Quick Drive: 2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition

We’ve driven a few Corvettes in our time including some random C5s, the C6 Grand Sport, and a Lingenfelter C6, but when the opportunity arises to drive another, we still jump at the chance. The Z06 is already one of GM’s fastest and most expensive Corvette models to ever hit the sales floor. With its massive 7 liter V8 dubbed the LS7 pushing out 505 naturally aspirated horsepower, you can see why. Chevrolet has since introduced the Supercar Corvette named the ZR1 with its supercharged 6.2 liter V8 and an even more staggering sticker price.

Never to let an opportunity pass, GM found they had a pretty big gap between the Z06 and the ZR1, in comes the Z06 Carbon Edition. As the name might indicate, this Vette has a lightweight, carbon fiber body. GM says it was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the Corvette at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but as the Corvette engineers pointed out, this car has much more power than the regulated Le Mans cars of today.

The disappointment of the event was the rain soaked roads. This didn’t give us the chance to really be able to ring the Z06 Carbon out. Driving it slow was as easy as driving any other Corvette, although you could feel the more aggressive suspension and carbon ceramic bakes doing their job. We’d love to take this thing back out in the dry and see what we can really do with it, but seeing as only 500 are to be produced, I’m not sure we’ll get another opportunity with it.

Thanks to our friends at Non-Stock Photography for the photos.

Car was driven and reviewed by Adam Moore at the Texas Auto Roundup in conjunction with the .