This 550 HP C5 Corvette Z06 Was Built to Embarrass Your C6

It's tough to believe just a few years before the C5 Z06 was launched in 2001, the quad-cam, Lotus-developed 5.7L LT5 V8 was powering the C4 ZR-1. It had adaptive suspension and was unquestionably a grand-tourer.

It became too expensive, and the C5 went back to a simple single-cam setup. The C5 Z06 is still the second-lightest production Corvette ever built and over 400 lbs lighter than that ZR-1.

This one's got a 6.2L crate engine making 475whp and 453 lb-ft instead of the stock 5.7L making 405hp at the crank. Leaf springs are gone, and it's ready for the track.

It wasn't until Clarkson's C6 ZR-1 Top Gear clip when the illusion of this high-quality, peak sports car experience we know as the Corvette was shattered for me. No one could argue the performance, but we all cringed when he repeatedly caved in the plastic rear bumper with a light touch...

The C5 Z06 came out in 2001 when I was a kid and I didn't have a "cheap" or "plastic" Corvette stereotype in my head yet. The C5 Z06 was (as dumb as it sounds) a hero to finally meet in person.

I find these cars are like S-chassis in a lot of ways... they're usually either low mileage, clean and stock examples, or they're beat up drift cars.