by Frank Markus
Wait! Don't turn that page! This may look like the same Corvette that's been overexposed on newstands over the past 12 months, and it may bear familiar ZO6 badging that suggests its just the same Corvette with 10-15-percent-better performance. But this is actually GM's Dodge Viper slayer, its stealth weapon against Ford's GT supercar.

Can you wrap your mind around the concept of a factory-issued, fully warranted 200-mph Corvette that'll hit 100 mph in the low sevens and run mid or low 11s in the quarter? Okay, none of those numbers is official yet. The car is still undergoing wind-tunnel testing and final engine tuning. But sources say a prototype with full camo flapping in the high-speed breeze has driven well into the 190s, and our pocket Cray supercomputer says that at 200 mph this Vette would be spinning at or just past its power peak in fifth gear, which seems plausible.

Here's the beef backing that brag: The 7.0-liter LS7 engine will produce at least 500 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 475 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm. Revving just slightly past its 7000-rpm redline through base Corvette six-speed gearing, it'll hit 60 mph in first in well under four seconds. The chassis is - drum roll - all aluminum. Magnesium and carbon-fiber parts also are used to help contain the total curb weight to under 3150 pounds. That'll put the new ZO6's weight-to-power ratio below both the Ford GT's 6.3 pounds/horsepower and the Viper's 6.8. Aero tuning reduces total lift and and balances the front and rear left coefficients while increasing the base Vette's 0.28 drag coefficient to .34.

While the ZO6 broke cover in Detroit in January, we won't get a chance to drive it and verify these lofty claims until later this spring. You won't get a crack at it either until the fourth quarter of 2005, at which point we estimate the you'll have to shell out $75-$85 large. For now, let's train our magnifying glasses on this exotic Chevrolet.