Some engines are built with "wow" technology from a performance standpoint, then wind up being potentially unfulfilled. Not so with the Lingenfelter. The promise of all the high-tech under the hood is fulfilled to the tune of 725 dyno-tested horsepower. At the rear wheels, 620 hp is on tap, so if you punch it at 70 mph, be ready for some wheel spin. "It's a handful to drive the first time until you get used to it and learn at what point the tires will start breaking loose," says Dyer.
Lingenfelter claims quarter-mile e.t. for the Twin Turbo Commemorative, with the as-delivered Michelin Pilot Sport tires on it, is 11.6 at 136. This should be easy to match by a reasonably skilled driver, and there is more for those who care to pursue it. "Take that same car and put a set of drag radials on it," says Dyer, "and it would run probably mid-10s to low-10s. If you had a really good driver with real slicks and skinnys, you could be in the 9s."
High-end runs-provided you have a place to pursue F1 speeds-will probably have a higher ceiling than your nerve. "If you left it geared the way it is, with stock 3.42:1 gearing, top speed in Fifth gear is roughly 215 mph. we don't recommend running top speed in Sixth gear," Dyer says matter of factly. "The top speed of the Commemorative package is gear limited, not aerodynamically limited. With a different rearend ratio, the car would be able to do in excess of 226 mph, but we have not tested the top speed of the Commemorative package. There's a video on our web site of a Z06 that we did a twin turbo on that's got the unofficial record for fastest street-tire standing mile-226 mph from a dead stop [view it at www.lingenfelter.com/Lingenfelter20- 06ZO6TTBGB.htm]. That was on Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, and that was just practicing; that wasn't the all out best we could do. The car featured in that video is different from the Commemorative package and produces significantly more power than the Commemorative package."
In the old days, having anywhere near that kind of power meant putting up with huge drivability problems. Not so with the Twin Turbo Commemorative. "If you're sitting at a light, the guy next to you would think it's a stock Corvette with cool wheels and a body kit," says Dyer, who has driven this package. "It's a real smooth idle. Drivability is excellent. It's like a stock Corvette until you put your foot in it." The body is also given a proportionate makeover with a Lingenfelter C6 hood, side skirts, front spoiler, and rear fascia. Wheels are 19-inch, three-piece units manufactured by HRE. Brakes are big Brembos with four-piston calipers and stainless steel lines. The interior gets a full Caravaggio leather package.
Maybe someday George Clooney will come close to matching its electrifying presence. Someday, maybe James Bond will approach its peerless style. Maybe someday Baryshnikov will be able to copy the sweet moves. But not today. Today, the Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Commemorative is in a class by itself. It's the kind of car that makes you proud to be an American, and makes American cars the envy of the world.