'06 Quicksilver Z06

Yup. Like I said earlier, GM has always had the Viper in their sights, and the Viper has always been very powerful, yet available with the drop top. They have had 500 plus HP in convertible Vipers before now.

Well now the Corvette convertible will be available with a 505hp/475 hp 427 cubic inch engine in it!!!!

This is huge.

I'm wondering if this LS7 will be a wet or dry sump.

Essentially, this puts the Z06 in two flavors. Convertible and coupe.

Even though they don't actually come out and call it a Z06, (and that's fine) it's side coves and LS7, scream "Z06".

Any C6 Vette with a factory LS7 in it, is a Z06. The steel frame was a necessity for a vert, so the absence of the aluminum frame found in the Z06 and ZR1, both coupes, is moot. This bad boy has that Z06 look and motor to it.

Supersonic 427

It will be a dry sump..just like the Z06. The battery will be in the trunk.

OnPoint

Hold on to your hat, my friend, the hate mail will be coming your way shortly.

I'm absolutely cracking up at the angst this new model is causing some people.

It's a great play by GM, and a good add to the lineup. But the reaction of some to it has been, well, let's just say greatly entertaining.

This whole discussion will likely hold me over until Saturday when I can watch my beloved '49ers loose to the Saints.

petermj

Z06 and ZR1 are not coupes, they are hardtops. With that said, I want my money back for my Z06, I've been duped by GM marketing department.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Yeah, you're right. Hardtops.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I can't understand why this one would be unwelcome by anyone,
except :

1. Maybe some of the grand sport owners, who bought before this one became available. Time was, if you wanted a convertible wide body, it only came with 430-436hp from the factory.

Well now, a factory 505hp convertible wide body is going to be available after they bought.

If you wanted big power in a wide bodied C6 vert, and with a warranty, well then Callaway was an option, but it was forced induction, required different hood, additional cost if you wanted the warranty to run as long as the factory 5yr/100K warranty, etc. (As you are a Callaway owner, you know better than most.)

2. ZR1 owners who wanted a convertible but were completely unwilling to give up 208 horsepower to get one, but who might be more amenable to giving up 133hp to get a convertible top than they would 208hp.

In other words, some of that bunch looking in the future to buy a Corvette ZR1, but who crave a convertible, the LS3 might be out of the question, and too much of a compromise, if that's what they will have to settle for in order to get that convertible top. They'll say to heck with it and go ahead and buy the ZR1

But the LS7, well, maybe they might consider that as an acceptable trade off. More palatable to that potential purchaser.
They can get the convertible top, and only have to go down to the 505hp LS7, which has proven to be no slouch by any stretch, instead of all the way down to an LS3.

3. Z06 owners who wanted a convertible top, but who weren't' willing to give up 75hp to get one.

But I think the people who are going to be peeved with it, are going to be few and far between.

What's not to like about a factory wide bodied Corvette Convertible with a set of real teeth in it? It's part of why the Callaway grand sport convertibles are so popular in here.

Last 427 verts we had, of note, were back in 1967. Sure we had them later, but the 427 verts from that particular year, are still talked about to this day.

OnPoint

Amen. That's why I've got a couple widebody ground pounders in my garage. They're beautiful and a blast to drive.

I'm not a ragtop guy, but if I were, I'd be looking to pick one of these up.

MSG C5

I guess that kills the rumors that the 2013 would have a special 50th anniversary tribute to the 1963 split rear window by offering a split rear window coupe.

jschindler

I don't think GM cares at all about the Viper. In it's good years the Viper was lucky to sell 2000 a year. The Viper has not been produced for the past 2.5 years, and they didn't build any in 2007 (I think that is the year) either. They are totally different cars from the Corvette.

VETTEMANN

I really like it, and I'm in the market for a 2013, but I may pass on the 60th CE package.

I think I'll like the new color (yet to be announced) with the 427 better, without the likely added cost of the 60th stripes and interior.

But I'm in for that 427.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I'm not either, having had a 1985 vert, I have no desire for another one.

But if I were a vert man, I'd be looking to get one of these too.

Since it's probably more in the price range of the potential ZR1 buyer, or perhaps somewhere between the pricing of a Z06 hardtop and a ZR1, it will be interesting to see what, if any, impact it will have on future Z06 and ZR1 sales.

It will likely affect both.

Finally, it will be interesting to see what, if any, effect it will have on Callaway grand sport sales, not to mention grand sport sales.

I see this one having an across the board impact on C6 sales as it goes into it's last model year.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I disagree my friend. GM cares a good deal about the Viper.

The Viper was part of why the ZR1 was built.

I don't think they care about the Viper purely from the standpoint of sales alone. I'd agree with that.

But part of what drove them to build the ZR1 was the Viper and it's track accomplishments, not the sales figures or volume of sales. Both are low production vehicles.

But for a long time, Viper owners could boast that they had a convertible with 500 plus horsepower.

The Viper could give you sledge hammer type power,..... and you could still drop the top.

With the Vette, you had to get the weakest available engine in the lineup, in order to get a drop top.

Well, no more.

Racer

Well, we have thread running right now in the ZR1 section and except for people who would ADD one to go WITH their ZR1, so far 0 people would ever consider it OVER the ZR1. It isn't what ZR1 owners are looking for and that thread proves it. It isn't speculation, it is fact. But as your excitement proves, this will impact the Z06 sales.

Bone Daddy

Lovin it... rock out the final C6 strong!!!

gsx1300r

NICE PIC BD!!!!

I love my modified triple Black C6 Z51 Vert. I would really enjoy starting the Mod process on a 4LT 427.

Raazor

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Current ZR1 owners, responding in a forum thread, perhaps not. But of course, 30 posts in that thread, do not and can not speak for all ZR1 owners. They have sold what, right around 4,000 ZR1s? 30 posts in that thread amount to less than 1% of all ZR1 owners.

But all of that said, future purchasers contemplating the ZR1 and weighing the purchase of it against a Z06, well, who knows?

Buyer can get a 638hp ZR1 that he can't drop the top on, or a 505hp Vette that he can drop the top on for a little less, or even the same money.

Depending upon what is most important to him, he could go either way.

You have some people out there who don't seem to think that a Vette is really a Vette unless you can drop the top on it.

But some of those same people, well it appears sometimes that they don't want to give up a $#!!load of power in order to get that drop top, which is what they have to do if they decide against the ZR1 and go to a base vert or grand sport vert.

This 427 vert, allows them to not have to give up so much power, in order to get the vert they might want.

This one is indeed a grand slam.

Wildmanht

I think it is totally cool that GM FINALLY did this but as a vert lover, would have been nice a couple of years ago... If not for the C7's coming out and this is the last run for the C6's I am not going to dump my 08 for it regardless if it is an anniversary addition.

Supersonic 427

I too am excited about this! I believe a Corvette should be a convertible, have a manual transmission and have the largest available engine!

'06 Quicksilver Z06

And you aren't alone in that belief and apparently GM thinks so too.

While they aren't putting the most powerful available engine in it, the are putting the engine in it with the largest displacement.

That's a big step in the right direction.

But like I said earlier, it's a great day, because now if you want a Vert, you don't necessarily have to go with the weakest mill in the lineup.

A vert with a set of stones to go along with that muscular look, is a much better idea than other special editions amounting to nothing more than tape and decals, and arguably a better move than even the Z06 Carbon was.

Think about it, that's a big part of what Callaway was doing......giving those people who wanted a vert, a vert that had some real power to it. Some brute strength to it. A "power" vert. A no excuses, take no prisoners vert. That's part of what Callaway was/is offering folks, and they have found some success doing it that way. They found a need and filled it.

In an ingenious move, GM just took a page out of their book, but made their own "power vert", their own "take no prisoners vert", but with naturally aspirated power, an iconic engine, with an iconic name, 427, LS7....No gimmicks. Pure power. 427 cubic inches of it.

This car will do better, sales wise than the Z06 Carbon did, because it very likely appeals to a wider range of potential buyers, people with interest in the base, grand sport, Z06, and ZR1, than did the Carbon, which was only going to appeal to the pure track rat.