JIM SMART May 24, 2022 All Feature Vehicles
For more than 60 years, Chevrolet’s Corvette has been America’s sports car. Oh sure, there’ve been carlines that have tried to live up to this distinction, including Carroll Shelby’s two-seat Cobra, Ford’s Thunderbird, those short-lived two-seat Shelby Mustang GT350s, and even the Dodge Viper. None have done it for as long or with as much fiery passion as Corvette.
Ford’s Thunderbird was more a personal luxury car with a hearty V-8 in its two-seat days. It remains the darling of Dearborn. Shelby’s lightning-quick Ford 427 Cobra was a British/American hybrid with a Brit body and real American horsepower and it still knows how to shut ’em down. Dodge Viper, though impressive and born of Shelby blood, doesn’t have Corvette’s long-standing legacy or rich V-8 sound.
Blackdog Speed has infused 510 ci into this Z06 with 800 hp available as takeoff rated thrust.”
When Corvette arrived in the early ’50s, first as a concept car, then as an exciting two-seat sports car, it was a ride that elicited envy, long on testosterone, from the masses. Corvette invoked dreams with its slippery lines, twin bucket seats and high-performance engines. It still does. Through the years, Corvette has never wavered from its original mission, which is to be a true high-performance, dream-spinning, two-seat sports car for not only Americans, but also global occupants inspired by the excitement of America’s sports car.
From 1953 to 1982, Chevrolet’s Corvette factory was located on the north side of St. Louis, Missouri. It was a dreary, dark, old-fashioned early 20th century auto factory that bucked and assembled new Corvettes for 29 years. New car buyers had to do without Corvette in 1983 while GM finished building the new state-of- the-art Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. That was the only model year Corvette missed completely.
The car splashed across these pages is the Blackdog Speed Shop 510 2006 Z06 sixth-generation Corvette, “created to represent what we believed to be the ultimate street Corvette…” according to Jerry Kalzuna of the Blackdog Speed Shop in Chicagoland. Base ride is a 2006 Z06 Corvette with its all-aluminum V-8. Blackdog Speed has infused 510 ci into this Z06 with 800 hp available as takeoff-rated thrust. GM’s legendary LS series provides the platform for this kind of power without a blower or nitrous, and the damned thing runs on pump gas.
On the ground is the same kind of suspension Blackdog puts on its Corvette GT race cars. We’re talking spherical control arm bearings, which replace factory bushings. Three-way adjustable coil-over shocks deliver precise handling and dampening. What’s more, the 510 ’Vette is composed of Blackdog carbon fiber for weight reduction and even more slippery aerodynamics. The carbon fiber hood has air extractors that draw out excessive under-hood heat, while at the same time imposing downward force to keep this guy glued to the firmament. And there are elements not as obvious: rocker panels, Gurney flaps and a cool rear spoiler that exerts additional downward pressure contribute greatly to handling and stability.
If you’re going to put 800 hp to the pavement, you better have a lot going for you on the ground. A big contribution to extraordinary handling is contact patch from Pirelli 285/30-19 stickies front, and 345/25-20 huggers rear, wrapped around Dymag carbon fiber 19- and 20-inch road wheels. As you might expect, Brembo six-piston binders courting slotted rotors in front and four-piston rear mean the difference between real control and total chaos because they get the job done under the most demanding conditions. The Blackdog 510 Corvette suspension and rolling stock package is about meeting the demand of serious drivers ready to cut canyons and accelerate at breakneck speed—a real driver’s car.
There are those who say nothing could ever replace the small-block Chevy first installed in a new Corvette in 1955. However, those who speak these words are not familiar with the LS series GM V-8s. The LS family offers traditional pushrod function and compact size with incredible short-block and cylinder head technology. Its traditional skirted aluminum block delivers strength for high-revving performance and durability. Think of the Z06’s LS7 7.0L 427 ci as a small-block that acts like a big-block without the weight penalty along with 500-plus hp. The LS7 has a high-tech dry-sump lubrication system for real durability. A magnesium alloy engine cradle offers further weight reduction and strength. Blackdog opts for the LS2 as a platform, thrusting this engine to 800 hp with a 4.200-inch bore and 4.600-inch stroke. Bore and stroke are complemented with custom-ported cylinder heads and a hotter cam.
Working hand in hand with the powertrain and suspension system is an inner world engineered for cruising and competition. Cobra Misano deep, high-back, wraparound bucket seats with diamond stitching mounted on the factory rails yield comfort and security never before seen in Corvette. Simpson restraint harnesses anchored to a Vetteworks Shark Bar provide true security under the toughest driving conditions. This is a high-performance Corvette you wear like a high-end suit. It’s a ride to be seen in and an all-compassing experience to be enjoyed.
2006 Z06 Blackdog 510 Corvette
OWNER: Blackdog Speed Shop, Lincolnshire, IL
BUILDER: Blackdog Speed Shop
FRAME: Factory original aluminum
SUSPENSION: Blackdog three-way adjustable coil-overs, rack-and-pinion steering
BRAKES: Six-piston Brembo discs front, four-piston Brembo discs rear
WHEELS: 19-inch Dymag carbon fiber front, 20-inch Dymag carbon fiber rear
ENGINE: 427-ci LS2, 802 hp, 682 ft-lbs torque, custom Wilson induction, custom-ported LS cylinder heads, hotter cam, American Racing
custom headers, Blackdog exhaust system, Burn stainless experimental headers
TRANSMISSION: Tremec ZR-1 six-speed
BODY & PAINT: Blackdog carbon fiber, carbon fiber hood with air extractors shaped to provide more downward pressure at speed, Gurney flaps,rear spoiler
INTERIOR: Cobra Misano wraparound bucket seats, diamond stitching on factory rails, Simpson safety belts
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