C7 MARKS END OF ERA
The last of the front-engine ’Vettes righted all of the American sports car’s wrongs
The Chevrolet Corvette is not a slave to tradition — it’s a slave to function. It hasn’t remained front-engined all this time simply because enthusiasts want the engine in a certain place to preserve the classic Corvette formula. GM has done so because this aids its function.
Sometimes, that function is less sexy than lap times. In the days when the Corvette shared suspension components with the Chevelle, it kept the overall cost down and allowed more generous cargo room, making it a proper long-distance car.
The upcoming mid-engine C8 changes the Corvette formula we’ve known for 66 years, but before we drive the C8, let’s see what the front-engine C7 brings.
Sheathed in fibreglass as they’ve been from the beginning, the C7 slices a menacing profile. The hood is long and low, bounded by muscular bulges. Every corner of the C7 is sharp, violent and trimmed with black aerodynamic bits. The wings, scoops and vents are all real, and you can feel the heat roiling out of them after a spirited drive. This is the supercharged Z06 variant; slide into the cockpit and a data plaque proudly tells you this rocket makes 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.
There are a lot of Corvette sub-models and the Z06 is second from the top; above it sits the all-conquering 755-hp ZR1 track animal. Below is the base, naturally aspirated ’Vette with 465 hp, as well as the Grand Sport — which, interestingly enough, is essentially a Z06 but with the base engine. In addition to the supercharged engine, the Z06 gets wider fenders, a host of aerodynamic enhancements, and wider tires: 285 millimetres up front, and 335 in the rear.
The C7 is also the last Corvette to offer a manual transmission. You can spec the seven-speed manual in any Corvette model, but in an odd move, this particular Z06 had the eight-speed automatic transmission. Talk about a missed opportunity.
Climbing into the C7, you’ll see something no future Corvette will ever give you: A long hood with a V-8 underneath. The pronounced centre bulge never lets you forget a fat supercharger sits atop the LT5 engine.
I like the dramatically sweeping cockpit that surrounds the driver, and the digital cluster and central tachometer tell you this is a car to drive. Alcantara covers the dash binnacle, shifter and steering wheel. And don’t forget the oh-so-trick quilted suede headliner. Corvette interiors have come a long way.
And so have the seats. They’ve almost gone too far, actually. The test car was equipped with the optional Competition seats. They have adjustable side bolsters, but they really only adjust from “too tight” to “even more tight.” I can’t imagine that wider people would be very comfortable in them, but if you want to do real track work in your Z06, these seats will certainly hold you in place. The passenger gets two “Oh, crap!” handles. There are plenty of cubbies for your things and the rear cargo area is more than generous for a couple’s luggage for a weekend getaway.
The Corvette likes being driven slowly or straight-up fast. None of the “quickly” malarkey for the Z06. Around town, the automatic transmission is buttery smooth, the shifts almost imperceptible. The ride is sports-car firm.
In the city, the major downside is the constant battle of the various fans against under-hood heat; they must use a lot of energy because urban fuel efficiency is downright atrocious. On the highway, though, the Corvette’s double-overdrive automatic and extremely long 2.41:1 rear axle gears drop engine revs down to under 2,000 at brisk highway speeds, getting a respectable 10.2 L/100 kilometres.
When you want to go fast, the Z06 is willing and ready. It will absolutely catapult you into the horizon at any speed. The rear tires are huge, but they’ll still squirm around during full throttle at any speed under 110 km/h. I simply can’t imagine what this car is like as the ZR1, with its extra 100 hp.
But it’s the driving in the spaces in between those two extremes in which the Z06, and especially the automatic Z06, doesn’t excel. At anything other than full throttle, the paddle-shifts are lazy and slow, sometimes with almost a second of lag between pulling a paddle and actually shifting into the next gear. In full-auto mode, the shifts are fine, but the transmission is eager to shift early.
Should you buy a Corvette Z06? If you are all about track driving, there isn’t a faster or more capable car anywhere near this price range. But for those who simply want a sports car to drive around on the street, the Grand Sport may be a better all-rounder. It won’t match the raw power of the Z06, but the times you can really open the taps on the Z06 on the street are so infrequent, it hardly matters.
The C7 finally righted all the Corvette wrongs. For decades, people complained about inferior interiors, poor assembly quality, wayward handling and fast-fading brakes. But the C7 is nearly without fault. Farewell, front-engine Corvette.