Summary
- The original Z06 was born for racing: The first Corvette Z06 arrived in 1963 as a road-course-focused package, with only 199 produced and sold.
- It wasn't exactly a luxury Corvette: The C2 Z06 was all about performance, with a 327, four-speed transmission, upgraded suspension, massive brakes, and an optional 36.5-gallon fuel tank.
- The Z06 name disappeared and came back swinging: The 2001 Corvette Z06 brought the legendary name back with a 5.7-liter LS6 V8 producing 385 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque.
- The LS6 wasn't just an LS1 with a few tweaks: Corvette engineers redesigned the intake, cylinder heads, combustion chambers, camshaft, valve springs, pistons, and other components to build a serious high-performance V8.
- The power had somewhere to go: A beefed-up clutch, larger driveshaft, revised M12 six-speed transmission, and shorter lower gears helped put the LS6's power to the pavement.
- The suspension meant business: The FE4 setup brought revised shocks, a stiffer rear transverse leaf spring, and stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars.
- The tires got serious, too: Wider Goodyear Eagle F1 SC tires and lightweight 10-spoke wheels gave the Z06 the hardware it needed for hard cornering.
- Chevrolet went hunting for pounds: Titanium mufflers, lighter glass, and the elimination of run-flat tires helped bring the Z06's curb weight down to 3,118 pounds.
- The Cobra R had a fight on its hands: Ford's Cobra R produced the same 385 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque, but the Z06 offered more street-friendly equipment while still delivering serious track performance.
- The numbers backed up the attitude: The Z06 was capable of 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, a 12.7-second quarter-mile at 113 mph, a 170-mph top speed, and .98 Gs in cornering, according to the figures presented in the article.
The 2001 Corvette Z06 wasn't just another C5 Corvette. It brought the Z06 name back from the past, where track-focused attitude, serious hardware, and performance were the name of the game.
The 2001 Z06 was potent, had very little competition, and made it easy for Chevrolet to mock their Ford Mustang revivals.
So when and why did this Z06 phenomenon start?
1963 Corvette Z06
The first Z06 became available in 1963, and only 199 were produced and sold. The Corvette Z06's sole purpose was to be sold for road-course racing. These cars came equipped with a 327-cu.-in. (5.4-liter) engine, a four-speed transmission, beefed-up suspension, and a massive brake-system upgrade that included dual master cylinders. Buyers could also check the box for an optional 36.5-gallon fuel tank.
The thing about these C2 Corvette Z06s was that you didn't just walk into a dealership and buy one. You had to know which boxes to check on the order form if you wanted one of these race-ready RPO Z06 Corvettes. And, just like the 2001 Corvette Z06, you didn't get many luxuries with the car.
It was truly built for one thing:
Going fast.
2021 Corvette Z06
This Corvette was built to surprise and dominate the market. The Z06 was designed for the track and pushed the boundaries of what was really possible from a production car that could drive to the track, lay down better times than its competition, and then drive back home with the air conditioning kicking and the radio blasting.
Engine And Transmission
The LS6 is essentially a more powerful version of Corvette's LS1 V8. The LS6 engine upgrades started with a redesigned intake manifold featuring better-flowing internal passageways. Reengineered cylinder heads created more flow through the intake and exhaust valves, while the combustion chambers were redesigned to reduce valve shrouding.
All these upgrades led to a higher compression ratio, which then required a redesigned thin-wall cast-iron exhaust manifold system to provide a smoother exit for the exhaust gases.
Of course, all that extra airflow wouldn't be worth much without a redesigned camshaft. Corvette engineers installed a beefier cam with more valve overlap and greater valve lift. Chrome-vanadium-steel valve springs and stronger pistons cast from a more durable alloy were also part of the engine's design for added toughness.
And finally, the LS6 was engineered with windows cast into the internal crankcase walls to help air escape from underneath the burning-hot pistons.
This new engine setup gave the Corvette Z06 385 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 385 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 RPM, with a 6,500-RPM redline.
Between all that power and the rear wheels was a beefed-up clutch with lighter pedal effort, a larger-diameter driveshaft, and a revised six-speed manual transaxle. The new M12 gearbox received shorter first-, second-, and third-gear ratios to better utilize the higher-revving LS6. All gears were 10 to 16 percent shorter except fourth gear, which remained the same.
2001 Corvette Z06 Suspension
More power always means more changes all around. To accommodate the power of the LS6, Corvette went with a new FE4 suspension that included revised shock calibrations, a stiffer rear transverse leaf spring setup, and stiffer anti-roll bars for the front and rear.
To add some ground support, each corner of the Vette received 1-inch-wider tires, bringing them up to 9.5 inches wide in the front and 10.5 inches wide in the back. New custom lightweight 10-spoke wheels were wrapped in Goodyear F1 Eagle tires: 265/40ZR-17s in the front and 295/35ZR-18s in the rear. The F1 Eagle SC tires were designed with more flexible sidewalls by doing away with the famous run-flat tire design. This permitted a half-degree more negative camber to keep the tread flatter during hard cornering for track use.
To prove the Corvette was built for business, engineers found places around the car where they could shave pounds off the curb weight. Helping save weight was the deletion of the run-flat tire design, titanium mufflers, and lighter windshield and rear glass, all of which helped bring the Corvette’s curb weight down to 3,118 pounds, 38 pounds lighter than its original form. A lot of weight was saved with the titanium mufflers alone, but the added weight of the new suspension offset a lot of those weight savings.
Step Aside Cobra R
The Cobra R was making some big waves at the track. Performance numbers were pretty impressive, and the Corvette Z06 was Chevrolet's answer to those performance numbers.
The Cobra R and the Z06 were pretty close in performance numbers at the time (numbers for Z06 below). The Cobra R turned numbers out of its 5.4-liter that looked a little like this: 385 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (the same as the Z06), 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 13.2 (Ford tested) and 12.9 (Motor Trend tested) with a top speed of 170 mph, and stops from 60-0 in 127 feet.
Although the numbers were somewhat close, the Corvette beat out the Cobra R in other places. The Cobra R lacked air conditioning, an audio system, rear seats, sound dampening, and cruise control. The Corvette also lacked a back seat, but that's because it was never meant to have one; it wasn't a compromise. Also, because of the limited number of Cobra Rs that were built, the sticker price showed $55,5ish, but you couldn't buy one for under $75,000. The Corvette Z06 stuck pretty close to its price tag of just under $50,000 without a lot of limited edition inflation.
Let's Go Over Some 2001 Corvette Z06 Numbers
The 2001 Corvette Z06's proof of superiority is in the numbers. A 0-60-mph time is recorded at 4.3 seconds, and a 70-mph to 0 stop takes only 152 feet. In a quarter-mile sprint, the Corvette can cover it in 12.7 seconds at 113 mph. Hitting 150 mph will only take you 28 seconds total, while a top speed of 170 mph is easily manageable. Although the top speed does suffer a little bit as the C5 Vettes will hit 175 mph, that's because of the Z06's closer transmission clutch gear ratios.
Hitting corners is another place where the Corvette Z06 shows no mercy to its competitors. Pulling .98 Gs in and out of corners is just what this sports car does, and that actually beats out all other sports cars out there, including the Viper GTS and the Ferrari 360 Modena, which are above the Corvette Z06's price bracket by a lot.
Z06 Performance Built
Making sure everything was performance-built was what this Corvette was all about. Even both the dual mesh grilles in the front and the rear brake coolers in front of the rear wheel wells are completely functional.
The 2001 Corvette Z06 is just like the new Z06s. Although classified as a sports car, it performs like a supercar compared to its competition.
