2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427: All American Hero - Ignition Episode 34 - video Dailymotion

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On this episode of Ignition

Transcript

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]

2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427: All American Hero - Ignition Episode 34

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