2007 Chevrolet Corvette

Not to sound overly cheesy, but rarely does a car come along that inspires me to quote John Keats. Well, here's the car - the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette - and here's the quote: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness."

Available as a coupe, convertible, or super-sleek Z06, the 2007 Chevy Corvette is nothing short of stunning. I'm not an "orange" person, but even the Atomic Orange and Dayton Sunset Orange Metallic colors are gorgeous. Beauty comes from within as well; cashmere seats are available, and a Bose stereo is standard.

Of course, it's great to review a car before it hits the road and problems begin to arise. However, with all the thought that is going into Chevy's flagship car, from its new available spoiler to its cross-drilled brake rotors to a quicker release on the convertible tops, I do not think buyers need be overly concerned.

To the Ford folk: This is a car that just might make you say, "Shelby who?" (Sorry, had to shout that from atop my soapbox while I have it ;))

Powering the 2007 Corvette base (if there is such a thing as a base Corvette) Coupe is a sweet 6.0-liter, 400-hp V8 with a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds. And as if that's not enough, you can opt for the hand-assembled ZO6 with a 7.0-liter, 505-hp V8 with a 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds (that's about the amount of time it take you to start your car). Each LS7 (LS7 is the engine's designation) is hand assembled by one of the master assemblers at the plant, who takes personal ownership of the motor from start to finish and, in a nice touch, places his or her name tag on the finished product. The LS7 is basically a race-quality motor for the street, and it is assembled in a very meticulous fashion. Just think of with modifications.