The Plastic-Bodied Barometer.(Column)

Byline: Rich Ceppos

This is as good as it gets. I'm behind the wheel of a new Corvette Z06, its massive rear tires frying joyously in response to a prod from my right foot. Seven liters of magnificent all-American V8, 505 hp, a seven-grand redline, a slick six-speeder and an exhaust yowl from the great beyond-all let loose in the pursuit of vision-warping acceleration and gonzo speed.

I wish you were here with me, because the only way this car's fearsome performance can be adequately communicated is through the seat of your pants and the concurrent burst you feel from your adrenal glands.

But really, is this as good as it gets? Certainly the Z06 is one of America's all-time great automotive accomplishments. It will inevitably take its place beside such legends as the Duesenberg SJ, Ford Cobra and GT40, and the big-block Stingrays of the Corvette's own past-as well as the hottest foreign iron dating back to the Mercedes-Benz 540K.

But in the larger sense the Vette has always been a barometer of America's automotive well-being. Its big-block glory days in the late '60s reflected the peak of real Amuricin muscle cars. And when American vehicles were strangled by early emissions regulations and emasculated ...