GM Auto Show: Z06 at WOT was awesome and short roadcourse stuff

GM had this thing called "AutoShow in Motion" where you could drive just about any GM car made. A friend signed me and my wife up and we drove several cars (my wife drove the SSR and loved it on the road course). The two I only care to mention would be the Z06 and a Hummer.

They had about 6 or 7 new Z06's and once it was my turn, they had me go to the beginning of a long straightaway and stop. Each car had a "race car driver" from Panoz Racing (Road Atlanta) and so, he gave me the short rundown of what I was allowed to do: 1. Go as fast as I can until I reach a marker, then brake heavily, 2. at the first sharp turn, stay in second gear and go through the cones as quick as I want, 3. if he thinks we can go faster, he'll tell me so very clearly throughout the twisties. COOL!!!! Needless to say, once I had the green light from the passenger, I dumped the clutch and immediatey mashed the pedal to the floor HARD......I couldn't believe accelerating so fast could be so smooth and controlled. The first turn came and I jerked the wheel hard and so on for the remainder of the course. The car handled very well and took every turn perfectly no matter how much I mashed the gas. I can't remember the last time I turned a steering wheel so much in so little time. Only regret was that I only had one shot at the course......if I had more chances, I would have loved to go way beyond my "internal" comfort level. I may go to a driving school now, cause I would like to be better at taking a car to its limits than I was yesterday.

The Hummer was a much slower ride, but very cool. Basically, we wen over a 4 foot mound with only the passenger side wheels go up and over the mound. A few yards later, we went up a 15 foot steep dirt mound, but I don't know how many degrees the angle was......all I know is that when we went up all I could see was the sky and once we crested the hill we went back down at the same angle and all we could see out the front window was the pavement a few feet away. I stopped half way up and half way down to entertain the passengers, but I couldn't believe this thing didn't slip or ever give you a sense that it couldn't tackle just about anything.

I haven't had a day that good in a long time. Can't wait till next year!

Oh yeah, this whole event was free, too. Just had to get an invitation and sign up early.

I got an invite in the mail that had an information CD with video showing footage of the past events. My friend got an invite in the mail the same day and immediately called and reserved places for four. I don't know why I got the invite in the mail, except that I do subscribe to a few auto mags. I haven't visited a GM dealer in years and the only dealers I've gone too in 6-7 years is Acura and Ford.

There was a bit of a catch in that I had to test drive a passenger car or luxury car in order to drive the SSR and/or the Z06. Also I had to drive a truck/suv in order to drive the hummer. No problem. I drove an F150 and a Monte Carlo (both had shortest lines). Lunch was included, also. No salepeople at all......in fact, you couldn't buy anything there. They just had technical information, plenty of cars to roam around, and a test drive for just about any GM vehicle under $60K.

This was not a typical car show. It was in the Brave's acres and acres of parking lots. Road courses were coned-off and were taylored to the type of vehicle you were driving. Each test drive lasted 2-4 minutes, so you got enough seat time to "see what she can do."

Many people did comment that they were surprised to see "manual" Covettes available to drive. All manual Vettes were Z06's so that was the line I went to. Only waited about 5 minutes and stood among a bunch of people who were as gitty as me. Just a sea of grins and druel.

No Ford GT here. In fact, the F150 I drove was the cheapest model Ford offers. I'm sure the best model Ford offers would have detracted from GM's trucks big time.

They put a few of the other manufacturer's vehicles alongside GM's vehicles so that people can see how much better the GM brand is. Of course, the non-GM cars are bottom-of-the-line models that don't compare. All of the GM vehicles are top-of-the-line with all options included, so that means leather, Navigation system, upgraded stereos, etc. The big hit, aside from the Vette/SSR/Hummer, was the GTO that could be tested with a manual or an automatic. The GTO had a decent exhaust note, or at least it sounded like something was going on under the hood, BUT it was dog ugly. Now that I've seen it up close in person, it is a true shame that car carries the GTO name.

There were no other cars to compare to the Hummer/Vette/SSR. They had all 3 models of Vettes, but the only manual was the Z06. The SSR was auto, too.