2001 Corvette Z06 - Crate Balls Of Fire

Ivo's Z06 poses next to his... 

   

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Ivo's Z06 poses next to his wife's Torch Red '01 model. A lifelong Camaro man, Ivo finally joined the Corvette camp at the suggestion of his late son.

Ivo knew that his super creation had to sound super, too. To that end, he removed the Z06's stock manifolds and upgraded the exhaust path with Kooks 1 7/8-inch headers and an off-road X-pipe. Deliberately tuned for an aggressive sound, the system exits through a set of B&B Bullet mufflers.

Force gets to the ground via a heavy-duty DTE differential housing 3.42 gears. Goodyear Eagle F1s, size 275/35-ZR18 on the front and 315/30ZR18 in the rear, provide plenty of grip so the OE Customs Z06-style wheels can tame the track and the pavement.

The horsepower and torque measurements-a whopping 525 horses and 497 lb-ft at the rear wheels-make this Corvette a monster at the dragstrip and surprisingly easy to drive on the street. According to Ivo, "Z06s are meant to be driven, not parked in a garage. And the difference between a Z06 and my C5-R Corvette is night and day. It's outrageous. The torque is unbelievable. It's scary to hear it coming down the street and know it's not stock." Crate balls of fire, Ivo. We couldn't agree more.

To minimize rear brake wear...        read full caption To minimize rear brake wear during burnouts (and one surmises, to guarantee large lead photos in Corvette enthusiast magazines) Ivo had Anti-Venom install a Hurst line-lock system.

Ivo went so far as to build...        read full caption Ivo went so far as to build a color-keyed custom garage to house his Vettes. The dcor fuses Hollywood gangster chic with an abundance of Corvette-themed paraphernalia.

Big torque and big traction...        read full caption Big torque and big traction can lead to big, expensive parts failures. The car's original differential (shown) has since been replaced with a fortified unit from Dynotech Engineering.