The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 used to play first chair in the Corvette hierarchy. It's the performance-oriented virtuoso from a powerful family; the ultimate achievement after 50 years of fabulous vehicles. The upcoming supercharged ZR1 relegates the Z06 to second fiddle for some. They're bowled over by the 620 horses under the ZR1's carbon-fiber hood. Sure, it's 115 more horsepower, but the 505 in the Z06's 7-liter, heart-stopping V-8 is more than most drivers should legally be allowed to handle.
The Z06's vital statistics prove my point: Zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds (in first gear); an 11.7-second quarter mile; and a top speed of 198 miles per hour. Its monster 14-inch vented and cross-drilled front rotors and 13.4-inch rear rotors stop the 3,132-pound coupe from 60 mph in 111.3 feet.
It's far from a gas guzzler though: It gets 24 miles per gallon on the highway, matching the highway performance of the Lexus RX 400h two-mode hybrid, the all-wheel drive four-cylinder Dodge Caliber compact and the sporty V-6 Hyundai Triburon. That may not make the Z06 the greenest machine on the planet, but its greener than most sub-4-second 0-to-60 mph super or near supercars: The 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo, 15 mpg on the highway; the Maserati Quattroporte, 15 mpg; and the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, 15 mpg.