Before I start I would like to say that although I personally don't like any Corvette's I am willing to give most cars a chance to impress me and I have to admit that the latest Z06's performance around the Nurburgring is very good. BUT here is my opinion (and some facts as well) and please read all of my post before you reply, I took the time to read yours and I am trying to understand your position.
janstett said:
He complains about the "Vietnamese suspension" in Series 6 and can't get past the leaf springs, but doesn't bother to look under the car to see they are transverse springs on an independent suspension as one would find in an F1 car.
F1 cars do not use leaf springs. They usually have a torsion bar system which is a bit like an antiroll bar and some used a coilover system (although I think this was mostly on the rear and isn't used much now). Both are opperated by rods and not acted on directly like a normal spring. F1 suspension is much different to the system the Corvette has.
Yahoos on this board complain about the "lump of iron" Chevy Small Block that dates back to stonehenge, yet this powerful lineup of all-aluminum V8s gives great gas milage (better than BMW flat 6) and tremendous horsepower and weighs the same as the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder in my Porsche. Wake out of your inherent bias and give something a chance on merit.
BMW doesn't make a flat 6.
The way they get the good fuel economy is that the Corvette's have a 2 seater sports car type body with a CD as low as 0.28, they are light, and they use a gearbox with a 0.50 top gear ratio. Compare that to the car with a BMW
straight 6 which is heavier (something like the M3 is up to 100kg heavier or an M5 is 200kg+ heavier), are 4 door sedans so have a higher CD, and they have their gearboxes designed so that top gear is actually a useful gear (more like a 0.80 ratio which means it could be up to 2000rpm higher at cruising speeds). The combination of all that results in a big difference in fuel economy. You can't compare the engines unless you take them away from the cars and put them on an engine dyno or something and then I think you will find the european engines are more fuel efficient, infact out here we have the LS2 6L (I think is is an LS2?) in the HSV range of cars which are closer in design and weight to the M3 or M5 or similar cars and even though the HSV's still use the same 0.5 top gear the M3's and M5's get better petrol consumption. I can find some figures for you if you want?
I also don't think the engine weighs much or any less than a similar engine from any other manufacturer, I will see if I can find some specs.
The reason I don't like the engine is because, even after all the high tech stuff they have put into the new Z06 engine, they still don't rev (which I like) and they still don't make much power per litre of engine (and if you compare the engines directly like I said above the extra capacity means worse petrol consumption than some rival engines). For some reason I just hate the idea of having more capacity than what I need, kind of seems lazy or something, which is of course my opinion.
At very least pay attention to what the C6R has done at LeMans and in the Petite LeMans series. It has been DOMINATING its class.
The C6R is considerably different to the road Corvette and they haven't really had much competition in the past (considering they are a factory team). This year Aston Martin entered the DBR9 (also very different to a road DB9) and even in it's first development year it gave the C6R's some competition, they definately didn't dominate in those races. They still did win a few but it was a race right to the finish.
As for not caring because it isn't European or too expensive, who cares? Many of the cars on Gear are not available in the US, and quite frankly a lot of them are horrid. Especially the French ones. But nonetheless I enjoy seeing them and hearing about them. However, I expect the hosts to be honest and forthcoming and not fall back on lazy stereotypes to misrepresent the cars. They are free to like or not like any car but I don't want them to lie, misrepresent, or babble on about some irrational opinion they formed as teenagers.
I agree, no contintent or country can claim to have the best cars. Good and bad cars come from everywhere, even the same manufacturer. I have said that I have never been impressed with the Corvettes so far, except maybe the new Z06, but I hope I get the chance to drive a few in the future and I will not form a final opinion until I do and even then it will only be my opinion and I will try my best to keep an open mind about the future models.
coming on
In before the lock 
