buyers paid extra to be flown to the Wixom, Michigan Performance Build Centre to help assemble the engine. Then later they took delivery of the car at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The Z06 rides on 18-inch alloys up front and 19-inchers behind. Four-channel ABS was utilised with 14-inch cross-drilled discs grasped by red, six-piston calipers up front and 13,4-inch discs with four-piston calipers at the back, all cooled by bodyside air ducts. Rubberware consists of 275/35ZR18 tyres up front and noticeably wider 325/30ZR19s at the back. An active handling system complete with a ‘competitive driving’ mode was also standard.

Simply getting behind the wheel sets the pulses racing. The view over the w-i-d-e bonnet flanked by raised fenders is impressive intimidating almost. Yet the cockpit is snug, cocooning in fact. Everything is at hand and pressing the button to fire up unearths the rumble and sound that epitomises big-capacity American V8s. The clutch is nicely weighted, the stubby gear shift is snick-snick precise and once on the move the engine’s torque characteristics come to the fore. In fact, it has so much grunt that if you only had third gear it would allow the driver to gingerly pull away and reach well over the Imperial ton…

The heads-up display is easy to read, and is a reminder of the bonnet-mounted rev-counters that became fashionable on ’60s muscle cars. The seat is comfy without being particularly supportive given the g-forces the car can pull through corners, and the ride is hard as one would expect, but the Z06 creates an immediate sense of contentment and enjoyment that makes one look for an excuse to go for a drive. Play hooligan even. No matter what the intent, there is a sense of never being let down. Er, except this car displayed some dodgy electrics throughout its life, especially with the central locking system. You just have to patiently follow a strict procedure to avoid frustration…

But that aside, the Corvette Z06 is an absolute delight to drive. It feels unburstable and 12 years down the line with around 13 000 km recorded on the odo, it still looks great, the gold paintwork glistening in the summer sun. The last C6 was manufactured in February 2013 and it represents one of the best generations of the iconic Corvette.

Oh, lest you are wondering, the Corvette got the nod over the Aston…

FMM’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is currently on view in Hall D.