Another writer has decided to road-test the new Corvette Z06 on Route 66, this time one for the Orlando Sentinal.
The writer, Bill Baker, found only one flaw with the car, but it was a significant one — lack of lumbar support. His back ached so much that he had to buy a trucker’s pillow to tolerate the rest of the trip. Either the Z06 isn’t meant for long-distance cruising, or someone at Chevrolet goofed with the seat design.
As for his Route 66 experience, such as it was:
You could take a week or a month to cross the country if you hunt down all the remaining bits and pieces of Route 66 and its various alignments. For this trip I started at the eastern end of the road at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue in front of the Art Institute of Chicago on a Tuesday morning and was back in California on Friday.
I followed turn-by-turn instructions found on historic66.com. But be prepared — sometimes finding the old road can be tedious and kind of depressing as you see rusting gas stations, closed cafes, and even whole towns that have gone out of business.
But with a little research before you go, you’ll be rewarded with a sense of knowing America and its history a little better.
For me, it was as memorable as I hoped. I finally got my kicks on Route 66 — and a Z06 made it that much more of an experience.
My observation: Going 2,200 miles in four days seems like punishment, not pleasure, no matter what car you’re driving. I think Baker would have been better-served by averaging 250 or 300 miles per day and soaking in the sights and the interesting people who live along America’s most famous road.