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There is no denying this devil in a blue dress will drop jaws with amazing performance but the best and worst part is the price tag. The price is the best part in terms of having an obtainable super car for non-millionaires. However, the worst part is the absence of status and exclusivity that comes with an exotic super sports car's astronomical price tag. Price it too low and the Blue Devil will never shake that second tier reputation no matter how good it performs. Bargains are for the frugal minded and in the realm of supercars this doesn't mix. It is well known that GM has the capability to build amazing cars of such caliber but in the midst of financial difficulty the Blue Devil is a bit inappropriate. GM should stop trying to shed light on its model line by creating an artificial halo effect from an affordable super car. Instead they should concentrate more on anticipating consumer tastes and make desirable products as a result. And I'm not talking about making more SUV's.

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General Motors is hatching a plan to significantly raise the profile of its flagging Chevrolet brand, with a scorching supercharged 600bhp version of the new 7.0-litre V8 Corvette Z06.

Dubbed the ‘blue devil’ by GM insiders, and caught here setting an impressive 7min 40sec lap of the Nόrburgring in the hands of Corvette’s Le Mans class-winning driver Jan Magnussen, the car will be positioned to take on some of the world’s most highly-respected supercars, according to General Motors’ product guru, Bob Lutz. ‘We’re going to do something beyond the Z06, at a much higher price point, and which would compete with some of the leading high-performance cars of the world,’ Lutz told American motoring magazine AutoWeek.

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Dave Hill told us today at the Infineon ALMS Corvette Corral that at tomorrow's Corvette Racing Banquet he would reveal the times for the ZO6 at the 'Ring! (I'll make sure to ask about the 'Blue Devil')

He was asked a couple of times to spill the beans but he kept telling us he would announce the results at tomorrow's banquet. I'll let you know what he says...

Also, other items Dave mentioned (some of which is already known):

1) Customer cars would be built starting at the end of this month;

2) We would be "very pleased" with the magazine test reports that are coming out in August;

3) The pistons are definitely cast aluminum;

4) He showed us examples of the various weight-saving parts on the new Z and let us handle them: titanium rod, a section of the aluminum frame, a magnesium roof connector, and a part of the suspension;

5) He also mentioned that it should be easy to adjust for large amounts of negative camber on this car due to the attachment point of the A-arms. I must admit I didn't hear this explanation in its entirety as the Speed GT cars were on the track; (Lou was 7th, I think.)

6) He also clearly explained why the roof must be fixed. He said that although the aluminum is very stiff it is NOT as stiff as the steel. With the roof bolted in place the car is stiffer and lighter than with a steel frame and a removeable roof. (He also reiterated the often stated "The ZO6 will never be a convertible" line.) Again he stated that the roof "could be removed" if someone really wanted to go through the effort but it would "be a really bad idea."

7) When asked "What happened to Torch Red?" Dave skirted the issue a little then finally shot back, "we got rid of it." (He actually said that it made the car look to flat as it reflected too much light...)

8) The best comment of the car was actually from Johnny O'Connell who said "Everyone has been asking for a super vette. Well, I've driven it. You know the expression, 'be careful what you ask for?'"


My personal observations of the ZO6 (a red one):

A) It had about 6680 miles on it but the dash to the upper right of the instrument cluster was already BADLY cracked

B) I'm not sure about the CCA of the battery but to me it looked very small (yes, I know it's in the back!)

C) The steering wheel looked SYMMETRICAL despite all of the rantings on the CF site. 04retro was going to measure it--don't know if he did--and I didn't see his post until after returning home from the track, but I didn't notice anything weird about the wheel and I know what the discussion is about.

D) There is very little clearance between the rear wheel and the brake caliper; if anyone is considering aftermarket wheels this could pose quite a problem.

E) I don't think the air inlet in the nose of the car is really going to amount to much as it is so small; it might cool the engine compartment a bit but none of that air is getting into the combustion chambers.

Overall I liked the look of the car in person better than I thought I would but I'd still need to drive it before i would consider buying one.

Any q's you want asked let me know before I go back to the track tomorrow am or the banquet tomorrow night...

Crash

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From Dave's mouth to my note pad:

After a long discussion on all the various times of different (Non-Corvette) cars around the ring, using 8:00 as the benchmark for "world class" performance Dave announced:

A 2005 C6 turned the 'Ring in 7:59! (yes 7:59, NOT 7:56!!)

A 2004 C5 ZO6 did it in the already known 7:56

and the 2006 ZO6, driven by Jan Magnusson drove it in........

7:43

Dave said this time was already available on the net so it was not part of the August embargo.

Also it was NOT the Blue Devil.

Let the Bench Racing begin!

Crash

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