C6

C6 Corvette
2005 to 2013

2005: Filing the C5 down to a tidier, lighter, 5.1-inch-shorter package on a longer wheelbase, the C6 is the first Corvette with headlights since 1962. It also gets a nicer interior and seats, and finally powers up the convertible top. Plus the base price is $290 lower. GM’s Dave Hill says it is more about perfecting rather than inventing. In Car & Driver’s first test they write: “It’s the perfect everything sports car: fast enough to keep you interested during a day of lapping and refined and comfortable enough to make the slog home, or the daily commute, a relaxing experience.”

2006: A redesigned Z06 returns after a one-year absence. An aluminum frame, fixed magnesium engine cradle, and carbon-fiber appointments all contribute to weight savings. A new 7.0-liter small-block makes 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque in the Z06, and a six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission is introduced.

2007: The Ron Fellows Championship Edition is the first signed limited edition in Corvette history.

2008: A new LS3 6.2-liter V-8 appears as the base engine, increasing output from 400 hp to 430 hp. And lest anyone in Speedway, Indiana, forget what the Corvette looks like, an E85-fueled Z06 paces the 500 with Patrick Dempsey at the wheel.

2009: The new Corvette ZR1 debuts, roaring to a top speed of more than 200 mph thanks to the muscle of its supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8.

2010: The Grand Sport model returns, powered by the base LS3 V-8 and packing the elements of the discontinued Z51 performance option. Side airbags are now standard on all models.

2011: With seven available models, including the Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, the lineup and option availability is the greatest in Corvette history. Curiously, a Corvette doesn’t pace the Indy 500.

2012: To celebrate the division’s 100th birthday, Chevrolet busts out a Centennial Edition package (available on all Corvettes), featuring Carbon Flash Metallic paint, satin-black graphics, satin-black wheels with red stripe, unique badges, a specially trimmed interior, and Magnetic Selective Ride Control. More important, the Corvette returns to pace Indy with celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the wheel.

2013: With the C7 around the corner, Corvette news is limited to the 60th Anniversary package and the introduction of the one-year-only 427 convertible, which is as close as Chevrolet got to producing a droptop Z06. It sprints to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds.