Passion– it’s what fuels car enthusiasts to build performance cars, what drives athletes to be top of their game, and what motivates artists to make an impression on their audience. For many, passion is an intangible asset that cannot be measured, reduced, or forgotten about– it’s just something that burns inside their heart and directs their actions at will.
For David Do, passion is what drove him to have a change of heart after purchasing his 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that would completely alter the horizon of his ownership of the vehicle. With his dad being a 20-year Chevrolet employee and Corvette enthusiast growing up, David had always looked up to the iconic Corvette, recognizing its prowess, capabilities, and the mystique that surrounds them. In 2012 at the age of 25, David wanted to make his dream a reality and began the quest to find a used Corvette that he intended to call his own.
While most enthusiasts will start off with a one or two generations old Corvette, David wanted to completely forego that step in the process and go right for the jugular. In addition, he didn’t just want any type of Corvette, he really wanted to up the ante and go straight to a current generation (at the time) Z06. With his career in audit consulting and a strong plan behind him, he decided to get a Vette that would make a great first impression. After some searching, he was able to source a silver 2007 Z06 that after his offer of $50,000 was accepted, is now his.
As a new Corvette owner, he had the same thought that many Corvette owners have right after purchasing their Vettes– something along the lines of, “It’s so perfect stock, I don’t need to do anything to it!” This is a great thought that works well for some, but for the diehard enthusiast or those of us that love to use our vehicles as an avenue for self expression, the thought doesn’t last long. David proved to be part of the diehard enthusiast category and despite his original conviction of keeping his silver bullet stock, he quickly saw the error of his ways and decided to go ahead and mod it.
Named “Yvette,” which is actually an extremely clever name for a Corvette, this particular Z06 was purchased completely stock with the intention of remaining that way. With those thoughts out the window, David began modding– a process that started off pretty mind and then turned into something that is borderline wild by some enthusiasts standards. With a budget of $10,000 for mods, the lengthy process began.
A stock C6 Z06 is a striking enough vehicle that is sure to turn heads. Even though this is all well and good, he did not want to rest on the stock image and really wanted to differentiate his Z06 from the competition. When walking up to Yvette, it is very apparent she is not stock and has a look that is very distinguishable.
One of the biggest factors contributing to the look of Yvette, is the wheel and tire package David chose. He wanted to select a wheel and tire package that not only looked good, but one that offered improved handling traits. To accomplish this, he chose a set of Forgestar CF5 18×11-inch front wheels and their matching 18×12-inch rear wheels. Wrapping the matte gun-metal grey Forgestars is a set of performance focused Toyo R888 road racing tires measuring in at 315/30R18 in the front and 335/30R18 in the rear.
With the wheel and tire package combination, there is an unmistakable look that is seen from a distance– a look that actually improves the already high level of road-worthyness of the stock wheel/tire package. If you start to stare at the shoes Yvette is wearing, you quickly notice a nice accent that was subtlety added to her. Coming from the factory with bright red brake calipers, David decided to add his own personal touch and had them powder-coated in an attention grabbing green called “antifreeze green.” While the new color does not affect the cars stopping power abilities, it will certainly stop passersby on the lookout for a unique ride.
If this particular Z06 were at a car show, it would most definitely draw attention with its unique styling cues from afar. However, once enthusiasts get closer to Yvette, that is when all of the little details really begin to shine. Without a doubt, the most unique aspect of this Z06 is the black velvet wrapped roof– yes you read that correctly. None of us had ever seen that on a car, let alone a Corvette. With the desire to make the car stand out and look cool, David had the stock roof wrapped in a stick-on velvet cover. Much like companies wrap their work vehicles, this wrap is applied the exact same way, only the wrap itself is black velvet. It offers a glare free look, soft touch, and is truly a standout of this vehicle.
Looks aren’t everything to David, and according to him, “The enjoyment of driving and racing the car is what motivates me to continue to mod the car.” Because of this, he couldn’t just have his Z06 be all show and no go. For performance mods, he started with the suspension where he replaced the stock shocks with their Bilstein counterparts. From there, he moved to the motor which according to him, has been his most enjoyable aspect of the build.
David did not want to go at the motor alone so he summoned the help of an expert in LS performance tuning, Ryne Cunningham, owner of Cunningham Motorsports. With Ryne’s help, they quickly began replacing stock motor components for more performance-based counterparts. The stock camshaft was replaced with a custom ground Comp Cam followed by the stock cylinder heads which were replaced with West Coast Cylinder Head‘s (WCCH) Stage 2 kit.
Attention was then shifted to helping the motor breathe easier. A Halltech Super Bee MF107R intake was added along with a FAST LSXR 102 mm intake manifold. To help gasses easily exit out of the LS7, a set of Kooks headers were installed with an off-road X-pipe connecting them to a Corsa exhaust system. To finish it all off, David had Ryne do a custom tune to the computer system which when combined with all the other mods, allows this one-of-a-kind Z06 to produce a smile inducing (and naturally aspirated) 600 hp.
With Yvette still being considered a work in progress, David shows no signs of slowing down his modding process just yet. He says he has no regrets about anything he has done to the car, which is how it should be when no corners are cut while modding an already-cool daily driver. With his desire to create a unique and powerful Corvette that retains its daily driver characteristics, we believe he is definitely on track to accomplishing this goal.