Dream Car of the Month: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

The Corvette.

Not many other cars come to mind when we think of U.S. speed.

And with the newest iteration of the household name–now with the option to chop it down from a coupe to a convertible–Chevy might have just redefined what it means to be a fast-moving American.

Enough with the introductions. Let’s take a look at the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

The Changes

Not since 1963 has Chevy made a Z06 convertible, and even then they only made one, the other 198 of them sticking to the traditional coupe style. As a result, the C7.R race car may look particularly odd to aficionados at first sight, once the roof panel’s removed. Other than that conversion though, there’s not much of a difference between the Z06’s new-born convertible brethren and the veteran coupe.

Some might want to point out that convertibles are typically of a different body composition than coupes, which usually doesn’t bode well for the convertibles as far as speed is concerned. But Chevy’s made it a point to keep the convertible as close to the coupe’s style as possible, even keeping the weight practically the same.

So yeah, the new car looks and feels almost exactly like its coupe twin. Only it’s a convertible so…it really actually doesn’t.

The Guts

But what about the engine?

When you start referring to Corvettes you can only discuss the body for so long before people start asking what’s under the hood. And Chevy umbrella company General Motors did not disappoint. With a brand new supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V-8 engine sporting 625 horsepower and 635 lb-ft torque, the Z06 is guaranteed to impress even the most jaded Corvette enthusiasts. And with a seven-speed manual transmission coming standard–an 8-speed automatic with manual shift is also an upgrade option–the car is guaranteed to make you smile on the road. That is, when you’re not howling with joy.

The Options

Aside from the transmission options already stated, Chevy’s offering a couple of different choices for cosmetics. With four top colors and five interior colors to peruse, you might spend a little longer deciding what you’re going to get than you thought. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; who wouldn’t want to spend more time around one of these?

Overall, the new Corvette Z06 is more of what car-lovers have come to expect from one of Chevy’s most popular models, along with a few changes to give drivers a little more edge on the road.