Looking at the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette
Brand new to the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is its limited-edition trim plus some new performance options. As for the rest of General Motor’s versions of its flagship sports car, they didn’t change much.
The Corvette can come in either of two body trims, namely the Base or the sport Grand trims. The Base is offered in either hatchback or convertible.
These models run on a 430 hp 6.2 liter V8 engine. There is also an optional exhaust system, which is dual mode. This is designed to increase horsepower up to 436 hp. As for transmissions, there’s only the 6-speed type, but you can choose between a manual or automatic version.
Chevrolet offers Corvette models that are high performance models aside from the ones mentioned above. These are the Z06 and ZR1. These two are only available as coupes.
The Z06 is powered by a 505 hp 7.0 liter V8 engine with a 6-speed manual transmission, tires, brakes, as well as a specific tuning for suspension. The ZR1, on the other hand, runs on a supercharged 638 hp 6.2 liter V8 engine which functions together with a 6-speed manual transmission.
What’s unique with the ZR1 in comparison to the Corvettes is that it has a special tuning system that makes use of General Motor’s Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension. It is also made up of lightweight carbon fiber on most parts, such as the hood, roof bow, roof panel, rocker moldings and the front-fascia splitter.
New available options for the 2011 Corvette models are the Magnetic Ride Control as well as ZR1’s carbon-fiber panels. There are also unique interior and exterior trims on top of these two brand new features.
You can also equip a Z06 with the carbon, but General Motors limited it to 500 units.
General Motor’s Launch Control can be incorporated on all Corvette models that use the manual transmission. The function of this feature is to regulate the engine speed for the purpose of maximizing its grip when full-throttle launches are made.
The ZR1, on the other hand, features a “Performance Traction Management” system. This one makes automatic adjustments to the vehicle’s traction control and suspension settings in order to optimize high performance driving.
There are also available safety features for this lineup. The antilock brake system, antiskid system, traction control, and side airbags are available.
Other features of the Corvette include the navigation system, wireless cell phone link, and head-up display.
Evaluations of the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette showed that the Base manual model alone already fared significantly better than all the other premium-sport performance cars out there. The Chevrolet gets a total score of 61 from a test that all other cars would normally get 53.6.
