2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 @ the N-Ring

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Z06Vette.com - Z06 Gets Huge Air In Nurburgring

GM rented Nurburgring and brought in professional racer Jan Magnussen to test drive the brand spank'in new 2006 Chevrolet C6 Corvette Z06 (Not the Blue Devil). The intention was to beat the 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Jan achieved an official time of 7'42.9, beating the RS by .1 seconds.

The 505hp and $65,000 supercar also beat the following:

7:43 - TechArt GT Street
7:43 - Porsche 996 911 GT3 RS
7:43 - Lamborghini Murcielago
7:44 - Pagani Zonda C12 S
7:45 - Gemballa Porsche GT-R 600
7:46 - Porsche 996 GT2
7:46 - SHK Porsche 993 GT2: 652hp
7:47 - Porsche 996 GT3 RS: 381hp
7:49 - Porsche 996 GT3 Cup
7:50 - BMW E46 M3 CSL
7:50 - Blitz Supra: Herbert Schürg: 750hp
7:50 - Honda RC30: Helmut Daehne
7:52 - Gemballa Porsche 911 Le Mans
7:52 - Lamborghini Gallardo E-Gear
7:52 - Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR
7:54 - Porsche GT3
7:55 - Caterham R500 Superlight
7:56 - Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
7:56 - Porsche 996 Turbo

So I think its safe to say that the Corvette has truly stepped into the world of supercars. It almost ranks in the top 10 on the standard Nurburgring.

Also, my predictions were correct. It did beat the Mercielago and does sport a record 14 second (4 seconds beyond most predictions, 1 second short of my own) difference over the stanard C6 (which ran 7'56).

Okay... So there is no more good reason to flame the Vette and ignorantly under-estimate its capabilities. Now we all know what the Vette is capable of, what it beat, and what it's competing against. It has earned its respect (though it achieved track car status a long time ago, IMO).
 
911 GT3 RS has 381bhp and weighs 1360kg. This Z06 has 505bhp and weighs 1420kg...correct?

Not much of a result is it?

edit: This Z06 is very similar to the Murcielago in terms of lapping. It's very quick on the straights but not so quick in the corners.
 
Are you kidding?

The Z06 out ran the 750hp Blitz Supra, 650hp SHK GT2, 620hp SLR McLaren, 600hp Lotec, 570hp Diablo GT, 550hp Zonda, and 510hp Diablo SV. That alone is a HUGE accomplishment. Everyone said it would either perform like a Viper, or be only 5-10 second quicker than last years Z06.

The C6 Corvette is becoming a force to reckon with now, as the base model Vette (no Z51 parts or any upgrades) is out running a number of high-performance cars, especially that 600hp Lotec, with a mere 400hp.
 
FAOLIU05
Are you kidding?

The Z06 out ran the 750hp Blitz Supra, 650hp SHK GT2, 620hp SLR McLaren, 600hp Lotec, 570hp Diablo GT, 550hp Zonda, and 510hp Diablo SV. That alone is a HUGE accomplishment. Everyone said it would either perform like a Viper, or be only 5-10 second quicker than last years Z06.

The C6 Corvette is becoming a force to reckon with now, as the base model Vette (no Z51 parts or any upgrades) is out running a number of high-performance cars, especially that 600hp Lotec, with a mere 400hp.

The most important part in any lap time is the driver. Walter Rorhl was driving the GT3 RS, Magnussen was driving this Z06. Both great drivers. Who was driving the rest of the cars in the list? Test drivers? In-house racing drivers for the tuning companies? Who knows...

The problem with the lap times around the Ring is that all different drivers do them of all different capabilities. A current Le Mans and ex-F1 driver really should be quicker in the Z06 than a GT3 RS is able to go.

Obviously this Z06 did a very quick lap time, but IMO it's nothing spectacular.
 
The thing is with any laptimes registered on a track in a wide interval (the Blitz Supra's laptime dates back to 1997) is that the track itself, especially one like the 'Ring, and the weather, will affect the results. And the driver, as was pointed out earlier. Everyone's got a Nurburgring specialist, but who's got the best one?

Not to mention that you can't just go out and rent the 'Ring for a few days, so you've got to take traffic into account.

Don't get me wrong, the new Z06 will certainly be a force to reckon with, it's certainly the new benchmark for cheap speed (at least in North America, where we don't get Atoms and Radicals, and the likes) but don't take lap times for gospel.
 
No offense, but I seem to recall Porsche/Ferrari/Mercedes/etc. fans frequently pointing to their favorite cars' 'Ring times without consequence and freely using such times in debates as to which cars are better than what. :ouch:
 
stop hating on the Corvette Amp

I would really really like to see a vid of the lap. I wasnt suprized with the time the corvette has got. :)
 
Elegy
No offense, but I seem to recall Porsche/Ferrari/Mercedes/etc. fans frequently pointing to their favorite cars' 'Ring times without consequence and freely using such times in debates as to which cars are better than what. :ouch:

The only time you can really trust comparisons between times at the Ring is when they're done on the same day, in the same weather conditions, by drivers of similar experience/talent (preferably the same driver) and in the same traffic conditions. Laps done years apart at different times of the year with different weather and traffic aren't really great candidates for comparison. Lap times should be used as approximate benchmarks, not definitive rankings, as PunkRock says.
 
Gabkicks
stop hating on the Corvette Amp

I would really really like to see a vid of the lap. I wasnt suprized with the time the corvette has got. :)

I'm not hating on it. It's just not really that impressive a time when the GT3 RS can keep up with it.
 
Elegy
No offense, but I seem to recall Porsche/Ferrari/Mercedes/etc. fans frequently pointing to their favorite cars' 'Ring times without consequence and freely using such times in debates as to which cars are better than what. :ouch:

Exactly!

Hey, it outran the slr. Is that not enough of an accomplishment?
 
xcsti
Exactly!

Hey, it outran the slr. Is that not enough of an accomplishment?

Not really, considering the SLR was designed as much for comfort as it was speed. Plus the SLR weighs in at nearly 1800 Kgs, about 400 kilos more than this Z06
 
Lap times should be used as approximate benchmarks, not definitive rankings, as PunkRock says.

I agree with that there, don't get me wrong (though I don't agree with the common blanket statement "a car is only as good as its driver"; if that were really true than Magnussen should be able to break 8 minutes in a Subaru Justy). It's just I find it very disquieting that this comes up so suddenly when it's a Corvette and rarely (if at all) when it's something like a Porsche, or a Ferrari.
 
I agree, there are tons of factors to take into consideration, but I doubt weather conditions and drivers are credible excuses. In fact, I'd say most factors derive from the actual vehicle itself.

Companies want to have the lowest times for their most track-based sportscar, because from a consumer standpoint there is no street practicality. After doing this, they'll sell the sportscar at the highest competitive price possible.

To achieve the lowest times, companies put forth that relatively small expenditure for quality test drivers because hitting around 8 minutes or below isn't something just anyone can do. It takes really dedicated, talented, professionals to do that.

I can garantee you that weather conditions will be ideal, so cross that off the list. When it comes to drivers, it really comes down to what a car is capable of. So cross drivers off the list.

Thats how things should be.
 
4% quicker than a standard 8 year old Nissan! Yay!
 
FAOLIU05
Thats how things should be.

Yes, that's how things should be, but in reality it won't be true.

Why don't you think weather conditions and drivers are credible "excuses" (I don't really see why you say excuses, I cited them as factors).

Differences in temperature between different days/months of the year would influence the speed of the car, the grip of the tyres, the power of the engine even.

Different drivers are a huge factor, I really don't see how you could dismiss that. Look at the huge gulf between the drivers in F1. Compare Michael Schumacher/Kimi Raikkonen/Juan Pablo Montoya/Fernando Alonso to the drivers at the back of the field and you'll see what I mean.
 
I think it's humorous that almost everyone's looking for excuses why the Z06 did so well on the 'ring versus some newer "supercars" that were apparently out of the Vette's league. All you Vetta haters just say "wow nice lap" instead of "oh nos you have to consider 1,000,000 factors why it slightly edged out the better cars". Just say it had a really good lap and give the thing it's props for christs sake.

Personally I like any under $80k (USD) car to beat those Italian "supercars". That is what impresses me the most regardless of where in the world it came from..even if it was a Hyundai. :sly:
 
Thats exactly what they do, look for excuses as to why everything else is slow, rather than just giving the Vette the just respect it deserves.
 
Different drivers are a huge factor, I really don't see how you could dismiss that.

It's an equally big mistake to dismiss car capability. Again, it's highly unlikely any of those F1 drivers would break 8 minutes on the Nordschleife with a Subaru Justy.

Let's just say this. While the C6 Z06 may not always win against those cars which turned in times a second or less slower than it, the time it did turn in should still prove that, given a reasonably competent driver, it can be competitive against top-end cars from Europe being driven by guys/gals with equal skills to the 'Vette's pilot.
 
Not to mention the car did actually get that time...it seems the haters aren't even disputing the fact that it DID achieve that time but that the other European cars' times somehow are meaningless since they weren't done on the same day with the same damn driver. What a crock.
 
You'd think Test Drivers would have better times because they're more familiar. But nevertheless, N-ring lap times still gives us a pretty good idea of how cars will perform, whether or not they're driven by professional, high class F1 drivers or not. N-ring times are still very credible.
 
Hmm...I've just been informed that at least some of those other cars' times might actually have been run in wet conditions...can anyone confirm this? 👎
 
Elegy
It's an equally big mistake to dismiss car capability. Again, it's highly unlikely any of those F1 drivers would break 8 minutes on the Nordschleife with a Subaru Justy.

Let's just say this. While the C6 Z06 may not always win against those cars which turned in times a second or less slower than it, the time it did turn in should still prove that, given a reasonably competent driver, it can be competitive against top-end cars from Europe being driven by guys/gals with equal skills to the 'Vette's pilot.


I mainly agree with this.

But one thing that hasn't been pointed out, is that the 'factors' can go both ways. What if the Corvette was running in poorer conditions than the other cars listed here?? I am not saying this happened, but I am saying that could be possible, however unlikely.
 
yes that and the fact the corvette hasnt even been broken in yet?
maybe it did those times with 5miles on the odometer?

the ones that have an excuse or belittle the z06, are just haters/jealous. :(
 
Well, from the photos, everything looked nice and sunny. And then there's what I was just told about the laps of some of the European cars (that at least a few of them were turned in during wet conditions). If that turns out to be true, we've got a problem.

UPDATE: Apparently, the times were shown as being set in the wet in a Top Gear issue. Thing is, they might not be THESE times, just these cars.
 
The Z06 has ran a pretty impressive time IMO, but I've always said, ring times arn't the definition of a cars performance. At the same time I've also used them to bacjk up statements when it's suited me :D, but I'm waiting to see it on TopGear if it does come over her because then I'll see it compared to it's rivals in the UK which I'm more interested in comparing it to and it will be the same driver as the others. Theres too many cars that don't have Ring times as well, it may be in the top 10 (I'll have to check that later because I have a feeling that theres quite a few more cars with sub 7'43 laps than that) but theres a hell of a lot of cars that have also not been tested there. As far as what matters is, the Vette has done a good lap, and IMO the C6 is the first time anyone can claim the Vette is good for more than straight line drags. I still think a Sagaris would beat it thoug :D.
 
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