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began as a mere back in 1963, the a href"http:autos.yahoo.comchevroletcorvette-coupe"Corvettea Z06 has morphed into a thoroughbred racer for track day warriors and street-loving hooligans alike. After the seventh generation a href"http:autos.yahoo.comchevroletcorvette-stingray-coupe"Corvette Stingraya debuted this time last yeararguably becoming the best Vette in the brands storied historyanticipation for the next track-focused Corvette has been at an all-time high. a href"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-1.jpg"img class"alignleft size-medium wp-image-675" src"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-1-300x200.jpg" alt"Z06 1" "300" height"200" aEnter the 2015 a href"http:autos.yahoo.comchevrolet"Chevroleta Corvette Z06, revealed January 6 at the Detroit Auto Show, featuring a brand-new supercharged engine with more that 625 demonic If the new Stingray was the best Vette yet, the 2015 Z06 to be even better still. Yes, the latest Z06 claims to be the most capable Corvette ever, with engineers declaring lap times quicker than the 2014 Corvette ZR1, despite the cars setup still receiving its final tweaks. It also bares a striking resemblance to the new Corvette C7.R racecar, a machine that was also just revealed in Detroit. a href"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-2.jpg"img class"alignleft size-medium wp-image-676" src"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-2-300x199.jpg" alt"Z06 2" "300" height"199" aMuch of those similarities stem from the cars multiple winglets. The giant hood vent not only helps cooling but adds downforce, and if you option the carbon-fiber aero youre granted an even larger front splitter with aviation-style wings and a bigger rear spoiler featuring a fixed wickerbill (a lip on the edge of the wing that traps air, a drastic increase in rear downforce). But its the optional Z07 where things really come alive: the winglets on the front splitter are enlarged and the rear spoiler arrives with a see-through center section that can be adjusted up and down significantly to tailor the amount of downforce With this setup, the Z06 boasts the most amount of downforce of any car GM has ever testedincluding all of its competitors. a href"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-3.jpg"img class"size-medium wp-image-677 alignright" src"mediawp-contentecklerscorvetteuploads201401Z06-3-300x199.jpg" alt"Z06 3" "300" height"199" aTicking the Z07 also adds larger carbon ceramic-matrix brakes, delivering a 23 lb. saving over the standard steel rotors. The monster tires, too, turn from Michelin Pilot Sport to the racing-inspired, slick Sport Cup tires. Inside you have the option of a GT seat or the Competition Seat, the latter being the choicebut not if youre carrying excess holiday weight. At the heart of the 2015 Z06 is the all-new LT4 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, boasting a monstrous 635 lb.-ft. of torque to compliment its 625 hp. Thats an increase of over 100 horsepower compared to the outgoing Z06. Like the Stingray, the Z06 features cylinder deactivation to help with fuel efficiency, but unlike the Stingray, it adopts a dry sump oiling system rather than a wet one. Further changes occur in the transmissionnotably the addition of a brand-new 8-speed automatic. Fear not, a 7-speed manual is available with the same rev-matching feature used in the base Corvette but the auto upshifts eight-hundredths of a second faster than Porsches notorious PDK transmission. Thats a lofty claim for a company that doesnt have a competitive automatic in its current arsenal, and this isnt even a dual-clutch system. If Chevy has indeed a class-leading auto, this will to be a huge asset when it makes its way onto other GM vehicles in the future. Arriving as standard with Magnetic Ride Control dampers, offering settings from Touring mode to Track mode, the Z06 now comes with a removable, lightweight carbon-fiber roof With it off, the Z06 still manages an improved stiffness of 20-percent over the outgoing model; with it in it claims a whopping 60-percent increase. The featherweight aluminum frame remains essentially the same as that on the C7.R racecar, and an electronic differential comes as standard. Performance specs arent yet available; neither is But like any Corvette, the Z06 unsurpassed speed for a relative bargain. When it goes on sale early 2015, it will join the likes of the new a href"http:autos.yahoo.comphotos2014-chevrolet-camaro-z-28-1364410952-slideshow"Camaro Z28a and a href"http:autos.yahoo.comchevroletss"SS sedana, Chevrolets current lineup rivals that of the worlds best.