Generation-C6 - Corvette 2005-2013


The Generation C6 Corvette was introduced by Chevrolet for the 2005 model of production. The 6.0 L LS2 V8 Engine produces 400 Horsepower and 400 lb-ft torque. The C6 Corvette was first put to production in 2004 and is currently the latest Generation Corvette built today. The Generation C7 Stingray Corvette was released as the 2014 Corvette.

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Sixth generation C6 2005–2013
Manufacturer Chevrolet Model Corvette 

Corvette Coupe and Convertible
The C6 Corvette retained the front engine and rear transmission design of the C5, but was otherwise all-new, including new bodywork with exposed headlamps (for the first time since 1962), a larger passenger compartment, a new 6.0 liter engine and a reworked suspension geometry. The new C6 was considered (as was the C5 at the time) the most refined and usable Corvette in its linage.   It had a longer wheelbase than the C5, but its overall vehicle length and width were less than the C5, allegedly to widen appeal to the European market. The 6.0L 364 cubic inch LS2 V8 produced 400 horse power at 6000 rpm and 400 foot pounds of torque at 4400 rpm, giving the vehicle a 0–60 time of under 4.2 seconds. Its top speed was 190 mph.
The C6 generation did not match the previous generation's relatively good fuel economy, despite its relatively low 0.28 drag coefficient and low curb weight, achieving 16/26 mpg (city/highway) equipped with automatic or manual transmissions. Like all manual transmission Corvettes since 1989, it is fitted with Computer Aided Gear Selection (CAGS) to improve fuel economy by requiring drivers to shift from 1st gear directly to 4th in low-speed/low-throttle conditions. This feature helps the C6 avoid the Gas Guzzler Tax by achieving better fuel economy.
The new Z06 arrived as a 2006 model in the third quarter of 2005. It has a 7.0 L version of the small block engine codenamed LS7. At 427.6 cubic inches, the Z06 was the largest small block ever offered from General Motors. Because of the Corvette's former use of 427 cubic-inch big blocks in the late-1960s and early 1970s, the LS7's size was rounded down to 427 cubic inches. Official output was 505 net horse power and has a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. Top speed is 198 MPH.
For 2008, the Corvette received a mild freshening: a new LS3 engine with displacement increased to 6.2 L or 380 cubic inches, resulting in 430 net horse power and 424 foot pounds of torque (436 horse power and 428 foot pounds of torque if ordered with the optional performance exhaust. The 6-speed manual transmission also has improved shift linkage and a 0–60 time of 4.0 seconds, while the automatic is set up for quicker shifts giving the C6 automatic a 0–60 time of 4.0 seconds, faster than any other production automatic Corvette. The interior was slightly updated and a new 4LT leather-wrap interior package was added. The wheels were also updated to a new five-spoke design.

2010 Corvette Grand Sport
Beginning with the 2011 model year, buyers of the Corvette Z06 and ZR1 were offered the opportunity to assist in the build of their engine. Titled the "Corvette Engine Build Experience," buyers paid extra to be flown to the Wixom, Michigan Performance Build Center. Participants helped the assembly line workers build the V8 engine, and then took delivery of the car at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY, near the Corvette final assembly point.
The last C6 Corvette was manufactured in February 2013.

2012 Corvette ZR1
ZR1 was formally announced in a December 2007 press statement by General Motors, where it was revealed that their target of 100 horse power per liter (61 cubic inches) had been reached by a new "LS9" engine with an Eaton-supercharged 6.2-liter engine producing 638 horse power and 604 foot pounds of torque. The LS9 engine was the most powerful to be put into a GM production sports car. Its top speed was 205 mph.
The historical name Grand Sport returned to the Corvette lineup in 2010 as an entirely new model series that replaced the Z51 option. The new model was basically an LS3 equipped Z06 with a steel frame instead of aluminum. It retained many of the features of the Z06 including a wide body with 18x9.5 and 19x12 inch wheels, dry sump oiling (manual transmission only), 6-piston 14" front brakes and 4-piston rear, improved suspension, and front carbon fiber fenders. Manual power train equipped G/S models receive a tweaked LS3 with a forged steel crank, are built in Z06 fashion by hand, and utilize a dry-sump oil system. A new launch control system was introduced for all models that allows for sub 4 second 0-60. EPA estimated 26 MPG highway, 1.0 G on skid pad.