I hate to confess, but every few years I fall head over heels thinking I've had an epiphany, only it's more like falling into a habitual pattern of forgetting the initial thoughts at hand. Case in point, I've settled into having a semi-boring econo-pusher as a commuter. It has a slushbox transmission, the visual cues of an egg, and the personality of a cardboard box. In other words, it will never elicit the thumbs-up from fellow car enthusiasts. Funny thing is it hadn't really bothered me all that much, at least not until this past weekend when I was handed a remote key fob for the new 505hp C6 Z06.
Sure, we've given plenty of ink to GM's supercar; however, this was the first time I was able to get behind the wheel without being pressed for time. At first I had grandiose visions of ripping up the coast on California's prestigious Highway 101 or even taking a roadie to Vegas-instead I found myself logging over 350 miles in a day and half without really going anywhere. But I did look car-guy fresh while heading to the store for kitty litter.
It may seem silly, but I was so enamored of its performance and all the trick little bells and whistles that all I wanted to do was drive. The power is exhilarating. Stab the throttle and once the rpm hits 3,000 it screams without a flinch to 7,000. Even more amazing is that the pull from First to Second is the same from Third to Fourth. Believe me, as much as I wanted to test out the remaining two up rows, I refrained and kept my sanity-and driver's license, for that matter.
Now, I'm not saying you have to run out and go broke trying to afford a Z06-I sure can't-but what I am saying is there's nothing wrong with having a true performance vehicle as a daily driver. The way I see it, in an environment where you have minimal control over extraneous factors, including other drivers who really shouldn't be on the road, it's a satisfying feeling to know you have one leg up on them by being able to accelerate seamlessly into the flow of traffic and having the ability to brake safely on demand.
I'll leave you with my favorite quote from my Z06 experience, "Is that thing everything people claim it to be?" My response: "It's everything people claim and so much more." I'll admit I was half waiting for a snarky response; instead, he smiled and gave the thumbs-up while motoring away. Suffice to say, the drive home that day was much more enjoyable, even with the heavy L.A. congestion. Then again, maybe it's just a car-guy thing.