The Jet Stream Blue C6 Corvette Twins
The Birth of a Project
We have a lot of cars come through our shop and while many folks are looking for quick and easy ways to add power, a subset of clients are looking for more. Sometimes, a lot more.
After building Chris Wells' 2010 cyber grey metallic C6 ZR1 to 1100 wheel-horsepower and 1100 wheel-torque and running it through its paces at many events including the Texas Mile, Battlecreek Speedfest and ultimately breaking the standing mile record (for a supercharged ZR1) at the Arkansas ECTA mile the obvious question became - what's next?
Well, "what's next?" became a multi-week discussion about where the C6 Corvette platform had been, where it is going and more importantly where it could go with the right mix of mechanical know-how, technology and vision. Did your typical 2020s "car guy" want a tubbed, wheelie-barred dig monster? A well balanced auto-cross animal? Or... a street car.. with 2000+HP and all of the amenities??
Well clearly we all want a maxed out street car capable of driving to dinner but able to compete with the top roll cars as well, right? (right).
The Idea...
The idea was to acquire a set of matching C6 Corvettes which Chris dubbed the "Jet Stream Blue Twins". A pair (one C6 Z06 and one C6 ZR1) that match from a body point-of-view but which came with different power plants - 6.2L supercharged LS9 for the ZR1 and a big 7.0L naturally aspirated LS7 for the Z06.
Why twins? Well, the multi-week discussions of course touched on the age old debate of turbo vs. supercharger and the pro/cons of both forced induction setups. Ultimately, after much discussion (read arguing and petty battles) about which was "better" the decision was made to.. well.. do both.
Yep, a pair of the highest horsepower street and roll race beasts that CT Performance can build. So, suffices to say this will be a massive R+D effort with iterative changes along the way to massage all of this power out of the platform BUT that was Chris' edict and that's what we're going to do.
The Pair
What we're starting with is a 2008 C6 Corvette Z06 in jet stream blue and a 2009 C6 Corvette ZR1, also in jet stream blue. Each of these Vettes will be torn down to a clean slate and then built up into blue beasts. The build will include the motor, the entire drivetrain, safety systems and all of the supporting mods to make all of this work. Additionally, Chris wanted to upgrade the stereos (gasp) and some other interior bits.
A few parts of the complex recipe comprising the "secret sauce" of these setups will include:
- A CT Performance spec'd freshly built motor, which we've partnered with Katech on given their focus on precision and their Michigan presence.
- A 6XD 6-speed sequential transmission. To compete at the top levels of the sport clutch-less millisecond shifting is a must and each of these cars will be getting identical 6XD complete setups (torque tube, sequential transmission, winter's rear gear and DSS axles).
- Aftermarket ECU with aggressive traction management - the exact brand/model of which is still being researched/developed but suffices to say that these Vettes will be leaving the stock ECU behind - but will retain full stock dash capabilities.
The ZR1
The ZR1 will be getting its LS9 yanked and shelved. We'll be replacing it with an aluminum 427 with a Kong Performance 2.6L blower sitting on top. Additionally we'll be dosing the motor with blasts of spray fed by a Nitrous Outlet wet system to give us the additional horsepower that the blower by itself won't.
Of course all of the supporting fueling will be taken care of as will getting air into the motor (via our custom intake) and out of it via a full exhaust system (complete - with mufflers).
Power goal: 1500+WHP
The Z06
The Z06 will also have its LS7 pulled and shelved. It'll be replaced with an iron 427 fitted with a custom CT Performance C6 twin turbo system (details to come as the R&D is done). For the time being the Z06 will be nitrous-less as the TT setup should be capable of supplying enough oxygen to get us where we need to be.
Again, all of the supporting mods will be married to this iron-blocked blue beast to ensure it's got fuel, air and can breath. While Chris wants a full exhaust system we may have to setup diverters to make the mufflers "optional", but we'll see how this comes together.
Power goal: 2000+WHP
The Road Ahead
Chris has been working on some of the suspension upgrades and other aesthetic changes he wanted done while the motors are being built but the project is in full swing. You can follow progress on Instagram on the @jsbtwinz project page and/or on our @ctperform Instagram page.
While we have goals for these cars that Chris and CT are pushing towards we see this project as evolutionary so hopefully we can meet and/or exceed all of these goals over the coming months and years as we iterate through configurations on these jet stream blue twin Vettes.
Author: Chris Wells
Date: February 26th, 2021