2001 Chevrolet Corvette

In 2001, Chevrolet re-awakened the performance enthusiasts with a new model: the Z06. This car, which only came in the lightweight hardtop body style, was enhanced with a host of go-fast upgrades designed to make it the highest-performance production Corvette built to-date. Z06's highlight was the all-new LS6, featuring a redesigned intake manifold, revised cylinder heads, stronger pistons, a hotter camshaft, higher compression and new exhaust manifolds. These collective changes resulted in 385 horsepower at 6000 RPM, 385 lb.ft torque at 4800 RPM.

The LS6 engine delivers its 40 more horsepower to the rear wheels via a beefed-up clutch, a larger-diameter driveshaft, and a revised 6-speed manual transmission to better exploit the LS6 engine's high-revving power band. Collectively, these powertrain changes vastly increase the Z06's available thrust and required major chassis revisions. A new FE4 suspension provided revised shock calibrations, a stiffer rear transverse leaf spring and stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear. With all these modifications, combined with larger wheels and tires, handling was significantly improved over the standard Corvette. More power, more grip, and less weight simply meant higher performance. The Z06 was capable of 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds flat and 12.6 seconds at 114 mph in the 1/4 mile. That made the Z06 quicker than the mighty ZR-1 model that ruled the Corvette roost from 1990-1995.