C6 Corvette - “Evolution Of A Superstar”

C6 Corvette Development

Another of the issues was the desire for improved aerodynamics, which had great implications for the new C6.R racer.  The race team was brought in to work with the engineering/design team on the development of both the base models and (even more so) on the Z06.  It was important to identify what real-world elements would translate back into the production car and the race car as well.   For example, the C5 Corvette had a split grille that was often criticized as being too similar to the design stylings of GM’s Pontiac line.  The design teams wanted to return to the design style of the older Corvettes, which had a center port opening, and this change actually worked well for the race team as well, allowing more direct air flow into the engine area.

Another of the issues was the desire for improved aerodynamics, which had great implications for the new C6.R racer.  The race team was brought in to work with the engineering/design team on the development of both the base models and (even more so) on the Z06.  It was important to identify what real-world elements would translate back into the production car and the race car as well.   For example, the C5 Corvette had a split grille that was often criticized as being too similar to the design stylings of GM’s Pontiac line.  The design teams wanted to return to the design style of the older Corvettes, which had a center port opening, and this change actually worked well for the race team as well, allowing more direct air flow into the engine area.

Beyond competition needs, the C6 styling was influenced by the C2 Stingray.  When Tom Peters was brought to the table to champion the design of the new C6 Corvette, he turned to the Stingray for influence – not because of any affinity for retro car design – but because the Stingray contained elements in it’s design that made the car powerful and allowed it to make a bold statement of design for that era of Corvette.  Another styling influence was Peter’s love of aircraft.  Much like Harley Earl drew inspiration from the P-38 Lightning, Peter’s influence was most directly derived from the YF-22 jet fighter.

Tom Peters, Chief Designer of the C6 Corvette.

Per Peter’s own words, “You have those peaked fender shapes.  You’ve got the way that upper sits on the body, like a jet-fighter canopy cockpit….It’s expressive but it’s integrated,  It’s singular in nature…It’s one overall cohesive, bold statement.”

When reviewing the design of the C6, it’s easy to draw the comparison between both design elements.  The upper portion of the C6 has a lot more taper, it’s a lot more pointed in the rear, and it is more jet-fighter-like in profile.   Similarly, the rear decks possess a “boattail” characteristic that sweep neatly back from the belt – a throwback of the split window design of the 1963 Sting Ray coupe.

The trademark four tail lamps are almost perfectly round again, and reside in a more sculpted back end panel that is more aptly proportioned to the car than was the wider back end of the C5 Corvette.  The body sides – from the front fenders back – create visually interesting lines, while pronounced “coves” provide a “tip of the hat” to the 1956 Corvette, the model that launched Corvette on a path to success both as a production car and as a racer.

The C6 Corvette measures 5.1 inches shorter and an inch narrower than the C5, but is 1.2 inches longer in wheelbase at 106 inches.  That wheelbase was dictated by packaging requirements for the Cadillac XLR, but it adds to the Corvette’s purposeful new “wheels at the corners” stance.  The wheels themselves are larger, with front tires measuring in at 18 inches and the rears at 19 inches.   The one downside to the downsizing of the C6 is that the car contains slightly less cargo space.  Whereas the C5 coupe provided 24.8 cubic feet of usable cargo space, the C6 coupe offers a mere 22 cubic feet.  For the convertibles a similar 13.9 cubic inches in the C5 has been reduced to 10.5 cubic feet max storage.

To complement the more refined and sophisticated exterior, Peters and lead interior designer Eric Clough developed an all new interior that improved on the finish and feel of the interior.  The C5 was criticized by many Corvette enthusiasts for feeling to “plasticy” and being too dark (most of the C5 interiors feature an extensive amount of black colored components).  Similarly, along with the body styling of the exterior, one of the key components to the redesign was a simplification of the overall design.  While the dashboard is laid out like the C5’s, the sculpted “twin cowl” theme gives way to a clean, vertical, passenger side panel with a hidden airbag door. New seats offer longer cushions and more prominent side bolsters.  Accents of aluminum and metal-look accents provide a sense of modern “hi tech” to the gauge clusters and center console – including the stereo and climate control devices.

There are a number of other notable changes to the interior as well.  For the first time in any Corvette, designers decided to include an optional center stack navigation system (available for an additional $1400.00).   A reworked center console now included twin cup holders beneath a sliding cover and a larger armrest/storage bin.  The ignition key has been replaced by a large engine-start rocker switch which is part of a standard keyless entry system that operates via a pocket transmitter.

General Motors recognized that the evolution of the C6 Corvette would also require a power plant to give it the muscle to back it’s boastful appearance. Although the C5 had the impressive LS1 engine beneath it’s hood, the LS1 Chevy small block received a facelift (much like the rest of the C6) that revised it sufficiently to earn it the new badge designation LS2. The changes made to the engine included a 2.6 mm bore stretch to 101.6 mm, which ups the engine’s total displacement to 6.0 liters or 365 cubic inches. Compression increased from 10.1:1 to 10.9:1.  The intake system was redesigned to intake 15 percent more air.  The exhaust system gains a lightweight thin-wall manifold with 20 percent higher outflow, plus straight-through pipes and new mufflers that reduce back pressure 10 percent.

These (and other) modifications increase the performance from 350 horsepower at 5200 rpms to a staggering 400 horsepower at 6000 rpms.  Torque increased from 360/375 pound-feet at 4000 revolutions to a stout 500 at 4400 revolutions. In order to gain some perspective on the performance increase of the C6, the LS2 engine is only five horses down on the previous Z06’s LS6 engine and makes the same torque at slightly lower revs – and that’s just the coupe!  The C6 Z06 offers even more staggering numbers (please visit the C6 Z06 section for details).

As with previous generations, the convertible and base coupe both offer a choice of a six speed manual or a four speed automatic transaxle (transmission).  The four speed automatic received a Cadillac-style Performance Shift Algorithm programming, while the Tremec T56 manual boasts a revised linkage with more positive action and a shorter shift lever.  The manual transmission was also fitted with Computer Aided Gear Selection (CAGS), obligating the driver to shift directly from first to fourth when driving at lower RPMs.  This addition would boost the Corvette’s derived fuel economy, eliminating prospective buyers from being required to pay a “gas guzzler” tax charged on some vehicles that have documented poor fuel mileage.  Unlike the C5, which carried extra cost for a manual transmission, it was decided that the C6 would offer the manual transmission as a standard option, although the automatic would also be available at no additional cost.

Even as the C6 Corvette became available to the public for the first time, the car had already gained a reputation amongst Corvette and sports car enthusiasts of not only meeting the expectations set by the C5, but far exceeding them.  Even in comparisons performed by non-biased third party reviewers, the C6 Corvette was ready to demonstrate the steely stuff it was made of.  Car and Driver’s “10 Best” list for 2005 stated boldly that the new C6 Corvette beat out a one-point win over the redesigned 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera in a comparison test.

Road & Track magazine showed that “the Corvette came in first in a nine-way sports-car showdown.”  R&T further stated that “The C6 has no real weaknesses and many strengths.  It possesses world-class performance, a high level of comfort and dashing good looks.  And it’s available for nearly half the price of a Porsche Carrera S.  America’s sports car is now back in its rightful place atop the sports-car mountain.”