Those with a stronger need for speed can order up a stroked Matrix II powerplant, a 7.0-liter C5-R-derived engine, and a Matrix SC engine equipped with a MagnaCharger blower. These upgrades ain't exactly cheap, but as the axiom goes, speed costs.
The full Group 6 treatment also encompasses suspension and brake enhancements, including Stop Tech ST-60 brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers clamping down on drilled rotors-including huge 330mm (13-inch) units up front. The suspension receives the T-1 upgrade kit from GM, which includes new front and rear springs, stabilizer bars, upper and lower front A-arms, and stronger links.
Photo by Jay Heath
Inner Style
Along with the exterior and performance upgrades, the Group 6 package also includes a sumptuous upholstery upgrade, with Spinneybeck Italian suede. The burgundy-color material, embroidered with the Group 6 emblem on the headrests, adds a decidedly upscale aura to the Corvette's cabin, complementing the 525 hp in true velvet-hammer form.
All told, the exterior, interior, and performance enhancements of the Group 6-including installation, tuning, and paintwork-run about $30,000. Even with a brand-new Corvette, that's not much more than the cost of a new Z06. There's also the intangible quality of exclusivity-not too many other enthusiasts will have one.
What we really like about the Group 6 lineup, however, is the cafeteria-style options menu. Don't like the extractor hood? Leave it off. Want everything but the T-1 suspension? No problem.
"It is first and foremost the customer's car," says Nowicki. "He tells us how to build it."
While the quantifiable traits of the Group 6-such as the Matrix I engine's dyno numbers or the skidpad performance of the T-1 suspension and Michelin PS2 tires-are easily justified, the intangible traits are the package's real strengths. The hunkered-down stance, just-try-me idle quality, and race-ready form are simultaneously unmistakable and understated.
For those who appreciate such a design philosophy, the Group 6 backs up its form with searing function.
At the time of our visit, Specter's antiseptically clean headquarters contained two partially finished C5s, a Cadillac CTS, and a Pontiac Solstice. In addition to tweaking production cars, the firm does design and prototyping work for the OEMs.
Inside Specter Werkes/Sports
For the past 16 years, Jeff Nowicki has built a reputation crafting Corvettes from his facility in suburban Detroit. He founded Specter Werkes/Sports in 1990, and today it not only builds Corvettes and Corvette upgrades, but does design work and prototype building for the OEMs. The company also includes vehicles such as the Cadillac CTS in its enhancements repertoire. (The Pontiac Solstice is another possibility being considered.)
Not bad for a guy who started out working for various prototype shops, as well as GM Design, while taking side projects after hours.
"It all grew out of the work I was doing outside of my regular jobs," says Nowicki. "I had the shop going while I was at GM, and it just became clear that this is what I needed to do."
A former GM designer, Nowicki uses the labor-intensive clay-modeling process to design new body components.
Design work was in Nowicki's blood. His father, Ron Nowicki, worked at GM Design for 36 years and was the chief studio engineer for the C5. By January 1998, Specter Werkes built its first GTR, which is still owned by its original owner-Chevy dealer Jeff Cauley. About 30 of the exclusive cars have been built since, along with countless other special customer projects, race cars, and Group 5/Group 6 cars.
The Specter Werkes shop typically contains three or four cars in various stages of construction. On our recent visit, the projects included the GTR conversion of an '04 Corvette Z06 Commemorative Edition, which, when finished, will still wear the factory-style blue paint and graphics. It is the third GTR Specter has built for an enthusiastic Colorado customer.
"Customers are extensions of our team," says Nowicki. "We invite them to track-day events and other get-togethers. It's like a fraternity of like-minded enthusiasts."
At track days, Nowicki is as much participant as host. He holds four SCCA divisional autocross championships, two SCCA road-racing championships, and has participated in everything from the World Challenge to the '04 Grand-Am Rolex series.
But even the best customers aren't privy to the OEM design work that goes on at Specter Werkes. In fact, there were parts of the Specter facility we couldn't photograph: the curtained areas that contained ongoing modeling and prototype work. We'd tell you more about it, but we'd have to kill you afterward-if Nowicki hasn't already killed us in the meantime. He is famously and rightfully protective of this work, and no one simply waltzes back to the shop's work area without his knowledge or escort.
Let's see . . . design work, Corvette construction, prototype building, and successful racing experience. Is there a downside to Nowicki's life?
"Well," he says, "My wife, Brenda, won't let me near her when I smell like fiberglass resin."