First Test: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Don't feel bad about it. I don't. Few mortal men are truly man enough to drive the Z06. In fact, if the phrase "Professional Race Car Driver" doesn't appear on your resume, don't even bother. (And "race car driver" doesn't apply to your Spec Miata, or that clunker you and your friends drag to LeMons. If it ain't televised, it doesn't count.)

And when I say "drive this car," I don't mean puttering over to the local Friday night cruise-in and revving the motor for the crowd. I mean driving it the way it was meant to be driven. There's a reason Chevrolet sends Corvette buyers to a professional driving school when they pick up their cars. Try to test your limits in a car like the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and you'll probably run out of talent and get yourself killed.

YouTube - First Test: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

To say that the Corvette Z06 is fast is to say that Led Zeppelin played music. You don't have to be a fan of either to appreciate what an enormous understatement that is. You can feel the raw power of the 7.0-liter V8 pulsating through the car as it idles. The Z06 is so completely devoid of sound- and vibration-dampening measures that you feel more connected with the car. You can hear the fuel pump running and the alternator spinning. The whole car vibrates with lope of the big LS7. Put your foot into it and it will redefine your sense of speed.

To get the launch right, it takes just a dab of wheel spin and a roll into the throttle (never, I repeat, NEVER stab it). If you've already hit wide-open throttle before the engine reaches 4000 rpm, you will spin the massive rubber steamrollers out back the rest of the way to the 7000-rpm redline. Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s are arguably the best street tire you can buy and even they're not sticky enough to hold back the LS7 V-8's rage.