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DRIVEN: Corvette Celebrates Good Times
Chevrolet Centennial Edition convertible puts a collector's item spin on America's favorite sports car.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted February 27, 2012   Phoenix, AZ
The hunkered-down form of a 2012 Chevy Corvette convertible gets some added flash with the Chevrolet Centennial Edition package. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Corvette still rules as the greatest halo car for any U.S. automaker ever, imbuing every lesser Chevrolet with the DNA of this world-class performance sports car. And like everything Chevrolet, it also carries a relatively modest price tag.

With style, handling and horsepower that competes with exotic imports costing many thousands more, Corvette delivers satisfying performance sports-car drivability in something that you can commute in every day in comfort, then go roaring around back roads on the weekend. Or, take it out to the race track to push its limits.

Carbon Flash Metallic paint with satin black inserts is exclusive to the Centennial Edition. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
For 2012, the sixth iteration of Corvette – known to its fans as C6 – is widely regarded as the best Vette yet, from its muscular base model to the top-dog 638-horsepower ZL1. C6 arrived for the 2005 model year trimmer, lighter and more agile than the model that went before, attracting new sports-car drivers to the much-improved Corvette. It feels just as fresh now with the numerous upgrades that have been added over the years.

Corvette has been the aspirational sports car for generations of U.S drivers, coming up on its 60th year of fiberglass-bodied exhilaration. That’s where we are now, with 2013 welcoming a hot Corvette 427 to honor the sixth decade since the first 1953 model year. For 2014, an all-new C7 version is ready to be unveiled.

Speaking of anniversary parties, Chevrolet pulled out all the stops in celebrating its 100th year, and one of the most enjoyable manifestations of the event was the Chevrolet Centennial Edition package for 2012 Corvettes. Basically an appearance package for all models, the Centennial Edition includes a unique Carbon Flash Metallic paint job with satin black inserts and details, plus special badges on its flanks, hubs and steering-wheel center that depict historic race-driver Louis Chevrolet behind the wheel of an early competition car.

The image of early 20th Century race driver Louis Chevrolet is incorporated into special badges on the flanks, wheels and steering-wheel center. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Part of Chevy’s centennial push was to highlight the contribution of its namesake, who was a renowned driver in his day and part of the founding of the car company, and whose name was used by the fledgling automaker to gain attention and credibility. A century later, Louis Chevrolet was largely forgotten until the General Motors division trotted him out to become a prominent part of the celebration.

The new Corvette is a fitting place for his image. The standard-model convertible that I drove with the base 430-horsepower engine is solid and tight, and the small-block V8 feels eager with a seamless flow of power. This car feels ready to romp whenever you approach a freeway ramp or a clear piece of straight road, or with its race-tuned suspension, a challenging turn.

Only the most-jaded performance junkie would yearn for the hotter and significantly more-expensive Z06 or ZL1 versions. Get on it, and the basic Corvette returns satisfying acceleration and a thunderous roar.

The Centennial Edition convertible that I drove was fitted with a six-speed manual transmission that provides better driver involvement and quicker response. Launch Control comes standard with stickshift for full-throttle blasts off the line. A six-speed automatic with paddle shifters is also available, but I’d have to go with the unmitigated joys of stickshift.

Corvette's fabric top fits snugly and retracts quickly into the trunk. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
A major improvement in the latest C6 versions are new bolstered sport seats that provide more support and hold you in place in sharp turns.

Still, Corvette remains a split-personality performance car that also makes for a pleasant boulevard cruiser, with its comfortable, well-outfitted interior and placid low-speed road manners. That’s one of the beauties of Corvette, that a high-performance sports car can idle through traffic with such calm poise.

Other features of the Centennial Edition include unique satin-black wheels with bright-red brake calibers peeking between the spokes, leather and microfiber suede interior with red stitching accents, and the fleur-de-lis symbol in the Corvette badges replaced with “100.”

A drivability extra that comes with the package is Chevrolet’s excellent Magnetic Selective Ride Control for tuning the suspension from the driver’s seat.
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Bob Golfen

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