2001-2004 C5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: LS6 Engine and Performance

The C5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was introduced as the successor to the FRC C5 Vette. This model Chevy Corvette produced superior performance for a number of reasons.
The Z06 employed a high horsepower edition of the LS1 standard V-8 called the LS6. This engine produced 385 horsepower (or 287kW) and was lighter and faster than the previous ZR1 engine.

To go along with the LS6, Chevrolet had to make modifications elsewhere
on the car. This included brake cooling ducts, a hardtop body, bigger
tires and wheels, improved suspension, and upgraded gearing in a new
six-speed transmission. Lighter spun cast wheels, a lighter battery,
less-heavy glass, and a titanium cat back exhaust saved the Z06 C5
Corvette thirty-eight pounds.

After 2002, small engine alterations yielded big results. Sodium-filled
exhaust valves, a better camshaft, harder valve springs and other
modifications allowed the Z06 C5’s engine to put out more than 405
horsepower (or 302 kW). Also new on the car were the Z06’s fender
badges, which read “405 hp.” In addition, the 2002 model saw the
previous Speedway white body color replaced by Electron blue.

The 2003 edition had distinctive 50th-anniversary badges and an updated
headliner. The model year 2003 also saw the replacement of the aluminum
shift fork with a stronger steel one.
In 2004, the hood was lighter because it was constructed of carbon
fiber. That year the Z06 C5 also sported special Le Mans blue body
paint, an improved suspension system, and polished aluminum wheels.