Corvette Z06: 0 to 60 in 2.95 Seconds

Time was when a talented driver with a manual transmission could beat any car with an automatic transmission in a straight-line race.

No more, though. In tests at GM's Milford Proving Grounds near Detroit, the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 equipped with an automatic has turned 0-60 mph times of 2.95 seconds, making it about a quarter of a second faster than the same vehicle with a manual trans. GM says the new car is the most powerful in the company's history and is the first front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car to break the three-second 0-60 mph barrier.

The giant automaker says a new eight-speed automatic transmission is the biggest reason for the car's acceleration. "For a long time, automatic transmissions were luxury items and never seen as having high performance," GM spokesman Monte Doran told Design News. "But new automatic transmissions have gotten so good that they are actually faster in a straight line on a track."

Click on the Corvette Z06 for an up close and personal look.

The 2015 Corvette Z06 uses a new Hydra-Matic 8L90 eight-speed that is 8 lb lighter than the company's previous six-speed automatic. With the eight-speed, GM says the Z06 is the fastest production car ever tested at its 2.9-mile Milford Road Course. In contrast, the same car with a seven-speed manual transmission was clocked at about a quarter-second slower, coming in at 3.20 seconds, GM said. "With a manual transmission, the car is actually slowing down as you shift because you stop applying power to the wheels when you change gears," Doran told us. "But the automatic is designed to put power to the wheels while the car is shifting. That way, the car can effectively shift faster than any human with a manual transmission."

Only a handful of production cars have posted sub-three-second 0-60 mph times. The all-wheel drive Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo did it. In the supercar category, the McLaren 650S and Bugatti Veyron, among others, have done it.

Priced at $78,995, the 2015 Corvette Z06 will go on sale in early 2015.

Related posts: