C7 Corvette Z06 – Disaffected Musings

First, a word about Zeek Duff. I never met him and my interaction with him consisted of a few comments in one post on Disaffected Musings. However, it was with sadness that I learned this morning that he died in April. Here is one of those comments posted less than a month before his passing:

“Sorry your old man was a deadbeat, but at least he didn’t beat on you until you had to fight back like I did. Not proud of it, but he never hit me again, either. I suppose my boys have stories about me they don’t like much either, but I never hit either one of ’em, even though I probably should have at some point. One turned into a jackass, the other is a good guy with an outstanding family, married to the same woman for 30+ years. I taught one of the grandkids to read and count to 100 by the time was 2, and he’s now a PhD math professor. Eldest granddaughter is an engineer. Actually, all 10 of them are doing well, I’m almost concerned none have made me great-grandpa yet, almost. Hard to tell how kids will turn out, some good, some not so much, no matter how they grew up with what kind of parents. Nature or nurture, who knows..? No one I know. Nice article, regardless.”

Carpe Diem! That’s an axiom I have a hard time applying to my life as well.

******************

Any guess as to the identity of the 11th and last car in Ultimate Garage 2.0? I gave a big hint earlier in the series. OK…C7 Corvette Z06. In the Ultimate Garage on my first blog I included the car I owned at the time—a 2009 BMW Z4—mainly out of obligation. Including the car I currently own is not out of obligation; I think it’s a fantastic car!

From Car and Driver (thanks to my wonderful wife for finding this for me AND for helping me buy the Red Rocket):

“Think of the Corvette Z06 as the most amazing version of a sports car that is already amazing by anyone’s measure. In fact, it’s so amazing that we named the Chevrolet supercar to our 10 Best Cars list for 2019. Based on the regular Corvette, the Z06 moniker means it has more power and more go-fast addenda. Sold as either a sporty coupe or showy convertible, the most important feature is its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that makes 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque and blasts an earth-shattering exhaust note. A seven-speed manual transmission is on hand for shifting duties, and an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is available. The Z07 Performance package adds carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires, and adjustable aerodynamic-enhancing bits.

While the outrageous 750-hp ZR1 is the crown jewel of the Corvette lineup—at least until the mid-engine version arrives—the Z06 represents one of the best performance values on sale today. Its neck-snapping acceleration and intestine-shifting cornering grip can compete with ultra-expensive alternatives such as the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Mercedes-AMG GT, which makes the super Chevy a tremendous value. The Vette is also a livable daily driver that can transform into a track monster at a moment’s notices. Its selectable drive modes and adaptive dampers alter a variety of driving characteristic that include quick and accurate steering as well as powertrain modes. The last version that participated in our annual Lightning Lap felt as if it was purpose-built for the event.

Inside, the Z06 retains the regular Corvette’s driver-centric cabin but adds racier materials and offers extra-supportive Competition Sport seats. Despite its intimidating sheetmetal and track-ready tuning, the Vette has a passenger-friendly interior and contemporary infotainment system. The standard system includes a mobile hotspot, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Buyers can personalize things further with unique color options, desirable creature comforts such as ventilated front seats, and the optional Custom Leather-Wrapped Interior package. No matter how the Z06 is outfitted, it remains one of the most affordable and fantastic sports cars in the world.”

My car has the Z07 package—the brakes are AMAZING. OK, what is the value of this car? The MSRP was $101,000 when new. I bought the car “lightly” used with 4,400 miles and still under the original bumper-to-bumper warranty, but I paid about 40% less than the MSRP and that included shipping. Of course, the C7 is either out of production or soon to be so. I am going to use $100,000 as a nice round number.

Well, (my) Ultimate Garage 2.0 is in the books. What do you think? It’s not too late to submit yours.

As for the cost/value of the cars in this exercise, the average was $133,000 while the median was $100,000. I think that’s a nice blend of “ultimate” cars and my lower middle class upbringing. No million-dollar cars here.

Frankly, I am at a bit of a loss as to how to continue Disaffected Musings from this point forward. So much of the blog was writing about Ultimate Garages that now it’s done I’m not sure how to keep writing about cars and I don’t have the stomach to move the blog in another direction. I will, of course, post any Ultimate Garage you wish to submit, but as for original content I am stymied. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading.

#ZeekDuff

#UltimateGarage2.0

#C7CorvetteZ06

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Hurrah! The incessant airing of mean-spirited “political ads” that are almost without exception nothing but character assassinations will now cease! For the hundredth time, no one has a monopoly on truth and wisdom and neither does any ideology.

******************

Have you ever heard of Galloping Gertie? On this day in 1940 the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed during high winds. The footage (this is supposed to be in the public domain) is still quite fascinating to me. The bridge had only opened in July of 1940. At its opening it was the third longest longest suspension bridge in the world.

The oscillations during windy conditions were apparent even during construction. All efforts to mitigate the unwanted motion were, obviously, unsuccessful. All endeavors of people have the potential to be flawed, and most of them are, because all people are flawed.

From the Wikipedia article: “The bridge’s collapse had a lasting effect on science and engineering. In many physics textbooks, the event is presented as an example of elementary forced resonance; the bridge collapsed because normal speed winds produced aeroelastic flutter that matched the bridge’s natural frequency. The collapse boosted research into bridge aerodynamics-aeroelastics, which has influenced the designs of all later long-span bridges.”

From the Wikipedia article a picture of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

******************

If money were no object I don’t really think I would have a 1,000+ HP engine built for my C2 restomod. However, I might use this drivetrain:

From fastlanecars.com a picture of a 2015 Corvette Z06. This car is powered by a 6.2 liter (376 cubic inches in Bill Stephens-ese) supercharged V-8 that produces a peak of 650 HP and 650 LB-FT of torque. The engine designation for this beast is the LT4.

The person with whom I’ve been talking about doing my build hasn’t specifically said that the LT4 is available. He has mentioned the LS9 engine that was used in the ZR1 version of the C6 Corvette. The LS9 is also supercharged and also produces in excess of 600 HP and 600 LB-FT of torque. Still, with unlimited funds (that is the scenario I’m writing about here) I think an LT4 would be possible. The LT4 is listed as an available crate engine on Chevrolet’s website.

I don’t know if I could live with supercharger “whine” every time I drove the car. A supercharger also adds to the complexity of the car. I am a big believer in KISS (not the rock band).

This drivetrain is much more expensive than the one I am likely to use if I build the car from scratch, but I am writing about not having any budgetary constraints. Not only is the LT4 engine more expensive than an LS3 or LS7, but an 8L90E (eight-speed) automatic transmission is more expensive than any four-speed automatic. Still, imagine a reliable and drivable car weighing barely 3,000 pounds with 650 HP/650 LB-FT. Sounds like fun to me.

Have any of you built a car or had one built for you? If so, what was the car? What was your experience? I think about this build every day. I hope the reality can at least come close to the idea. Steve Dallas, feel free to chime in.

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you’re here after clicking on a link in the Corvette Forum, welcome. Please bookmark the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com) and return often. Thanks.

Almost six percent of the views this month are from Canada. That number is WAY up from before. I would love to hear from Canadian readers. Thanks.

I want to sincerely thank all of the Hemmings readers who have visited Disaffected Musings. (I am also grateful to Hemmings for posting my comments that include links to this blog.) Almost 10 percent of views have been referred from Hemmings. Please keep reading. 🙂

Tag: C7 Corvette Z06

Ultimate Garage 2.0: The Eleventh And Final Car

Wednesday Respite