"...What really makes this 'Vette something special is the Z07 Ultimate Performance Package. Consisting of Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes (similar to those on the ZR1), two-mode Magnetic Ride dampers, and the full Carbon Package aerodynamic add-ons, the package is all performance. Now, savvy readers may recall that earlier this year we tested a nearly identical 2011 Corvette Z06. The big difference comes with the tires. This car features the newly available Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires in 285/20/ZR19 (front) and a massive 335/25/ZR20 (rear). With a treadwear rating of just 86 and a near-slick tread pattern, expectations were high. And the Sport Cups didn't disappoint.

It almost seems unfair to compare the Corvette Z06 to most other supercars. It should really be compared to a gumball machine. With those wide, gooey Michelins warmed up, this thing gripped our test track with the tenacity of a wad of chewing gum on warm summer's day, enveloping the asphalt in damn-near-race-spec, barely-DOT-legal, pray-it-doesn't-rain-type rubber. When all was said and done, we got a figure-eight test time of just 22.8 seconds at a 0.98g average. That's the fastest time we've ever recorded with a production car, narrowly beating out (you guessed it) the 2011 Corvette Z06 we tested several months ago by 0.3 seconds and 0.08 g. The downside of so much grip is that even with heavier bolstering for 2012, the 'Vette's seats are wholly inadequate for performance driving, leaving the pilot looking for support when he should be looking for apexes....