We were sitting around the office asking ourselves the question: "Has there ever been a bad Corvette?"  And while there are undoubtedly those who can quote chapter, verse, and serial number of those 'Vettes that are lacking, near as we could discern, there really haven't been any bad ones.  And the sixth generation, which this is, is arguably the best one.  Is it a perfect car?  Probably not.  There are certain things that are not exactly up to snuff—the seats could be much better in terms of materials and adjustability; the key fob for the keyless entry and start system could look less like a communicator from the original Star Trek; the turn signal stalk, which is taken from the GM parts bin and consequently familiar to GM vehicle owners who have never sat in a Corvette, has a sharpish edge at its end; the fact that there is a string-like cord used to dampen the glove box door opener seems a bit, well, chintzy in a car that is so advanced-materials intensive (see http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/wip/1104wip07.html )  —but these are the sorts of quibbles that are endemic to any vehicle.

In some regards, the Corvette is an American car without a context, without another car to compare it with.  Some might suggest the Dodge Viper, but that car is stratospheric, comparatively speaking, price-wise: $81K.  What else?  Ford GT?  That takes us out of the atmosphere entirely: $140K.  So, some suggest, what about something like the Mustang?  While there is a lot of hoo-ha about the '05 Mustang, it is somewhat surprising to me that the level of laudatory praise is so high for what is so clearly a derivative product.  Yes, yes, there is improved technology throughout, but c'mon: the Mustang is an improvement on what the Mustang once was back when bellbottoms were cool.  It's not exactly progress in an unalloyed sense, though it is such an improvement to the Ford lineup that the chief engineer for the vehicle, Hau Thai-Tang (see http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/060403.html ) has been promoted to director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team (SVT).  A more appropriate comparative vehicle—at least from the standpoint of going in the Way-back Machine—is the Ford Thunderbird. . .and not much need be said on that front.

The Corvette stands as something that has undergone continual refinement and change.  It stands as a vehicle that is within the potential purchase range of ordinary mortals: the one at hand, including $800 for destination, is stickered at $45,650.  It has the kind of power from the LS2 V8 (400 hp/400 lb-ft torque) that is sufficient to get ordinary drivers in trouble if their right foot gets too frisky.  It has the kind of engine note and throbbing vibration—both at idle and when accelerating—that puts a smile on the face of the ordinary driver, even if it is a Monday morning and said driver is making her or his commute to work.   It is a vehicle that while not exactly capacious in terms of cargo-carrying capacity actually has some space in which to put things like groceries.  It is the kind of car that can actually be driven on a daily basis without the sort of compromise that one might expect from a vehicle that has a 0 to 60 mph time of under five seconds.  The point is that the C6 Corvette is a vehicle for people who need to drive but yet who want an experience that is—dare I say?—world class in its performance.  Yes, this is a car that can be raced.  But more to the point, there are daily requirements that need to be fulfilled, and which the Corvette handles with power and aplomb.  There are more than 30,000 Corvettes produced each year, and it is probably true that more Corvettes are driven by people who pretty much go from A to B and back again on a regular basis than there are those who descend the corkscrew at Laguna Seca.  (There are probably more guys using their 'Vettes as a chick magnet than there are drivers competing in the cars on weekends.  It isn't that the C6 isn't capable of racing; it is.  But some of those who write about cars for a living need to get a grip on just what a car represents for most people: not only a Freudian surrogate for something, but also simple transportation.  So isn't it extraordinary that the Corvette offers exquisite transportation?)

Compared to the C5, the C6 is a much more refined vehicle.  That is, the C5 seems to have a bona-fide cockpit that the driver immerses him/herself in.  While the straightforward gauges and dials of the C6 are driver-oriented, there is more of a sense of the car being a car rather than some sort of terrestrial F-18.  That is a benefit.  There is a sense of being planted in the C6, stable, even when going through corners in a manner that provokes the one behind the wheel to grin and the passenger to mutter (or scream) something that I'd get in trouble with my boss if I mentioned it here.  "Active Handling" is standard with the '06 Corvette in more ways than one.

One of the things that strikes me about the Corvette, something that might be considered by the GM execs as they go boldly forward with their plans for global platforms, is that there is something distinctively good about knowing that it is built exclusively in the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky (along with the Cadillac XLR).  Geography doesn't necessarily or always equate with authenticity, but just as Ferraris come from Maranello, Corvettes need to come from Bowling Green.  In this case, authenticity is predicated, in large part, by geography.  And although Coke has glommed on to the notion of its being the "Real Thing" vis-à-vis American soft drinks, the Corvette is it when it comes to American sports cars.

Simple specs:

Type:                      Two-door hatchback coupe

Material:                Composite body panels

Engine:                   6-liter V8 (LS2)

Horsepower:                400 @ 6,000 rpm

Torque (lb.-ft.)                400 @ 4,400

Wheelbase:                105.7 in.

Length:                  174.5 in.

Width:                    72.6 in.

Height:                   49.1 in.