Hill said the key features of the chassis -- low weight, high strength, cored composite floors, enclosed center tunnel, rear axle-mounted transmission and aluminum cockpit structure -- have all been ''extensively revised to extend Corvette's total performance, with enhanced structural integrity, feel, refinement and quietness.''

The new Corvette is powered by the LS2 6-liter small-block V8, one of GM's new Gen IV family of engines. (Photo: General Motors)

As a result, Hill said, the overall vehicle weight is about the same as the C5's, despite the addition of such mass-increasing elements as larger wheels and tires, more robust brakes and increased body acoustics and interior features.

Into that more useful skeleton, Hill installed a new heart -- the LS2 6-liter small-block V8 using GM's new Gen IV family of engines. It is the largest, most powerful standard small-block engine ever offered in Corvette, and it makes you wonder what the heck they're going to come up with for the super-performance version that is absolutely in the cards.

One of Hill's primary efforts to ''search out and destroy imperfections'' involved the Corvette's transmissions, with a particular eye to improving performance.

Along with the two sets of final drive ratios, the Tremec six-speed also got improved shift characteristics, with all new synchronizers reducing travel by 10 percent, and a shifter knob that's an inch shorter and redesigned for better driver operation.

The Hydra-Matic 4L65-E automatic is an upgraded version of the C5's 4L60-E, strengthened and revised to accommodate the massive amount of torque cranked out by the LS2. ''It includes GM's advanced Performance Algorithm Shifting,'' Hill explained, which automatically selects the optimal gear for a given driving condition and makes it ''a willing accomplice for performance driving and hard cornering.''