Vehicle Description
With Corvettes, you can almost ensure future collectability with a
few key ingredients: more power, limited production, and original
condition. This low-mileage 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 captures
all three, and while it isn't going to make you rich overnight, it
is the kind of car that you can drive and enjoy (big time!) without
worries.
The Z06 was the C5's answer to the ZR1: more power, better
handling, and less weight, all adding up to a formidable factory
performer. It kept the ZR1 tradition alive in that it, too, kept a
low profile with subtle changes to its appearance, and it was only
available in one body style: the fixed-roof coupe (FRC). Bathed in
slick Electron Blue paint, it looks like a track weapon thanks to
performance-based upgrades like the screened-in brake cooling ducts
up front and in the rocker panels, the lowered ride height, and the
titanium exhaust, which is visible from behind. But despite its
abilities, this one seems to have led a very easy life, and shows
very few signs of use and none of the usual "upgrades" that the
aftermarket all too willingly will supply to Corvette fans eager
for more performance. Instead, it seems that looking good was this
car's primary mission and someone made sure that the blue paint
remained in very good shape overall. With only 40,498 original
miles, it just hasn't had time to get too beat up, and with the
special crossed-flags badging on the new commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Corvette, you know this car is extra
special.
The Z06 stuck to the basics inside, getting a black leather
treatment on the seats (which were the lightweight standard
Corvette buckets, not the heavy Sport seats), but otherwise looks
like most other C5s. That's OK because the hardware is really what
matters and the C5's driving environment was already pretty good.
Key it up and the gauges do a little dance and the car springs to
life with a single turn of the key. A 6-speed manual transmission
was the only choice, and it featured revised ratios in every gear
to hone the Z06 into a track-based superstar. And yes, all the
usual stuff was standard including power windows and locks, keyless
entry, A/C, and a great-sounding Bose audio system that was
powerful enough to overcome the thunder under the hood. The C5's
biggest calling card was storage space, because the FRC offers a
real trunk with plenty of space for track gear or a week's worth of
luggage.
The revised LS6 engine was booted to 405 horsepower in 2002 (which
surely enraged owners of 2001 Z06s who only got 385), but dyno
testing after the fact suggests that Chevy deliberately under-rated
the Z06 and that the real number is somewhere closer to 425 horses.
Virtually every single part inside the engine was changed for the
Z06, making it faster, lighter, and more powerful, and it happily
spins to its 6500 RPM redline, which is 500 more than the stock
LS1. This one remains stock, so you don't have to worry about
someone else abusing it. The undercarriage is clean enough to
convince us it has never seen inclement weather, and bright red
brake calipers are just about the only bit of color on the car.
Even the Z06-only alloy wheels add to the sinister look and wear
staggered and grippy Nitto performance radials.
Fun today and even more collectable tomorrow, this Z06 represents
perhaps the biggest bang for the buck in our showroom. Call
today!
