Whether ogling a '63 split-window coupe or the most recent ZO6, most of us at some point in our lives have marveled at Chevy's

The new Corvette is pumping out a walloping 400-horsepower and a matching 400 pound-feet of torque from its small-block 6.0-litre (364 cu in) V8. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

fiberglass sports car. Sure, they got a little soft around the mid-section during the fuel-starved late '70s and early '80s, but so did I. Unlike me though, the Corvette regained its muscular dominance during the 1990s and is once again topping all charts with the recent introduction of the 505-horsepower ZO6. But even in base form, such as today's convertible tester, the new Corvette is pumping out a walloping 400-horsepower and a matching 400 pound-feet of torque from its small-block 6.0-litre (364 cu in) V8, and there's nothing meager or underprivileged about that.

Assuming the driver's perch in the C6 has a way of jettisoning any semblance

Accompanying the engine's burst of bravado is the activation of a complete set of analogue gauges. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

of coordination from one's movements, it's a long drop to the leather hide covering a true performance-oriented driver's seat, and the near horizontal rake of the windscreen doesn't help with fluidity of movement either. But once in place, automotive utopia is but a pushbutton away. With the key fob in proximity, firing-up GM's throaty LS2 V8 is accomplished with the push of a dash-mounted button (no twisting of the key required). Accompanying the engine's burst of bravado is the activation of a complete set of analogue gauges clustered in full view of the salivating driver, plus the appearance of a heads-up display on the lower left-hand portion of the windscreen; this is definitely a driver's cockpit.