About the Z06 Commemorative Edition Carbon Fiber Hood

This rare-find hood was engineered by General Motors specifically for the 2004 Z06 Commemorative Edition Corvette. It was crafted out of carbon fiber and was the first time an exotic material was used for a painted exterior panel on a car built in North America. The carbon fiber material was used to experiment the advantages of a high strength material with less weight. Using a carbon fiber material for this hood saved 10.6 pounds over the traditional C5 Corvette hood. The inside hood panel was constructed from a hybrid of carbon fiber and a Sheet Molded Compound (SMC).

The Z06 Commemorative Edition Carbon Fiber Hood achieves a higher level of exterior finish quality when compared to previous automotive applications of carbon fiber. On most carbon fiber parts, the woven pattern of the material can easily be seen beneath the exterior finish. To erase the textured effect and preserve the rich LeMans Blue paint finish, General Motors decided to align the carbon fibers in a single direction. The only visual cue that the hood is made from carbon fiber is in the red border surrounding the silver graphic on the car. The overall result is a consistent exterior finish.

GM Part Numbers: 10365816, 10346713, 10322540