I am pulling serious Gs as my 2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe hunkers deep down on its dampers, diving through a recreation of the nasty "toilet bowl" section of Germany's famous Nurburgring.
Oh, yes, this is fun, sweeping sharply left, down, down, down the concrete pavement with NASCAR-steep banking so close it casts a shadow just outside my right window. The 'Vette hugs its line and as we pass the apex I push hard into the throttle, unwinding the friction and looking ahead to a sweeping right-hander that leads to another long, hard left.
And so it goes on the handling test track at General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds. The Nurburgring piece is the most challenging of a collection of copied parts from the world's great racing circuits and it wonderfully showcases what the sixth-generation 'Vette -- C6 in Corvette shorthand -- can do at its limits.
"Our goal was to create a Corvette that does more things well than any performance car," says Dave Hill, the steely-eyed but soft-spoken 51-year-old chief engineer of the oldest continuously produced sports car in the United States.
"We've thoroughly improved performance and developed new features and capabilities in many areas. At the same time, we have systematically searched out and destroyed every imperfection we could find."
Search and destroy? Strong words from a man who is taking his second run at reinventing the 'Vette.
With his salt-and-pepper military haircut and close-cropped mustache, Hill projects confidence and authority -- good qualities to have in his position. He has had the coveted job of Corvette chief engineer since 1992, and the pressures of the last decade have made it a tough run.
First, Hill had to convince the bean counters in GM senior management to save the car back in the early 1990s, when the company was nearly bankrupt. The finance guys were scouring the company to cut costs and a low-volume sports car lit up their radar screens.
Hill managed to cajole them into saving the 'Vette and went about overseeing the creation of a new fifth-generation car, unveiled in 1997.
That car was an instant hit, selling out the Bowling Green, Ky., plant's 32,000 cars each year and making a healthy contribution to both the corporate coffers and GM's image. But as soon as that successful car hit showrooms, Hill's team began planning for this latest redesign -- the C6.
That is a lot of change in a short time for a sports car that has had only five major redesigns and three chief engineers since it was launched in 1953. Apparently GM's honchos have finally embraced the idea that without the 'Vette, the General is nothing more than a finance company (GMAC) with a bunch of barely profitable car plants.
"The 2005 Corvette is more competition-influenced -- given our championship experience with Corvette Racing -- than any previous Corvette," Hill says. "We wanted not just raw performance, but a performance car at home in virtually any environment.
"We wanted better ride comfort, a precisely-built and technically-sophisticated interior and a sleek new body. A fresh and contemporary body and one still instantly recognized as a Corvette."
The new body? It will stir plenty of debate, with many hardcore 'Vette enthusiasts suggesting it is a bit too soft and European and lacks the look of true American muscle. Maybe so. Without question, this 'Vette is not a little Hummer.
But no one will contest the 400-horsepower performance. Not only that, the handling and ride comfort are extraordinary for a two-seater with a top speed of 300 km/h (faster than any production Corvette in history) and with a better power-to-weight ratio than the 2004 Porsche 911.
Indeed, your basic, run-of-the-mill C6 blasts from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. Add on the Z51 performance package and you shave off one-tenth of a second. And this 'Vette covers the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds at a speed of 183 km/h.
Welcome to "Oh, wow!" territory.
Even with all that zoom, Hill says the 2005 Corvette will mirror the 2004 model in fuel economy, despite a nearly 6-per-cent increase in engine displacement (6.0 litres from 5.7 litres) and a 14.5-per-cent increase in horsepower (from 350 hp in 2004).
It is amazing what a strict diet and smart engineering can do.
The 2005 car's base curb weight of 1,442 kg for the coupe is lighter than the 2004 by about 16 kg, despite a stronger body structure, bigger wheels and tires and richer cabin features. Add in a 0.28 coefficient of drag (cut from a slick 0.30 in 2004) and you have the most aerodynamically efficient Corvette ever -- one designed with excellent anti-lift characteristics for high-speed stability.
Not just in a straight line, either. Hill and his team started the 'Vette down the road to tight, responsive, flat handling with the C5. That car is good; the C6 is much better.
Lap after twisty, up-and-down lap at Milford turned out to be revelation. This car is tight and responsive, with weight distribution optimized to a near-perfect 51/49 in part because the transmission is located in the rear. There is no sloppiness in the chassis and none of the noodle effect of 'Vettes made prior to the C5.
There is a reason for that. Like the C5, says Hill, the new car uses a big torque tube running right down the centre of the car and hydroformed side rails (one-piece rails formed with water pressure) to enhance stiffness.
Ride and handling development engineer Mike Neal (one of the fastest drivers to ever frighten me as a passenger on any race track) says that when you start with a solid structure, it is much easier to tune the suspension for handling and ride.
To increase responsiveness, Neal and his group optimized the steering geometry, worked with suppliers to come up with advanced tire compounds, installed a new suspension cradle and created new directional control arm bushings.
To improve ride comfort, they put in greater suspension travel and the progressive rates of the front and rear composite leaf springs were tuned to take advantage of the greater travel of the suspension. It's pretty technical stuff, but it all works to give this 'Vette more poise at its handling limits.
"It's a much more pleasing ride," Neal says. "It's less touchy, it's less tuggy, it's better isolated, it's quieter for road noise. It's all of those things and still a better handling car. Handling is our first priority in the Corvette."
And it shows. Even at high speeds, when delicate inputs are required, dialling in just the precise amount of steering is dead easy. There is useful feedback to help the driver manage cornering and the on-centre feel is just about perfect.
Best of all, for such an enormously powerful car, everything is completely predictable. Nothing jumps out to bite you, even if you take your corning a little too far or braking a little too late.
In that case, not only does the car remain poised, but also a variety of computer-controlled active safety devices come into play. They include standard anti-lock braking for the massive four-wheel discs, traction control and electronic stability control that manages throttle, brake and spark to pull over-their-head drivers back into line.
That said, GM will make three separate suspension packages available when the car goes on sale this fall: A base mechanical system, the sophisticated Magnetic Ride Control and the performance-oriented Z51 package.
The Z51 offers a push-button control to shift into various software settings, including Competition Driving Mode. The latter does not completely disable the active safety systems, but it does set the bar higher. Intervention comes only when a driver is truly getting into trouble. If you don't want all the high-tech gizmos, you can shut the electronics off entirely.
Personally, I am betting on strong demand for the Magnetic Ride system. It has shocks filled with a ferrous fluid that changes viscosity in the presence of a magnetic field. The intensity of that field is controlled by computer sensors that constantly read and respond to road conditions and driver input.
So in Sport mode, the ride is firm yet compliant with excellent road-holding characteristics. In Touring mode, a bit of high-performance handling is sacrificed in favour of a setting designed to soak up road harshness. Very comfortable.
Meanwhile, the Z51 package is for the rabid enthusiast -- someone who wants stiffer springs and dampers, a quicker gearbox and larger brakes with drilled rotors. The Z51 also brings its own set of gears for quicker take-off. This is an amazing setup, though only hot-shoe drivers will want it.
No matter who you are, this 'Vette is easy to live with in the everyday commuting hustle and bustle. The softer suspension setups deliver a ride that is comfortable, not punishing. As well, compared to the C5, road noise, vibration and harshness are down significantly.
Also very good is the new six-speed Tremec transmission. The shifts are smooth and precise, with shorter overall throws. The secrets there include all-new shift linkage and shift-rail bearings and a shorter shift lever. What's more, the travel for all synchronizers has been reduced by 10 per cent. If you get the Z51 package, numerically higher gears improve acceleration.
Not so great is the four-speed automatic. The new Hydra-Matic 4L65-E four-speed, an upgraded version of the C5's 4L60-E, is strong enough to deal with 400 lb-ft of torque, but rival cars are now coming with five- and six- and even seven-speed automatics. Clearly, this is where GM saved a few bucks.
That money went into improving the refinement of the cabin and including more digital features. For instance, the doors are fully electric (backed up by mechanical emergency releases), there is an optional 230-watt, seven-speaker Bose audio system and a new head's-up display puts a variety of information -- speed, cornering G-forces and turn-by-turn navigation instructions -- right in your line of sight.
Amazingly, the cockpit has two effective cup holders and while the steering wheel tilts, the telescoping feature is, unfortunately, an option. All the seams and corners are well finished in the interior, though Chevy should have gone with richer plastic surfaces.
The snug and supportive seats are heated and the convertible can be bought with an electrically operated convertible top. The last time the 'Vette came with a power top was all the way back in 1962.
Back then, the 'Vette was still relatively new and great things were yet to come for this Chevy icon. But who would have predicted they would still be coming 40-odd years later?
Specifications
2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe and convertible
Price: $67,395 to $79,495
Engine: 6.0-litre V-8, overhead valve or pushrod type
Output: 400 horsepower at 6,000 rpm/400 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual or electronic four-speed automatic
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): NA
Alternatives: Nissan 350Z, Porsche Boxster, Audi TT, BMW Z4, Dodge Viper, Honda S2000, Infiniti G35, Lexus SC430, Mercedes-Benz SLK350
Like: Stunning performance and handling; comfortable ride; improved fit and finish; very good quality history in recent years
Dislike: Styling more evolutionary than revolutionary; four-speed automatic in a world of five-, six- and seven-speeds
COMPARING PERFORMANCE
The 2005 Corvette has the best combination of horsepower and fuel economy among the world's top performance cars, say General Motors officials. When the LS2's 400 horsepower is multiplied by its combined city/highway mileage estimates, it yields an index of 9,040.
Here's how the 2005 Corvette compares with some of its key competitors:
Vehicle HP mpg (comb.) Index
2005 Corvette 400 22.6, 9,040
Porsche 911GT2 477 18.2 8,681
Porsche Turbo 444 18.2 8,081
Dodge Viper 500 15.5 7,750
Porsche 911 340 20.6 7,004
Ferrari 575 Maranello 515 12.7 6,541
Ferrari Modena 400 12.7 5,080
Bottom Line: 'Vette delivers power combined with fuel efficiency.
