I think that if you were to talk to FRC Tom, you'd find that the Z06 was not "developed" based on the FRC. What I mean is that there exists certain models, that are to my knowledge, unphotographed, of the Z06, pre-2k.
Interesting the twists and turns that the FRC took to get brought to life. I think that lots of folks tend to look down on it as the "Billy Bob" Vette. Nothing really could be further from the truth in the final analysis. It is lighter than the standard Coupe, has a better (performance-wise) suspension, stiffer frame, and different lines.
I went looking for my "new" Vette the weekend after 9-11. I was at Elco Chevrolet, "Just shopping ...
". I hadn't done alot of reading on Vettes, I just knew that I was tired of my C4 (an 86 ragtop).
I saw this beautiful Torch Red Vette with a totally bizarre top (the much maligned Billy Bob Hard top). The first thing that struck me was that it was the most beautifully designed Vette I had ever seen.
With an imminent lay off coming from IBM, I knew I would not be able to swing a Z06 with good conscience, but here was an opportunity to have the body style, which I dearly love.
True, it didn't have all the special goodies that a regular Vette has, but I saw that as a performance boost, weight savings, and less stuff to have to go to the dealer for fixing as the years go by.
The performance is cracker-jack (Can't believe I finally used that phrase in a sentence ... .
On a rolling run between 70 and 140, with a 3rd gear down shift and pedal to the metal, I can keep up with a stock Z06. Off the line, it's not as powerful, by any means, but even then, it is NOT a slouch. Turn off the active handling and it will throw you around like the big guys.
And when you get down to it... How often do any of us really do 70 - 140 mph pulls? Although, I did with my sainted, 83 year old Mother-in-law in the car (Another story for another day).
It has a higher drag coefficient than a coupe, but "Lookin' Good", more than makes up for that. And on that rare occasion that I drive sanely, I can get 27 mpg.
Beside all that... It is a limited membership club to be in ... The owners of FRCs... There's only a few more than 6000 of them made for all years .. er ... All two years.
