[elegant]

Is this the same Z06 that we saw two weeks ago, stricken, as a result of the Nuremburgring crash?

Photo and info below credit to "rj1jester." Thank you.​

Check out these pics we got from a twitter user named "R1jester" who was in Chicago when a he came across a flatbed auto hauler with a damaged 2015 Velocity Yellow Corvette Z06 on board.

The Corvette Z06 looks like it took it on the chin and we are instantly reminded of a similar (the same?) Velocity Yellow Corvette Z06 that Corvette Engineer Jim Mero was testing on the Nurburgring before a front end crash put that car out of commission.

In fact, the first thing I was hoping to see was a Nurburgring sticker on the back of the Corvette but due to how the car is parked on the hauler makes it impossible to see if one is there. Looking back at the Nurburgring video, I couldn’t see a sticker on the that car either. I seriously doubt this is the same car, but for some reason I remember that cars that are flown to and from Germany fly in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International?

Like the Nurburgring Z06, this one looks to have the Z07 Performance Package based on the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes that can be seen on the car. Other clues for the Z07 are missing or can’t be seen like the large winglets on the front splitter which is completely gone and the wickerbill rear spoiler which is to high up on the hauler to be seen in the pics.

"R1jester" did an excellent job in trying to capture the damaged Corvette Z06 while moving at highway speeds on Chicago’s terrible roads.

[PICS] Damaged 2015 Corvette Z06 Spotted on a Flatbed in Chicago

 

[STUNG]

Looks like the one jagamajajarum(?) (what a handle, can't seem to get a handle on it.) used in his photo of the month contest. hmmmmmm?
hahaha!!

STUNG

 

[tmcternan]

How many Velocity Yellow Z07's might be running around on the planet with similar front end damage witnessed at the Nurburgring? It's very very likely this is that car, however it's difficult to understand why they would transport the vehicle all the way back to the U.S. and not repair it there for additional testing? In other words, it's much easier to transport the necessary parts to Germany in order to repair the car, rather than transporting the entire car back home.... Guess it's just the old racer in me that's coming out. I hope this strategy isn't going to delay the "Official Results" of the Z07's performance at the Nurburgring?

 

[mjw930]

How many Velocity Yellow Z07's might be running around on the planet with similar front end damage witnessed at the Nurburgring? It's very very likely this is that car, however it's difficult to understand why they would transport the vehicle all the way back to the U.S. and not repair it there for additional testing? In other words, it's much easier to transport the necessary parts to Germany in order to repair the car, rather than transporting the entire car back home.... Guess it's just the old racer in me that's coming out. I hope this strategy isn't going to delay the "Official Results" of the Z07's performance at the Nurburgring?

My guess is it's actually more efficient to ship an entire new (undamaged) car to Germany to continue testing and ship the damaged car home for repair or destruction.

 

[tmcternan]

Hope your right Mark. All I know is I'm super antsy to see much more video coverage of the testing and results.... If for no other reason than to silence any nay Sayer's. Watched a video of the C6 ZR1 at the Nurburgring hitting 182 MPH on one of the straights there. Dieing to see what the Z07 is going to do.....

 

[Z06]

Nuremburgring... so was it on purpose or by accident? lol

The Nuremberg Code fused with the Nurburgring = Z06's battlefield disaster at the 'Ring

 

[rdslon01]

Is this the same Z06 that we saw two weeks ago, stricken, as a result of the Nuremburgring crash?

Photo and info below credit to "rj1jester." Thank you.​

[PICS] Damaged 2015 Corvette Z06 Spotted on a Flatbed in Chicago

For multiple reasons, I do not believe it is the same car. Zeeshan has posted a thread ( http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum/corvette-z06-photos-videos/7303-z06-wrecked.html ) with more pictures and videos. I note the following differences.

1) The Z06 which was at Nürburgring had a visible carbon fiber roof (which makes sense for racing). The one spotted on the flatbed near Chicago has a transparent roof.

2) The Z06 which was at Nürburgring had a sticker in the quarter window behind the left side of the driver's head. The Z06 on the flatbed near Chicago does not have a sticker on that window.

3) From looking very carefully at one of the videos in the link provided by Zeeshan, you can see there is some damage to the rear diffuser/body panel interface on the Z06 on the flatbed in Chicago. Although it is hard to see a high resolution photograph of the Z06 which crashed at the Nürburgring, it seemed to me as if all the damage on that one was at the front.

I know they could have switched roofs, and could have removed the sticker, and the car damaged at the Nürburgring could have received some rear-end damage on its trip back to the U.S., but, all of those taken together seems to say to me that the probability of it being the same car is very, very low.

At least, that is my take on it.

 

[dpmdc]

I believe this car may have been at Autobahn Country Club or Road America. There are 2 tracks close to Chicago... Road America and Autobahn Country Club. RA more likely for top speed and ABCC more for turns and acceleration out of corners.

 

[mjw930]

What's more disconcerting to me are 2 pre production Z06's with nearly identical front end damage. Obviously 650HP is a handful but perhaps they need to do some suspension re calibrations or aero changes if it's that easy to wash out the front end.

 

[dpmdc]

I stated that concern awhile back. Too much HP can be a bad thing!

What's more disconcerting to me are 2 pre production Z06's with nearly identical front end damage. Obviously 650HP is a handful but perhaps they need to do some suspension re calibrations or aero changes if it's that easy to wash out the front end.

 

[mjw930]

I stated that concern awhile back. Too much HP can be a bad thing!

I should have added that I assume these pre production cars were being driven by professional drivers. High HP cars in the general public's hands will end badly, that's a given, but in the hands of a pro it shouldn't be as prevelant. Perhaps this one was stuffed by a journalist in a testing session, who knows?

 

[tmcternan]

We're more than likely never going to find out if all our speculations are true or false. Mark brought up an important point as far as the front end geometry possibly needing to be tweaked a bit in the event it might be washing out. Lets face it, they're testing the limits of the car. Whether the damaged Z06 spotted on the flat bed in Chicago is the one from Germany or not, these things are bound to happen during testing and it's better they happen during testing than by a customer on public roads.

 

[Z06]

 

[dpmdc]

It very well may be the same car brought to O'Hare on a freight plane to be transported back to Corporate Engineering Dept.

We're more than likely never going to find out if all our speculations are true or false. Mark brought up an important point as far as the front end geometry possibly needing to be tweaked a bit in the event it might be washing out. Lets face it, they're testing the limits of the car. Whether the damaged Z06 spotted on the flat bed in Chicago is the one from Germany or not, these things are bound to happen during testing and it's better they happen during testing than by a customer on public roads.

 

[mjw930]

What blows my mind is they didn't transport it in an enclosed trailer. If I were Chevy I wouldn't want a wrecked Z06 picture / video showing up on the Internet. I guess that ship has sailed.

 

[conmax]

i doubt that the z06 in Nuremberg was crashed by a journalist as one member indicated as a possibility. the picture at the crash seen showed Chevy's chief tester, a large bulky guy, with his driving suit pulled down while looking at the car.

also, it seems likely that Chevy wanted the crashed z06 back in the US for any kind of failure analysis that the engineers perform. repairing the car there would eliminate that possibility.

it is also reasonable to believe that chevy wants all crashed non production Z06's back for analysis.

 

[elegant]

There is no a chance that a journalist drove it, for as we saw in the pictures, it was Corvette's Chief Test Driver, Jim Mero. Jim is an outstanding driver, but like every test driver, was trying to get that fractional extra, and whether is was weather, a mechanical failure, or it being pushed 1/1000th % too far, doubt we will ever know.

 

[mjw930]

I guess I need to be clearer when I post or people need to stop inferring things that aren't said. My journalist comment was meant to say that if this WAS NOT the Nurburgring Z06 then perhaps it was in Chicago for a press test event.

 

[rdslon01]

With the proliferation of social media, people have developed a tendency to not read carefully what is written, but rather just skim it quickly, and then comment without really fully understanding what they are commenting against. It can cause a landslide of subsequent posts and misinformation.

This is a general observation, and not meant to be derogatory for this particular thread.

 

[tmcternan]

I guess I need to be clearer when I post or people need to stop inferring things that aren't said. My journalist comment was meant to say that if this WAS NOT the Nurburgring Z06 then perhaps it was in Chicago for a press test event.

It's okay Mark, I knew exactly what you meant....