2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427: All American Hero - Ignition Episode 34
On this episode of Ignition
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00:00 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:04 This week on Ignition, we listen to the C6 Corvette's swan
00:08 song.
00:09 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:16 Chevy started building the C6 Corvette in 2004.
00:25 And in the nine years since, it's
00:27 received continual improvements, becoming better handling,
00:30 even more powerful.
00:32 This, though, is the final year of the C6.
00:34 And to commemorate it, Chevrolet has built this, the Corvette
00:37 427.
00:39 Now, if we're going by cubic inches of displacement,
00:41 it should actually be 428, as this has the same 7-liter V8
00:45 found in the Z06.
00:47 In fact, much of this car comes from the Z06's parts bin.
00:51 You get the same transmission, the same brakes,
00:53 the same magnetic shocks, the same Michelin tire,
00:56 and the same 505 horsepower.
00:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:01 You also have about the same speed.
01:05 Now, launching the 427, you have to be aware of a few things.
01:08 For one, you have a lot of power and two drive wheels.
01:11 We found the best launch was about 2,500 RPM.
01:14 Take your foot off the clutch.
01:15 Doesn't need to sidestep.
01:16 But the second thing is you'll hit 60 miles an hour
01:19 in first gear.
01:20 So you have to wind out first all the way in order
01:23 to get the best 0-60 time.
01:24 Let's see if we can do it.
01:27 Little bit of wheel spin through first gear.
01:29 You kind of have to steer a little bit.
01:31 There's 60, 3.8 seconds.
01:35 And the song this thing makes on upshifts
01:38 is just absolutely wonderful.
01:40 You'll get the quarter mile, 11.9 seconds
01:44 at about 122 miles an hour.
01:48 Now, the 427 is very effective at stopping.
01:51 Our best stop from 60 took just 97 feet,
01:57 which makes this likely the best stopping
01:59 convertible in production.
02:03 This car has a lot of grip.
02:05 Whoa.
02:06 You can tell when you hop in the Corvette,
02:14 things are getting serious.
02:16 There is a ton of grip in this chassis and in these tires.
02:20 And there's also a ton of power being sent to the rear axle.
02:24 The car isn't light, but it's not heavy either.
02:28 And it throws a lot of things at you at once.
02:31 You really got to be mindful of that power.
02:37 Fortunately, it's geared appropriately for a figure 8
02:39 course.
02:39 You can ride second all the way through the straight.
02:48 And when it goes, it goes quick.
02:51 You got to be quick on the steering wheel.
02:53 You got to anticipate when that tail's going to slide,
02:56 because it goes quite quick indeed.
02:58 Just stop talking and concentrate on the lap.
03:04 You can hear the whole car creaking,
03:06 groan around you on the brakes.
03:08 And also, when you're on the brakes,
03:11 you'll see the passenger seat flips forward.
03:13 That's a classic Corvette trait, especially in this generation.
03:18 I've got to say, the seat's not doing a great job of holding me
03:21 in place.
03:22 Fortunately, I don't have to shift a lot.
03:24 The shifter's never really been my favorite.
03:26 It takes pretty deliberate use.
03:28 But you can tell this is a highly capable car
03:32 in the right hands.
03:33 [LAUGHS]
03:35 So I'm always surprised by the amount of body
03:38 motions in the Corvette.
03:40 It kind of feels like you're riding
03:41 on top of a giant spring.
03:43 It sort of moves around like this.
03:46 A lot of weird roll and whatnot.
03:49 It's-- you can probably see it's taking a bit of effort
03:52 to drive.
03:54 Maybe that's because of how fast it is.
03:56 It is very fast indeed.
04:00 So we know how the 427 performs on the track,
04:03 but how is it in public?
04:05 Well, Corvettes have this pretty particular way
04:08 of going down a road.
04:10 And I don't mean the sound they make when you
04:11 go wide open throttle, although that is--
04:15 that's delightful.
04:17 But there's this springiness.
04:18 There's this sponginess to the chassis.
04:21 You can hear it creak and groan in some corners
04:24 with elevation changes in it.
04:26 The steering's heavy, although it's not as precise
04:29 as I'd like it to be.
04:31 But you can tell that this is an extremely capable chassis,
04:35 even without having taken it to the test track.
04:37 You know there's just so much grip everywhere in the car.
04:41 [ENGINE REVVING]
04:44 That sound at about 3,000 RPM, the valves and the mufflers
04:49 open up, giving you just pure V8.
04:53 My favorite thing about this car is the 7-liter V8.
04:58 And I'll tell you a secret.
04:59 I actually like this engine more than the ZR1s.
05:02 I mean, sure, it's down 130-odd horsepower,
05:06 but the sense of revving it out to 7,000 RPM, I feel,
05:10 is more rewarding.
05:11 Now, with the ZR1, yeah, you have a ton more power,
05:14 but you also have a lot less grip and a lot less confidence
05:18 in the car.
05:20 And confidence is something you really need in a Corvette.
05:24 You have to drive these cars with a certain amount of faith.
05:27 Constant radius corners, the car sort of pitches and rolls
05:32 and bounces, and it can feel a little unnerving.
05:35 It has the grip.
05:36 It won't break out on you, but you're never quite sure
05:40 unless you've driven it for quite a long time.
05:42 Now, as this is the C6's final year,
05:45 I don't want to dwell on downsides.
05:47 I mean, we know those already.
05:48 The shifter is not that great.
05:50 It's easy to hang up on the 2-3 gear change.
05:53 It takes a lot of work to get it into gear.
05:56 The seats themselves aren't particularly supportive.
05:59 And when you jump on the brakes, you always
06:01 see them flap forward.
06:02 It doesn't always inspire a lot of confidence.
06:05 But the Corvette, in terms of power performance per dollar,
06:09 is kind of unmatched.
06:12 You know, you spend a little bit more time with a 427 Corvette,
06:16 and you realize why people might enjoy it.
06:19 Maybe they like that constant work.
06:21 Maybe they like the thrill or the excitement
06:23 of pushing it hard.
06:24 Personally, I don't.
06:26 To me, it's a little bit too much work
06:28 than I'd like to put into driving a car quickly.
06:31 I find that my buffer, the buffer in my brain,
06:35 gets so consumed with concentration
06:38 on putting the car in the exact right place mid-corner
06:42 that there's nothing left over to enjoy the sensation
06:45 of driving the car.
06:47 And there should be a lot to enjoy with this car,
06:49 with the roof being down and the sound it's making
06:52 and how capable it is.
06:54 But you find yourself concentrating so much
06:56 on driving it quickly that, again, there's
06:59 no room left for enjoyment.
07:01 I keep coming back to trust and faith in this car.
07:04 Maybe it's like the commandments of driving a Corvette.
07:07 Thou must have faith in the rear axle.
07:10 Thou must have faith in the front tires.
07:12 This Corvette works in mysterious ways, but it works.
07:19 How will we remember the C6?
07:26 I think of it as a brash and somewhat hairy car
07:28 on the limit, one that demands total concentration
07:31 from its driver and spectators alike.
07:34 But still, you can't help but admire how it performs
07:37 and what it's capable of.
07:39 And considering these characteristics,
07:41 this 427 is a most appropriate send-off.
07:45 [CAR ENGINE]
08:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:21 Give me some revs.
08:24 Give me some revs.
08:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]