4LT GS Roadster
GM Media
There comes a point in any not-so-young man's life when he must ask: Am I a Corvette guy?
Over their lifetimes, many car lovers will dabble with rocket-like Japanese tuners, pricey European imports and old-school American muscle. But as horsepower and prestige increase, so do the prices of those sleek, sexy playthings.
At some point, speed demons will realize that the most sports car bang for buck is a Chevy Corvette.
The base 2011 coupe costs less than $50,000, has a wow-worthy 430 horsepower and reaches 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. That's as fast as many Ferraris.
You can pick up a nice used Corvette from the early 2000s for less than $20,000.
While a Corvette's horsepower and handling prowess are high, its prestige level doesn't necessarily match up. The 1963 Sting Ray coupe was the height of cool, but the phallus-shaped models of the 1970s were total camp.
As a teen in the late 1980s, it was clear to me that Corvette guys sported mullets, majored in shop and smoked weed under the bleachers. Jeff Spicoli from the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"? Total Corvette guy.
In the last six months I've driven all of the new model 'Vettes, trying to get a feel not only for the cars, but also for how I feel about them. Like the current owners, the vehicles have grown up.
Choices range from the base coupe, upgraded Grand Sport ($54,790, also 430 hp), carnivorous Z06 ($74,305, 505 hp), and top-of-the-range ZR1 ($111,100, 638 hp). Convertibles are available on the base and Grand Sport for an extra $4,650 and $3,810. Destination charges are $950.
While the modern Corvette is not quite beautiful, it is elegant in the way that a wild wolf can be: feral yet purposeful. They are massively fun to drive. The quintessential rear-wheel-drive car, the Corvette is like a sled with rockets on the rear. Slap on the gas and the back wheels spin furiously.
The brakes are able to snap you back from suicidal speeds in the span of a single breath. You haven't experienced a hard stop until you've screeched to a halt at the behest of the ZR1's carbon-ceramic brakes, which are standard. The same type was found on the Ferrari Enzo.
Most roads have turns, and modern Corvettes are equipped to handle them. Chevy engineers have tuned and finessed the suspension to the point where you can fearlessly streak around corners.
But you can easily tool around town, thanks to the available magnetically controlled suspension, which transforms from spine-shattering hard to post-hip-surgery gentle. Notably, the base coupe gets 26 miles per gallon on the highway, better than a Honda Element.
Not that I don't have quibbles. The six-speed manual gear box is vague enough that you occasionally put it into the wrong gear.
Nor are the interiors particularly sophisticated, with sports seats that are big, clumsy and poorly bolstered. You'll find bits of cheap plastic around. Embarrassingly, the passenger's dash is embossed with an oversized Corvette logo. As if we didn't know.
At least you can also get adult-minded goodies like Bose speakers, navigation systems and Bluetooth connectivity.
So, are 'Vettes cheesy? Sometimes. At one point I found myself in an electric blue convertible Grand Sport with dorky stripes running up the front fenders.
Interestingly, the Corvette's stiffest competition doesn't come from the Nissan GT-R or a German super-coupe. Rather it has to watch its back from the latest Ford Mustang GT ($33,695) and its cousin, the $49,495 Shelby GT500.
Nonetheless, the Corvette is a great car by any matrix. While there surely are Corvette gals, the model seems terribly male-centric. I've seen more women who have owned Mustangs and even Camaros.
Back to the question. Could I be a Corvette guy?
By the time I got out of the special edition Z06 Carbon, I'd come to a decision. The 505-hp monster was festooned with a carbon-fiber hood, and it looked mean. The 7.0-liter engine sounded even meaner.
It was so full of attitude, you simply couldn't miss it. When I stepped out, I wasn't at all embarrassed.
It's time for a confession. Those last years of high school? I, too, sported a mullet. Maybe I've always been a Corvette guy and just didn't know it.
DNAI
