"The vette I got was an LT1 - the bare-bottom vette."
Aha! That's why it's a smoother ride than the Z:
Car&Driver: The
Z06 is almost too much car for regular roads. On the highway, the ride is quite compliant, but it gets choppy over high-frequency, small-amplitude ripples. Surprisingly, it’s quieter than the base car at 70 mph, though the engine is more raucous under hard acceleration, when the V-8 snarls in a harsher, less mellifluous manner. The shifter still has a manly action but was a lot smoother than the base car’s. An observed fuel economy of 20 mpg is impressive considering the Z06’s capabilities.
Although the Z06 is even faster and grippier than the base car, it’s not as easy to drive hard on bumpy back roads, darting here and there in the braking zones. It crashes hard over the most pockmarked surfaces, and the steering feels a little less linear and more aggressive on turn-in.