FIRST LOOK: 2011 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 CARBON LIMITED EDITION

By Kirill Ougarov, Motor Trend - When it first barged onto the scene in late 2005, the 505-horsepower C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was the top dog, the fastest, baddest production Corvette in history, blowing the C5 Z06 completely out of the water. Oh how times change. The Z06 is now merely the aging middle brother of the Corvette lineup, its thunder stolen completely and utterly by the 638-horsepower, Ferrari-eating ZR1.

With the next-generation Corvette still at least a couple of years away, the General has decided to give the Z06 some love for its fifth birthday in the form of the ZR1's carbon-ceramic brakes, black 20-inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, Magnetic Selective Ride Control adjustable dampers (also used on the ZR1), and additional cooling, creating a car called the 2011 Chevy Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition. While the LS7 -8 that powers the Z06 remains unchanged for the special edition model, it does receive a fancy carbon pattern engine cover.

The changes don't stop there, however, as there's no such thing as a limited-edition sports cdar that doesn't get new bodywork and interior trim. In the case of the Z06 Carbon, that consists of the all-new Supersonic Blue paint job (Carbons will also come in Inferno Orange), black headlamps and mirrors, ZR1-style rear spoiler, and a carbon-fiber hood, diffuser, and side rockers, making the Z06 Carbon look much like, well, a ZR1. GM is coy as to how much weight all this saves, but Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter believes that the Carbon can "shave up to three seconds off the Z06 lap time" around "technical tracks like Laguna Seca." Going by our Laguna Lap records, this would put the Z06 Carbon just two seconds behind the ZR1 with a lap time of around 1 minute 38 seconds. Speaking of tracks, each car will come with a set of European-style racing numbers that can be put on the car come race day.

Inside, the Carbon features a black leather-and-suede interior -- the suede is used on the steering wheel, shifter, seat inserts, armrests, and doors -- with blue or orange stitching depending on the exterior color, accompanied by unique sill plates, logged headrests, and steering wheel emblem.

If this ZR-lite Z06 tickles your fancy, you should get your local Chevy dealer on the horn pronto, because just 500 will be produced. GM isn't going to leave regular Z06 buyers out in the cold either, as the automaker plans offer most of the Carbon's features as option packages. The carbon fiber bits will be available as one package, codenamed CFZ, with the mechanical upgrades -- brakes, adjustable dampers, cooling upgrades, wheels and tires -- coming as part of another, codenamed Z07. Each can be chosen by itself or the two can be combined as a package deal. The customer is always right, after all.

GM hasn't announced pricing yet for the Z06 Carbon itself or either of the option packages, but we expect the former to split the difference between the Z06 and ZR1 and come in somewhere in the $80,000 range before any additional options. The option packages are likely to be fairly pricey as well, but the final cost of the two plus a Z06 should be slightly less than that of a Carbon. All three become available this summer, so stay tuned. We just may run a Carbon at Laguna Seca to test Juechter's claim.