Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car that has been manufactured by Chevrolet since 1953. It is built today exclusively at a General Motors assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A.. It was the first all-American sports car built by an American car manufacturer. The National Corvette Museum is also located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The C6.R was unveiled for its first race at the 2005 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race of the American Le Mans Series. It came in second and third, just behind the new Aston Martin DB9 racecar. It was put on display a week later at the New York International Auto Show next to the Z06.Later, in the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans, it made up for Sebring by placing first and second in the GT1 car class after a lengthy duel with the Aston Martin team's DBR9 racers by finishing 5th and 6th overall, a considerably high finish for a GT1 class car given the extraordinary performance of the Le Mans Prototypes cars (LMP1 and LMP2).Corvette C6.R went on to win its class at every race it entered in the 2005 ALMS season. It defeated the Aston Martins again at Road Atlanta and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin took home the drivers championships.In 2006 Corvette C6.R won both American Le Mans GT1 Championships: Teams and Manufacturers.
Entered in the FIA-GT series as a GT3 class car, the Z06-R is a modified production Z06. The 6 cars were constructed by Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany. Changes were necessary to make the car endurance-race ready. These include a stripped interior, full rollcage, center-locking wheels, as well as carbon fiber doors, fenders, rear deck spoiler, and front splitter. The engine and drivetrain are stock, but the former is mapped for 98 octane race fuel. The result is a 7200 rpm redline, 200 higher than stock and 10 extra hp. The massive power output of the 7.0 L engine, coupled with the production car's proven roadholding, calls into question whether or not the FIA will place restrictions on the car. The Z06-R is not road legal.
