To be officially unveiled at the New York Auto Show this week, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 convertible will be the most powerful drop-top ever released by the bowtie brand.
Obviously the exterior shares plenty of sheetmetal with its coupe sibling, with the key difference being its fabric roof. Despite the negative connotation usually associated with convertible sports cars due to losses in rigidity, Chevrolet claims the Z06 convertible suffers no such weaknesses. The new Corvette platform was designed with a topless model in mind, so the aluminium structure provides 20 per cent more stiffness than its predecessor to minimise any sort of penalty to the car’s handling.
“Until recently it was not possible to create a lightweight, open-roof structure strong enough to cope with the braking, cornering, and acceleration of Corvette’s top performance models,” says chief engineer Tadge Juechter.
The Corvette Z06 convertible’s soft roof can also be operated at speeds up to 50 km/h.
Underneath that characteristic long bonnet, lies a supercharged 6,2-litre V8 that produces 466 kW and 861 N.m of torque. The grunt is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed manual gearbox or eight-speed automatic transmission.
Chevrolet is so confident in the Z06 convertible’s stiff structure, that it’s even offering an optional Z07 performance package with the new drop-top, which includes Brembo carbon ceramic brake discs, Michelin Sport Cup 2 tyres and adjustable front and rear suspension.
