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FEATURES/ MID-ENGINE CORVETTE

CHEVROLET.COM/NEWROADS I 37

0 C OP.YEl'ft. �LORs MID-ENGINE CORVETTE/ EXTENSION EELS IPERs

CLEAR VIEW AHEAD CORVETTE IS INTERTWINED WITH OUR PERSONAL HISTORIES. LET'S TAKE A LOOK BACK AND GET READY TO MOVE INTO THE FUTURE.// BY EZRA DYER

MY PRESS KIT FOR THE 2006 CORVETTE the horizon. Pick any givenmodel year, and a droveit on GM's diabolicalroad courseat Mil­ Z06 IS SIGNED BY DALE EARNHARDT JR. Corvette is likea preview of the futureof per­ ford Proving Ground, a track that's designed On the first page, he wrote, "Good luck next formance. Today, a four-second 0-60 is the to torturea car with every dynamicchallenge time. 30.8 (you 32.2):' He's referencingour lap signifier of a serious sports car. The Corvette you can throw at it. As Ta dge Juechter, long­ timesaround the short infield road course at was there 18 years ago. In fact,the 2002 Z06, timeexecutive chiefengineer forthe Corvette, Charlotte Motor Speedway, where we met for which had 405 horsepower and hit 60 in first told us, "You know it's a tough track whenthe a little contest. The premise was that I'd drive gear, was the first car I ever reviewed. I don't straightawayhas a comer init." Which it does. the new C6 Z06, Earnhardt would drive a remember the second, third, or fourth cars. He advised us to take itflat out. 200-horsepower Chevy Cobalt SS, and we'd More recently, I returned to Milford to see if the Corvette could serve as a 7,000-rpm catch a ride inBlackjack, the original Holden­ talent equalizer. To myrelief, it did. bodied C8 development car, and talk to the But Dale Jr. is a competitive guy. He didn't team that developed the mid-engine car. acknowledge the Corvette-to-Cobalt times. Beyond the thousands of technical chal­ He wrote down our Corvette times. Then he lenges involved inmoving the enginebehind gave a tutorial on the proper technique for the cabin, there loomed a broader question: ripping victory doughnuts while holding a Would a mid-engine Corvette alienate long­ checkered flag out the window. Fortunately, timefans? After focusgroups with sports car I didn't have to drive home in that car, since I owners who were shown generic front-engine don't think he left it with much in the way of and mid-engine designs, without knowing tread on the tires. they were rendering a verdict on the C8, the When you write about cars, the Corvette Chevy team satisfieditself that Corvette own­ MAKE THE NEXT MOVE There's even more to discover at chevrolet.com. Find videos and in-depth pops inand out of your lifeon a regular basis. ers would embrace a mid-engine car. information about the Corvette's technology, features, and benefits, as well Chevy constantly chases more performance, Even better, non-Corvette owners would, as a wide array of accessories to help personalize your car. and new models present ever-more-ridiculous too. The advantagesfor traction and handling story possibilities. Whenthe 638-horsepower are clear, the 0-60 time is down to 2.9 sec­ C6 ZRl arrived, I realized that its 205-mph onds, and you get a cleaner look at the next top track speed put it in league with actual apex, by dint of the short, low hood. Ta king O@DCJ@ race cars. So I arranged fora showdown at the mid-engine Corvette from Blackjack to FACEBOOK YOUTUBE INSTAGRAM Atlanta Motor Speedway between the ZRl Bowling Green wasn't easy, but everyone Chevrolet: youtube.com/user/chevrolet Chevrolet: and a NASCAR® Impala. It was all set to hap­ agrees that it was definitelyworth it. instagram.com/chevrolet facebook.com/chevrolet TWITTER pen, but then, on the appointed morning: As we ripped around the Black Laketest Corvette: Chevrolet: Corvette: rain. Thuswe don't know what mighthappen area in a camouflaged preproduction car, facebook.com/corvette twitter.com/chevrolet instagram.com/corvette if you entered a ZRl in a NASCAR race, but Juechter at the wheel, he told me that the C8 Team Chevy (Chevy Racing): Team Chevy (Chevy Racing): Team Chevy (Chevy Racing): facebook.com/teamchevy instagram.com/teamchevy I still think it's a question worth answering­ I've had a lot of fun Corvettes.in I brought will defy expectations-not just in perform­ twitter.com/teamchevy particularly now thatthe latest ZRl has a top a Christmas tree home on the roof of a sil­ ance, but in its refinement and handling PINTEREST track speed of 212 mph. ver 2005 Z06, earning a thumbs-up from finesse.Then he pulled to a stop, stompedthe pinterest.com/chevrolet The Corvette occupies a unique place an otherwise dour Boston cop. I was with accelerator and unleashed a righteous burn­ in automotive culture because its essential my friend Steve when he ran hisred C6 Z06 out, the 495-horsepower V8 bellowing away character has been consistent for so long: out of gas rightin front of a summer camp in behind us. Ahead, the view was clear.

two seats, big power-exotic performance upstate New York, causing a minor sensation © 2019 Chevrolet Division. General Motors. All rights reserved. New Roads magazine is published by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. Address all correspon­ Grand Sport and know they're the same car­ much funto payattention to fuel)I once took Mechanics and a columnist for Car and Driver. >::'. production information at the time of publication approval. The right is reservedto make changes at any time in prices, standard equipment, optional equipment. colors, >" and materials and also to discontinue models. Some vehicles in this publication are shown with optional equipment. magazine will not intentionally publish separated by decades and degree, but both my mailman on his route in a C6 ZRl, liter­ His first car was a 1985 JROC-Z, and that I New Roads s2 fraudulent or misleading information. New Roadsmagazine does not endorse any advertisers, nor their products, and cannot be responsible foradvertisers' claims. New 0:: delivering that franticsmall-block V8 rush to ally hauling the mail. When the C7 debuted, I explains a lot about him. Roadsmagazine, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Division, dealers and the publishers of this publication are not responsible for price or information printed in error.

48 I NEW ROADS I COLLECTOR'S EDITION