Starting Lines

Chevrolet has officially introduced the 2023 Corvette Z06 which comes two years after the introduction of the mid-engine Corvette Stingray and builds upon it with a new engine and full suite of performance upgrades that make it truly ready to race. The car is based heavily on the Corvette Racing C8.R which has enjoyed its fair share of success on the track. The Z06 is 3.6-in. wider than the Stingray, features unique front and rear fascias and sits on 20-in. front and 21-in. rear forged aluminum spider wheels with five available finishes. Powering the car from the mid-point is an all-new LT6 5.5L DOHC V8 engine that features a flat-plane crank design that allows it to rev to very high RPMs and produces an incredible noise when doing so. The engine is naturally aspirated, which benefits responsiveness, and therefore makes it that much more ready for the track. It red lines at 8,600 rpm, features a full racing-style dry-sump oiling system and produces a very impressive 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft. of torque. Power is put to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission with a specific, shorter 5.56 final drive ratio compared to the Corvette Stingray which further enhances acceleration capability. The car features a suspension system tuned to it specifically, including Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 and available Brembo carbon ceramic brakes which aim to stop the Z06 as fast as it gets going. Nearly every exterior detail on the new Corvette Z06 is meant to aid performance in some way, whether it be aerodynamics, handling or cooling, while an available Z07 Performance Package furthers that with an added carbon fibre aero package and other goodies such as Michelin Sport Cup 2 R ZP tires and unique carbon fibre wheels. Production of the new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is set to begin next summer in the Bowling Green Assembly Plant.

Volume 19, Issue No. 6 December / January 2021

Second Class Mailing Agreement #40050183

Publisher: Dean Washington dean@rpmcanada.ca

Associate Publisher: David Symons david@rpmcanada.ca

Managing Editor Jordan Allan jordan@rpmcanada.ca

Distribution Manager: Brenda Washington brenda@rpmcanada.ca

Copy Editor: Gerry Frechette gerryf@rpmcanada.ca

Advertising Sales: Elaine Fontaine elaine@rpmcanada.ca

Contributing Writers / Photographers: Jordan Allan Dan Heyman John Gunnell Cam Hutchins Benjamin Yong

Although there are rumours around that Dodge will officially stop production of SRT Hellcat models in the near future, it hasn’t stopped them from introducing new models and trims and they’ve done so once again with the new Jailbreak models for 2022 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebodies. The new Jailbreak models unlock colour combination ordering restrictions, add new factory-custom options and bump power to an astonishing 807 horsepower. The models also include a unique Jailbreak badge on the instrument panel and offer Jailbreak-exclusive content such as Hammerhead Grey Laguna leather seats, decklid stripe and widebody side stripe, and blue and yellow brake calipers, just to name a few. With combinations available in over 20 different categories, the Dodge Production Design Office has created order combinations that will be available for those who don’t want to go through choosing every little thing. The 2022 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbrake option package will be available in late 2021 and comes with an MSRP of $1,295 over the standard models.

Motorsport Auction Group (MAG) is a collector car auction featuring muscle cars, street rods, classic cars, vintage cars, and leading automobile products, and they will be conducting the 2022 Winter Classic Car Auction from the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort Mcdowell, Arizona January 28th through 30th. Not only will there be cars crossing the block, auto-

motive-related vendors/exhibitors and lifestyle brands will be able to display and sell their products to the public. Consignments and pre-bidder registrations are now being accepted. For further info, call 1-888-330-0749 or visit www.motorsportauctiongroup.com

Muscle Car Plus Magazine is published six times per year by RPM Media Inc.

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During a break whilst writing a recent piece for this magazine, I took to browsing the web – as you do, in these types of scenarios. During my sojourn there I came across a site selling some pretty cool hats, topped by the one I’d end up buying: a red, white and blue trucker-style item emblazoned with what looked like a U.S. Route 66 – yes, that one – road sign. A closer inspection revealed that while it did say “66”, instead of “route” above that, it said “order” and it was then I realized I had come across a way-cool Star Wars/Americana combo.

So, naturally, when I picked up my Chevrolet Corvette Stingray loaner – all swooping mid-engined angles and sparkling Accelerate Yellow Metallic paint – it was this hat I was wearing. Why? Well, because, like the two divergent examples of popular American culture on the hat -- the Old Mother Road, baked into the earth below and the world of the famous space opera, many millions of miles above -- the latest Corvette is an incredibly tantalizing mix of the old and the new and a nice window into where cars are at today.

Photo courtesy of GM Canada The new, well, that’s pretty obvious. For the first time ever, the Corvette has swapped its traditional long-hooded, front-engine sports car digs for a mid-engined supercar body. It now has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution as a result, and cuts a profile unlike pretty much any American car this side of the Ford GT. It is an absolute head-turner; some people can’t believe it’s a Corvette, others nod with approval and recognition and still others are somewhat put-off by it. After all, when you’re a fan of a car that has pretty much become an institution, you’re not gonna necessarily love the idea of having your engine in the “wrong” place.

But why not? After all, the ‘Vette still gets a naturally-aspirated pushrod V8 good for 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque (that’s thanks to the performance exhaust that comes with my car’s 3LT Z07 package; take five off of each figure with standard exhaust), fed to the rear tires, and the rear tires alone. That means instantaneous response from the throttle, accompanied by a bloody great noise that only a V8 with quad outlet exhaust could produce.

It’s a strange dichotomy, actually, as the looks are modern to the point where the sound of an old school V8 seems at-odds with the environs. It seems like a car more likely to be powered by a twin-turbo V6 – yes, like that pesky Ford GT – so when you hear that V8 bellow, it really does make you stop and once again think about how different this new Corvette is.

Not to mention that the cockpit is ultramodern, with the digital gauge cluster and central display angled nicely towards the driver and providing a very cockpit-like feel. There’s also a heads-up display, because why shouldn’t there be? The Corvette has had one for over a decade now.

It feels a whole heck of a lot faster than 500 hp, too, especially if you drop the top on this convertible model. A quick aside on that: yes; all Corvettes can have the top removed, but the “coupe” models become more of a targa when the roof is off, a process that is done manually. The convertible gets a power folding top that leaves occupants much more exposed to the elements. That’s great, but it’s a shame you can’t see that bloody great big V8 as there’s an unmovable firewall between the roof stow area and the engine bay.

You do, however, keep storage areas both front and back – just like in the coupe – and the rear stowage area can actually fit a set of golf clubs, even though it doesn’t really look it. You even have to firmly push the leading edge of the “frunk” down to close – you can’t just slam it shut – just like you would in a Porsche, though the rear storage hatch actually gets a soft-close feature. That’s kind of a nice, unexpected luxury feature for what isn’t really a luxury car.

It’s great that you still get plenty of storage when you drop the top – there’s no less in that circumstance than there would be if you left the top in place, which is nice – but the bigger takeaway for those concerned with the performance of a vehicle is how bereft the drive experience is of the creaks and rattles we’ve come to expect from convertibles. It’s not just that those are annoying, but their presence often means you don’t have quite as much chassis fidelity as you’d get from the coupe, which means a hit to performance.

Not here, though. The drop top feels just as rigid and athletic as the coupe, which means what you have is a car that can make a reasonably skilled driver feel like a true driving star.

The front end responds so well to steering inputs, and body roll is so minimal that it’s almost imperceptible and the rear end follows the front through turns in a wonderfully predictable and tractable way. This is not a small vehicle, but it drives a whole lot smaller than it looks and since you sit so low and so over the front axle (there’s no big, long engine there, remember) you really feel like you’re part of the Corvette’s footprint as you scythe your way down your favourite mountain road together. At the same time, while you know there’s lots of car behind you – they had to fit that engine somewhere, right? – you don’t feel it and I found myself often surprised when

The one transmission choice is a paddle-operated eight-speed dual-clutch auto, which manual purists will argue that quick as it is, it’s nowhere near as immersive. Perhaps not, but it is incredibly fast-shifting, each gear a joy to bang home. Then you start to saw the strange function-over-form steering wheel (shaped to not impede your vision or bump your thighs) and everything about this Corvette comes into focus.

You do have to put up with some strangeness, though; like the coupe, the centre stack, well, there isn’t really a centre stack but a thin strip of buttons – there are 14 of ‘em, and three toggles – for your climate controls. It takes some getting used to and errant elbows can strike the buttons when driving. You get used to it, but it takes awhile and the stand on which they sit kind of forms a barrier between driver and passenger.

There is a reason for it, though; if they wanted to keep the dash as low and out of the driver’s line of sight as possible, then there wasn’t going to be room for a typical centre stack. The drive mode wheel is also awkwardly placed – it sits under a palm rest, just forward of the cupholders – and you don’t so much spin it as bump it left and right to choose from between the four drive modes. It kind of annoys me, just as reciprocating turn signals annoy me.

Not much else to complain about here, though. The latest Corvette is a massive departure from previous models and it’s reached a level of dynamism never before seen from the model; not even from the hotted-up Z06 and ZR1 versions. That’s saying something and while the looks aren’t for everyone, the drive absolutely should be and that’s what counts at this level.