Does Zora have anything to do with the ZO6 name??

 

Z06 means fast :D

Since nobody chimmed in I decided to give a ttt for you.

 

Z06 was an option code on the 1963 Corvette which had the highest performance options you could get at the time. I know Zora had a lot to do with the availability of the option package, but don't know of any correlation between the Z and Zora. As far as I know it was just one of the many cryptic GM "RPO" codes that you could check off when you ordered your car. Just like "Z71" on the Chevy trucks.

 

RPO ZO6. It was a performance package upgrade available in 1963. I'm not sure what all it included but it added $1800 to the price of a $4200 car. Basicly Zora built a street legal Grand Sport. There were 199 made.

 

Hmmmmmmm......thats about 45% of the original cost. Wonder how much money was added to the base 2000 Hardtop for the Z06 option in 2001/2002? :confused:

 

1963 was the first year GM used the alphanumeric designators that replaced the three digit option designators used up to 1962. Then and now, Z-prefix options denote "special performance equipment packages", and Z-06 (a dash was used back then) was the very first. Early in the model year Z-06 included the heavy duty drum brake package, HD suspension, knock-off wheels (which were never delivered in '63), and the 36.5 gallon fuel tank. Fuel injection, four-speed transmission, and positraction rear axle were mandatory options, but were not included with Z-06.

In February, '63 the 36.5 gallon fuel tank and KO wheels were unbundled from Z-06 and made available separately as P-48 and N-03 respectively, but P-48 was never factory installed due to porosity problems with the wheels that would not allow them to hold air pressure. So the second Z-06 iteration in '63 only consisted of the HD brakes and HD suspension and the price was dropped to about $1200. At this point it was theoretically available on convertibles (the big tank would only fit in a coupe), but there is some controversy as to whether any Z-06 convertibles were factory built. Dick Guldstrand did essentially have a Z06 convertible that he raced in SCCA, but he build it using Z-06 components taken off a coupe.

In 1964 the HD suspension and HD brakes were unbundled to F-40 and J-56, respectively. Though Z-06 was not available, you could buy all the features of the original or second Z-06 interations as separate options, and KOs were finally installed at the plant.

Z-prefix options continue to denote special performance equipment packages. For example the current Z-51 option is a package because it bundles the FE3 suspension with a power steering oil cooler.

The Z-06 option did not actually perform that well. The biggest problem was the brakes and at least one Sting Ray team found that the J-65 brake option - metallic linings with the base drum castings - worked better on the track. After trying different brake lining materials, Zora essentially gave up on the HD drum package. It was clear that no matter what was done to a production Sting Ray, it would never be competitive with the thousand pound lighter Cobra.

Zora's trump card was the Grand Sport, but since management shut down the program before the requisite 100 examples could be built to homologate it as a GT car with the FIA and a production car with SCCA they were forced to run in FIA prototype class and SCCA C- Modified, so they had to compete with purpose built race cars rather than "silouette" production cars. Despite this handicap the Grand Sports ended up making quite a name for themselves, and the legend lives on.

As far as the original posted question is concerned, I believe that the decision to prefix special performance equipment package options with a "Z" and the first letter in Zora's name is merely a coincidence.

Duke




[Modified by SWCDuke, 5:25 PM 12/23/2002]

 

As far as the original posted question is concerned, I believe that the decision to prefix special performance equipment package options with a "Z" and the first letter in Zora's name is merely a coincidence.

Duke

Wow, thanks Duke.

 

Told ya it meant fast. ;)