2006 Corvette Sting Ray

2006 Corvette Sting Ray

The 2006 Corvette Sting Ray came in three main versions: the coupe, the convertible and the Z06 coupe. A base 2006 Corvette Sting Ray coupe with a 346 cu. in. 400 hp engine and six speed manual transmission cost $44,600 and was thereby the least expensive alternative. The base 2006 Corvette Sting Ray convertible had the same engine but the price was nearly $8000 higher – $52,335. The base 2006 Corvette Z06 coupe contained a 427 cu. in. 505 hp engine and six speed manual transmission and cost no less than $65,800.

The most interesting introduction of the year was naturally the Corvette Z06, since no such variant had been available for 2005. There were however notable differences in the ordinary Corvette Sting Ray cars as well. A series of interesting options were for instance introduced for the 2006 Corvette Sting Ray. You could for instance get a six speed paddle shift automatic transmission for $1,250. In 2005, a four speed automatic transmission was available as a free option for all buyers, but this alternative was discontinued in 2006. The six speed paddle shift automatic transmission had two modes: drive and sport.

The 2006 Corvette Z06 had a 427 cu. in. (7 litres) engine and made Corvette enthusiasts all over the world recall the long since gone C2 generation when Corvette Sting Ray cars had “big block” engines and emission tests and anti-smog legislation wasn’t even invented. Many people referred to the 2006 Corvette Z06 as a “street legal race car”, and the engine of the Corvette Z06 actually had a lot in common with the C5-R racing engine. The compression ratio was 11.0:1 and titanium was the material of choice for connection rods as well as for the intake valves on the CNC ported heads. The exhaust valves used sodium and the flat top pistons were made of aluminium.

The oil solution for the 2006 Corvette Sting Ray Z06 engine is truly remarkable. If you look closely at a Corvette Z06 engine, you will notice that there is no oil cap. The Corvette Z06 engine use so called dry sump lubrication which means that the oil is not stored in a sump at the bottom of the motor. Instead, there is a separate eight quart oil tank which is connected to a pump that will provide the engine with a reliable source of oil at all times. To make this construction possible, the battery has been moved to the luggage compartment in the the 2006 Corvette Sting Ray Z06. Dry sump lubrication is an expensive solution, but it puts a stop to oil starvation and is highly appreciated by those who plan to engage in high speed cornering in their Corvettes. Before the 2006 Corvette Sting Ray Z06, this technique was only used for professional race cars and in a few extremely expensive sports cars. With the 2006 Corvette Sting Ray Z06, it became possible to get dry sump lubrication even if you weren’t prepared to purchase a $100,000+ car.