2002 Chevrolet Corvette...Continued

While the 2002 Z06 is the quickest Vette to date, the Corvette team never lost sight of the fact that the Z06 is a total performance package. With this goal in mind, the suspension has been improved to keep the Z06 well balanced. "Revising the damping allowed us to improve the track performance of the Z06, as well as its everyday ride quality," said Mike Neal, Corvette ride and handling development engineer. In addition to generating more power, Corvette engineers also scrutinized every possible means to reduce vehicle sprung mass, shaving pounds from wheels and suspension that helps in the uneven roads we all have to deal with.

If you want to become proficient at driving your Corvette, Chevrolet•s official school for Corvettes and Camaros is the Rupert Bragg-Smith Advanced Driving School just outside of Las Vegas. On a 2.2 mile road course (which can be split into two smaller tracks) you can learn the techniques to skillfully manipulate the Corvette in an environment unencumbered by artificial constraints. Information on the school can be found on the Internet at http://www.bragg-smith.com or you can call for information or call 1-800-391-6891. Even if you don't intend to buy a Corvette, you can fulfill your fantasy of driving one at speed by attending the school.

The Corvette is not just a racer; it is a very civilized street car, with few hints of the roughness that was so prevalent in the older Corvettes. This is a car that went to finishing school. Think of Daisy Duke in a designer knee length skirt (with a teasing slit) and a hint of a British accent. But make no mistake, the heart and soul of this car is American iron at it's very best (even if'n it•s aluminum these days). The Corvette is the hallmark that defines the American sports car.

Of all the rides given (birthday rides, feeling blue rides, "I'm your nephew, for Pete's sake" rides) the one most memorable came on the last day of the evaluation. With the radio tuned to the local oldies station, Aretha Franklin playing, and the exhaust burbling; a women in the passenger seat, blind for several years, grinned from ear to ear as the wind rushed past the open cockpit and her dream of riding in a Corvette came to fruition. Words don't do that scene justice. And while I can•t imagine the sensations she felt during that short ride, that smile will be etched in my memory forever.