That is so nasty…. I love this thing…. I just wish they would make the interior a lil nicer…….. I can’t imagine the times this thing will make… high 10’s? 200mph plus? i think so…….

cant you americans come out with something different. this same basic design has been used for too long now. it even uses leaf springs and all the body panels are plastic. mehhh.. another american piece of ****.

We won’t be remotely happy until we get to 10,000HP!!!! hehehe…..

Seriously, I like the HP, but I wonder how much gas this thing will guzzle. I remember reading an article in Engine Masters about a year ago on how GM is developing a motor with displacement on demand. Perhaps they may put it in the ‘Vette. But then again, people who drive such high HP cars probably don’t care about mileage.

Yeah but warmasice, except for the side read panels of my BMW 6er, all the rest of the panels are made out of hi-tech polymers… in other words, plastic.

how the guy above (warmasice) found a way to complain about THIS car is beyond me! which year Corvette are you referring to?… leaf springs??? sheeesh

Hate to break it to you, but the Z06 gets about 28 MPG, and that’s without the DOD (Displacement on Demand) technology that is in other current GM vehicles (Read: SUV’s). The reason it can attain this is because of the broad power band, and the long 6th gear, allowing for low rev’s at highway cruising speed.

warmasice, you obviously have no idea about the Z06’s leaf springs. They aren’t like the ones in trucks. They’re transverse springs. They’re lighter than coils, lower the center or gravity, and last longer.

SOME OF YOU PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT THINGS LIKE THIS ARE SO STUPID I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY

You can develop the dime store interior while your at it, GM.

Lots of that car is carbon fiber, by the way. The only leaf spring involved in the suspension is the transverse carrier spring that mounts to the rear differential/transmission and rear hubs. How anyone can talk **** about this car is beyond me. Brand loyalists are silly people =p

Maybe 6 years down the line, I’ll pick up a used Blue Devil. This thing is SEXY.

Where’d you get the car is CF?

Bad ass car.

Excellent. For the love of G-d, don’t screw this one up GM!

It sounds like it’ll be a great car. It also sounds like they won’t be producing it for very long with upcoming emissions regulations.

GM still sold rear wheel drive cars in the 1970’s but with small detuned V-8’s, V-6’s and rear-drive inline-fours…

Hell, if they can build a new superVette, why can’t they still give people a partial serving of what they want throughout the lineup.

————->I can’t imagine what kinda times this thing is gonna produce……..under 3k pounds???650hp????that’s just straight NASTY!!!!!!

—————>and I would STILL challenge him from a streetlight with my SRT-4….i’d like to feel my car choke off from him smokin me sooo bad……lol…..

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS GUY TO COME OUT AND RIP IT UP!!!

“That is so nasty…. I love this thing…. I just wish they would make the interior a lil nicer…….. I can’t imagine the times this thing will make… high 10’s? 200mph plus? i think so…….”

The Z06 is already capable of running high-10 second quarter-miles with nothing but a set of drag radials. With the stock run-flats, it can run basically 11 flat.

Warmasice—I’m just curious: what would it take for an American car manufacturer to impress you? You seem to think that it ought to compete with the European supercars in order to have any respect. Well, in fact, Corvette DOES compete with the supercars, and in many cases, beats them in performance and handling. I’m referring to the Z06 here. Anybody can build a supercar for $200K, but the amazing thing about Corvette is that it outperforms many of the Europeans for 1/3 of their price. AND it still gets over 25MPG on the highway.

So no, the Corvette is NOT a Carrera GT, or a Gallardo, or a F430—Chevrolet doesn’t pretend that it is. But it IS a world-class performer for 1/3 the price of the “big dogs”.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06: $73,000 26 MPG highway
Ferrari F430: $168,000 16 MPG highway
Porsche GT: $484,000 16 MPG highway
Ford GT: $150,000 21 MPG highway

Have I made my point?

Oh, and by the way—-can anybody tell me what “meh” means?

it’s 2009. MOST DEFINITELY WILL NOT GET 26 MPG HIGHWAY. Remember, it will be using the revised fuel economy system starting 2008.

Nice car but crappy interior. I’ve been inside and actually drove it for a bit. It was a company car of my neighbor.
For 75,000 grand, at least, please use better interior materials!!!!!!

That is one ****TY interior for a $70+k car.

This car is going to be amazing. As far as the interior goes I’m thinking it going to be more hardcore to match the performance ie…. racing style seats, alacantra everything and bare CF. I mean , they a least have to change those seats. RIGHT!?

Damn some of you people are crazy. Sorry I don’t have the time to follow it every since it was a small rumor. I was just asking a question.

Chill.

Nice car

It’ll definitely break 200…The Z06 hits 198.

Monkeybars said it right. the Z06 already hits 198mph, and that only produces 505 bhp. and Scott Kempton, thank you for replying to that stupid warmasice dude. the corvette was not made to compete with Ferraris and the like. I dont think it exactly ever will. Even though the “Blue Devil” is going to finally have the horsepower range, I dont think GM is exactly targeting any supercars. I will say this though, American interior detailing needs to improve and soon. I agree with everyone who doesnt like the interior. I happen to like the interior very much, as it is a huge improvement over the last generation. I see everyone’s stand on it, thats for sure. I’m not going to disagree with you, just agree to disagree. on another side note, The Corvette Z06 takes on the Porsche 911 consistenly. Many magazine editors have given it the win over the 911 numerous times in the past few years. So, you have to give credit to Chevrolet for conquering that amazing sports car.

————>no doubt this car will eclipse(barely though) the 997 Turbo at the Nurburgring……..man i can’t wait for the 997 Turbo S…..better yet, the as coming in a few months 997 GT2……

The 997/911 has hit a wall by most accounts. The car’s flat-6 is nearing the upper limit of what the company can field. I’ve seen 700+ hp 911s but these are usually tuner 911s and not factory cars.

I think the Cayman is where Porsche is headed in the near future to continue to up the ante. The MR Cayman can handle a larger more powerful engine without losing weight balance as badly as the RR 911. But I think the 911 will continue to be the greatest road course car in the world even if it ceases to be anywhere near the fastest.

About the Corvette’s interior, after spending some time examining the interior of a C5 and C6, I have to say this. I like the interiors. I found nothing really wrong with them at all. A bit tight but cozy and secure. I kinda’ miss the digital dash from the C4, but thems the brakes. Fit and quality are world class, this after spending time in a few Bimmers and Benzs where you can see where most of your $60k+ went.

The only gripe I could see is that the materials could have been not better but better presented. The edges show a lack of consideration looking maybe incomplete in areas but still very good designs. I’d love to see a fully leather and swede wrapped interior one of these days, much like they used to do in the 1960s and 70s.

From the numerous rumors circulating in the net for the past few months, with 90% certainty that this ultimate Corvette will be equipped with a supercharger to produce that rumored 600plus horses. What is puzzling is that why would the LS7 v-8 need those superchargers if GM claims that this OHV engine is state of the art? Those 7.0 liters of displacement would surely be enough for the European makers like AMG, Porsche, and Ferrari to produce 600 plus hp WITHOUT any need for superchargers.

GM should take a better look at Katech Performance’s version of the Corvette with new racing valve springs,camshaft and retainers, forged 11:1 pistons, titanium con rods for an additional 100hp. That z06 already looks closer to its LeMans car with those nice engine outlets and the carbon fiber front lip.

It seems 500hp is the bare minimum for serious sports cars these days. Hell, a lot of the current offerings offer a lot more than that. I say bring it on. Horsepower wars always result in fun to drive cars for us consumers. They really need to address the interior quality of the ‘Vette though. For that price, it should be better. Not the worst, but definitely could be better.

kempton, I don’t disagree with all of what you’re saying, but how do economy figures help you to make your point in an argument about performance. Surely as the cost of the car goes up, the economy figures become less and less relevant.

Im tired of hearing about this car. How much is it gonna cost $80,000? It may be crazy fast but not many people are gonna buy a vette (which is suppose to be a cheap supercar) for that price. This car nor the original Z06 looks as good as real exotic supercars so I think the number of sales are gonna suck.

The Z06 is already faster then the Porsche 911 turbo around the Nurburgring….do your research. The blue devil be a beast…I only hope I can afford one when it comes out

The whole “we can’t make a fuel efficient rear wheel drive car” is ridiculous. How does one afffect the other? The weight of a rear transaxle throws of the mpg that much? I don’t think so. This is a copout on GM’s part.

The new Vette just keeps getting better. I feel sorry for the Viper

This car is seriously cool. GM’s coolest ever.
People that buy stuff like this dont give two ****s about gas prices, just that there is some gas to buy. People that buy Hondaz, Kiaz, Toyotaz and crappy little Asian beaters are the ones that cry about gas prices. If you dont like the price of the car or the price of gas, dont buy them.

————>Blakkarr: nah dawg, i literally eat, sleep, and drink Porsche 911’s & SRT-4’s every single day and is about 2 enroll UTI to for Porsche, and the 911 aint hit no wall…..not even close. Think of it this way: if they got 415hp out of a *N/A* six, then they can literally git almost double that by forced induction if they wanted, wit it being perfectly street legal….and if they turbocharge that 3.8?? oh my goodness…..i really feelyou when u said “But I think the 911 will continue to be the greatest road course car in the world even if it ceases to be anywhere near the fastest.”………in conclusion, i cant WAIT to see this new Corvette SS go at 997 GT2’s throat:…and miss…lol….

Screw both yins Corvette and Porsche 911 fans alike. I think the New 2008 Ford Mustang GT 500 KR at 835 HP will whip the pants off both the Corvette and the Porsche 911 alike. Beating the crap out of both you assholes around the track and out of this Universe!

FordTaurusForever… it´s not only about horsepower- it´s about putting onto the road, handling, efficiency… giving it all without asking too much. Mustangs and Vipers may have enormous power, but all they´ve been proving to be are dragsters- fabulous in a straight line.
I dont´think that the presente Corvette has the chassis for a good overall performance using a 600+ horsepower engine. Th Vette is an excelent car for like Le Mans and that´s it.

to FordTaurusForever’s comment, i believe you’re overestimating by 295 horsepower..not to say its not gonna be a killer car

to FordTaurusForever’s comment, and this mustang will out handle the Blue Devil and 911 Turbos?

FYI The Shelby GT500KR is only packing 540hp & 510lb-ft of torque. I’m not saying thats not good but for a mustang but there noway that car can even be put on the same track as the Z06. Your just mad cause Z06 is a better car then the Ford GT.

And no it will not out handle the current Z06 or the Blue Devil.

finally lln posters have run out of brain power, i have heard it all now, dont like it dont buy it save the stupid ass statements for something else.
cant afford it and if i could wouldnt buy it, but dont have any negative comments about it, ITS NOT EVEN RELEASED YET.

CTS, I like the comment from the blithering idiot about the “dime store interior”. Like he has seen the car. Sure.

how about the guy that said he drove one? or the guy whining about it having plastic panels, did he not see the plastic burnt a8 a few days ago? that thing burned into nothing, i doubt those were metal panels.
and the dimestore guy…classic, im still laughing at that one.

I could see being concerned about MPG’s if this were a mass production family sedan. But, no, it’s a badass american sports car ready to take on any of the big dogs. Looks cool to me.

Still, I’d be glad not to have to fill up every five minutes…rich bastard or not.

Chevrolet should take a page from Ford’s book and call this car the “Chevrolet Corvette SS Blue Devil Z07,” although all of that badging might adversely affect the power-to-weight ratio.

Which brings me to my next point. If they’re trying to strip this car down as much as possible, and the main complaint is the interior, why not just get rid of it. Forget carpets, door panels, radios, mats, and everything else.

Everyone needs to just shut up about the fuel economy of this car. It gets that while cruising at highway speed in sixth gear. So, if you’re buying this car for the purpose of maximizing fuel economy, you might as well buy a Prius or an Insight. They’ll be going just as fast as the Corvette (Z06, Blue Devil, or otherwise) when they’re getting their optimum fuel economy, which, incidentally, will still be higher than the Vette. On the other hand, if you’re buying a Corvette to go fast, expect to burn through a gallon in a lot less than 26 miles. Additionally, if the “Blue Devil” is going to be supercharged the fuel economy rating is most likely going to plummet.

Does it not strike anyone else as odd that GM can build a rear-wheel car with a 7.0L V8 that gets “26mpg” and still claim that RWD cars are not fuel efficient?

NOWEI, i cant drive 65 so 26 mpg is just a gimmic, who buys a 500 hp car to drive the speed limit, id drive like a bat out of hell everywhere. burnouts,powerslides,drifting more burnouts, and thats just to leave my driveway.

^lol

………..and thats just to leave my driveway……CTS, I’m with you there!

Eurospective—I agree that fuel economy isn’t real high on a person’s list of priorities who’s contemplating a 500HP car. But in my opinion, the fact that it achieves it points to GM’s technical prowess, AND it allows GM to sell it at all. I’ll bet if it didn’t get great gas mileage on the highway, they wouldn’t be able to sell it because it’d hurt their CAFE too much.

And yes, I agree with most of you that the interior, while MUCH better than the C5, is still below what I’d expect in a $75,000 car. But I’m sure that if I was in a position to actually contemplate buying one of these things, one quick shot up to 195, and one run to 60 in less than four seconds would make me instantly forget any reservations I might have about the interior.

I spent all weekend at the Long Beach GP and watched the Corvettes kill everything else including the Ferrari’s. For some reason the Corvettes in the GT class sounded unfamiliar kind of like a Ferrari or Champcar. The CTS-V which I thought had the same motor as the vette sounded the same as I remember low deep V8 sound. Can anyone explain to me why they sound so different?

SRT-4ken,

I’m not knocking the 911. But I think there is a question of quality having over 500hp out of such a small engine, especially NA. I mean, can Porsche guarantee that the engine won’t tear itself up in under 30K miles with such huge numbers from less than 4L and six cylinders? Not really, at least not right now of the near future (5-10 years). Porsche had released a statement amounting to the likelihood that the flat-6 architecture they are using now could not be taken further than 4L. If so the max that Porsche may be willing o to field from the factory is rather finite.

I could see a Cayman with a much larger engine and better overall frame picking up where the 911 can not against the Vette. The Cayman is painfully close to being better than the 911 at half the cost right now. The possibility is NOT zero that the 911 might get left behind or re-targeted in the near future. I’ll bet on re-targeted.

As I said before, those super-tuned 911s are NOT factory and likely do not have the same warranties or guarantees that one would get from the factory. Will Porsche itself release such a car itself, I would bet against it readily for the next five years.

I am aware of engineering studies that say it is possible to get over 1000hp per liter displacement in a “daily driver” engine. But the problem is no one has the gall to actually do it. That and cost would be insane even for a supercar (the Veyron would look cheap in comparison). But if anyone does go for it it will be a maker like Ferrari or Lamborghini or some little company we don’t even know exists yet. They’re all nuts enough.

The Corvette in the GT1 class has a very different exhaust system and a racing tuned engine. It is not quite the same engine that is driven in the streets. The CTS-V is probably re-programmed but does have a different exhaust system from the Corvette.

The Corvette can also keep pace with almost any car on the road today. The big deal is that is is not a formula car with two seats. It is a performance developed street car not a race car dulled for street driving. It can and does handle speeds that would kill many cars costing more than three times as much and can handle will over 1000hp. Naturally some tuning would be needed, but these are only adjustments.

The current z06 gets 26 mpg, but in retorspect is more like 23-24, and with a supercharger eating more gas, the “blue devil” which is a terrible name, will get like 20-21 mpg. 650 hp in this thing will ruin all handeling credibility. this vette will handle a little better than a srt-10, but not a lot better. if anyone were to get the “z07″, the first thing to do is improve the springs. this is GM after all, not ferrari or lambo, they are focused more on power and not on handeling. you get what you pay for.

Lol, it’s funny how a lot of people will bash the Corvette. They (along with most GM products in general) get excellent fuel economy for what they are. More interior quality would be a nice thing to have though. The newer ones aren’t so bad though.

they should make people take driver courses for cars like this! average person has no clue how to drive this beast!
too scary for me i’m gonna buy a smart, big pimpin baby……;(

brcart3r,

You make it sound like GM treats the Corvette, their greatest legacy car, the same way other makers handle their hot cars, just tack on more power with out really working on the whole car.

If that were the case the Z06 would handle like a man ice skating in tennis shoes. I think GM will make sure the needed improvements are made to properly handle 600+ hp… Even if it means developing a pre-runner to the C7 if not the C7 up front.

dre,

Oh so true. Level up your skills or just keep with the “norms”.

Deantj,

I agree with you F/econ isn’t the issue here but wouldn’t you prefer not to have to stop at every gas station while hunting for some four-banger to pink slip?

But that said Detroit is getting their legs back. Now if they can learn some new steps….

The Corvette is the best sports car America has to offer, period.

No Way Mustang is the best bang for the buck!

LOL, yea, go Mustang! The slowest 500hp car around!

Yea I hate all the names that the new vette is being called especially SS, i personally think Z06.R is the way to go. for those of you that keep up with Automobile magazine/the 2009 future cars section will know why. theres a gorgeus picture of what it could look like on the website.

Seriously the interior isn’t THAT bad, i agree that its not Gallardo material but it has everything you need from climate control to a op. navigation to a heads up display. for the 75 grand price tag and a 505hp engine the quality of the interior is preety much the only thing that you have to sacrifice. And definetly one i’m more then willing to make!!!!!

I like SS for the name.

whats wrong with a new stingray?

———–>because a “stingray” looks like a stingray, like the ‘67 does…..does the new C6 look like a stingray?nah…stingray just doesn’t match…..I would be delighted to see Z06.R or Corvette SS…..

Just kickin around ideas, as long as they loose the blue devil name, i do like z06.r better than corvette ss though, z06.r sounds like more of a true racecar.

——>true dat…..I think the whole “Blue Devil” is just a coded name, *kinda* similar to the number “996″ for the ‘98-’04 Porsche 911….i’m almost 100% positive it won’t have that hideous name when it hit dealers…

I want them to call it the Corvette SS. With the Camaro SS coming, it just seems to fit.

i can get used to the corvette ss name primegtp, the more i see it the more it works.

^yeah, it’s just that “SS” sounds backwards from “Z06″

^^^^exactly lotusfire, its going to be a hard name to fill.
prime i would hope to see a new camaro zl-1 package, i love the 69 zl-1, very limited but damn that thing could move.

Perhaps a 3rd trim is a possibility now, with Corvette moving up the horsepower ladder again. Camaro has some room to breathe and grow now under GM’s idiotic “can’t be faster than the Corvette” policy.

“i do like z06.r better than corvette ss though, z06.r sounds like more of a true racecar.”
Comment by CTS DRIVER

But don’t you want it to sound like a its a racecar? Isn’t that the point?

i want my ears to ring when it passes my my poor ass on the freeway, BAMF. just the zo6.r name sounds racier than corvette ss name does, but the more i think about it there never was a corvette ss, so that name can work for me also.

ZO6/R, I kinda like it. Heirarchy to the now oh so regular ZO6 Now Stingray on the other hand, doesn’t do it justice. Maybe if it were Blunt-force-trauma-Ray, I could see it.

Can’t wait to see/hear/feel this thing up close.

“just the zo6.r name sounds racier than corvette ss name does”

Again, I have a feeling that is exactly the point. If you’re going to be spending the money on it, I think you’d like people to be confused about whether its a racecar or not.

To me the SS name is now something I dont like. All the people driving the new SS cars and trucks from this generation are ghetto. Time to move forward and stop looking to the past for help. Z06R Street Version.

Make a connection with the Z06R race cars and get more people to watch real racing. Maybe they will buy one after seeing the Corvettes kick everyones ass?

“”We’re way up there with Porsche Carrera GTs and Ferraris.” Lutz said predicable handing and safety are top priorities.”"

of course a V8 16 valve 7.0+L push rod engine is way up there with the Germans and Italians…did anyone mention leafsprings?…..
Dream on lutz.

Predictable handling? So that means it will refuse to do bends then?

About the so-called blue devil “vapourware” car.
like the previous poster stated if the GM pushrod 7.0L engine is pinnacle of human engineering then why are they increasing the displacement and adding a supercharger?

Gm have shot themselves in the foot with JUST increasing the HP by 45345bhp.
if you want to brag about 0-60 times buy a hayabusa, if you want a well built sports car that isn’t assembled by chimps by a porsche/ferrari.

Make a connection with the Z06R race cars and get more people to watch real racing. Maybe they will buy one after seeing the Corvettes kick everyones ass?
Comment

the race car is totally unrelated from the road going car apart from the body shape. e.g no z06r uses leafspings……

Renault won the f1 divers championships 05/06 do you see me running out the do to buy a Mégane Renault Sport ? No of course not.

I said make a connection.

Also what is the deal with the Corvettes and CTS-Vs beating all the other cars in Le Mans and GT?

Did they confirm that it was going to be forced induction? Because if they didnt, ZL1 would be a tits awsome name to have.

The LeMans Corvette/ CTS-Vs have direct GM official factory support while its chief rival Aston/Prodrive is a much smaller company. Most of the rest are privateers.

Oddglat - Did a corvette park on your icecream cone or something? As far as that transverse leafspring goes, you do realize that the vette currently holds the lap record at The Nürburgring Nordschleife track right? That speaks volumes to its power as well as handling.

That’s okay though, they’ll be one less in line at the dealership when this comes out.

Why the hell do we fight over cars like pansies? We sound like a bunch redneck Nascar fans that fight over there drivers. I do watch nascar but there is more than life than #8. I think we should just respect each others cars and thank god they are still building these cool things.

^^but then we’d have peace…

I agree with you though.

Piablo, no the vette doesn’t hold the lap record.
http://www.supercars.net/PitLane?viewThread=y&gID=3&fID=0&tID=10073&bottom=0

There are a lot of cars ahead of the vette which include the 997 turbo
7:40 — 161.217 km/h — Porsche 997 Turbo, 480 PS/ ??? kg, Michelin Cup Sport tyres (Motortrend)

7:42.9 - 160.207 km/h — Corvette Z06, 500 PS/1319 kg, Jan Magnusen, (Sporbilen, jun,26 05),

Very true. My news is out of date. The Corvette HAD the lap record. I think my point still stands though… The Vette is not a POS, it handles, and has loads of power and performance. It’s a world class car.

The corvette NEVER had the lap record.

7:28 — 166.652 km/h — Porsche Carrera GT, 612 PS/ 1475 kg, Walther Roehrl,(Autobild 07/04)

This lap was done in 2004 while the vette lap was in 2005.

Why doesnt F1 have the lap record? Or is just just a production car LR?

Why doesn’t ferrari race there?? I’ve only see two or three Ferrari’s and they’re old.

PS: comment number 100.