There will never be another Chevrolet Corvette like the C8-generation Z06. I am certain that faster Corvettes will come in the future, but they won’t be like this. Let me explain.
The centerpiece of the Z06 is its engine. In fact, the Z06’s 5.5L LT6 engine is the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 ever made in any production car ever. It’s the second Corvette engine to ever have dual overhead camshafts, and it’s the first to use a flat-plane crankshaft, more commonly found in Ferrari V8s and racing engines. In short, a flat-plane crank lowers rotating mass and gives the engine a unique higher-pitched sound compared to the loping idle of a typical V8.
Chief Corvette engineer Tadge Juechter said the decision to go naturally aspirated was made very early on in the design process of the Z06. In fact, engineers only hoped to match the output of the C7 generation’s supercharged V8, which made 650 horsepower, and exceeded their target by 20! And now we need to talk about all the rest of the sexy numbers inside the Corvette’s engine bay.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
First, the headliners: The Z06 makes 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. That means at 122 hp/L, it makes more power per litre than a 2.0L Honda S2000, renowned as being a benchmark in this metric. At 670 hp, it’s also the most powerful production naturally aspirated engine you can buy under $1,000,000. That peak power comes in at a screaming (and I mean screaming) 8,400 rpm, which is coincidentally 100 rpm higher than the power peak of the vaunted Honda motor. Peak torque arrives at 6,300 rpm, which is about when the standard C8 engine makes peak horsepower. It’s an animal.
To achieve these numbers, the LT6 uses the very best of modern race-car engine tech. It has dry-sump oiling, a forged flat-plane crank, forged pistons, forged titanium rods, and 12.5:1 compression. The flat-plane crank, low reciprocating mass, and a short 88-mm stroke (with a 92-mm bore) lend to its high-revving nature. The revs will absolutely whip to the far end of the tachometer whenever your right foot desires. The DOHC LT6 is powerful, technical, and also very light. It weighs 20 kg less than the C7 Z06’s supercharged engine, and makes 20 more horsepower.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
But the Z06 is more than an engine, it’s a cohesive packaged developed to excel on a race track. There are two additional radiators on the Z06 (for a total of five) to aid cooling. Engineers say the Z06 can run in 38C-degree-plus weather on the race track with the air conditioning running without issue. This is something the C7 Z06 struggled with.
The suspension uses stiffer springs than the standard C8, which allowed engineers to actually use a smaller, more supple anti-roll bar to preserve ride comfort. Chevrolet’s magical magneto-rheological dampers are standard on Z06 and allow the driver to choose stiff track settings or surprisingly comfortable street settings. The magneto suspension is pretty magical and affords an impressively comfortable ride on pockmarked surfaces.
The brakes are the largest ever fitted to a Corvette, and carbon rotors are optional. The Z06 is covered in functional aero that results in six per cent more downforce and 8 per cent less drag than the previous C7-generation ZR-1. In fact, it makes more downforce at 300 km/h than the baddest C7 ZR-1 did even with the full ZTK aero package.
You can feel that aero at work when you head to the track. The faster you go in the Z06, the more it wants to stick to the ground. The Z06 gives drivers uncanny levels of grip on high-speed corners, and 670 hp pulls it rapidly through the straights.
Though the magneto suspension is very smooth, other aspects of comfort are not so dazzling. With 270-mm-section front tires and 345 rears, there is notable tramlining on display, especially when there is a bit of water in the grooves on the road. There is also notable road noise as the wide tires roll along, and the sticky track tires pick up gravel to chuck it against the fender linings.
Flat-plane-crank engines produce more vibrations than a typical V8, and the engineers’ hard work to mitigate this is apparent. The shake at idle is no more than a mildly cammed V8 and hardly intrusive or obnoxious. More noticeable is the ever-present hum of engine induction in the cabin. Some may find this a part of the exotic experience of piloting an engine like this, but even in the mildest “tour” settings, the volume inside the cabin remains notable. You hear the induction and exhaust at all times in this car, and that may become fatiguing on long drives. But when you slam your foot to the floor and rev it all the way out to 8,600 rpm, all is forgiven.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Chevrolet
With its dive planes, spoilers, and 13-inch-wide rear tires, the Z06 cuts an imposing silhouette, and the C7 Z06 had a reputation for being a handful. But despite this, the C8 Z06 is approachable for novice track drivers, and communicates its limits well before the danger zone. The brakes are absolutely relentless and offer neck-straining bite lap after lap. In development, engineers ran a test car at race speed on a track for a full 24 hours without issue. The trick suspension means you can hustle the Z06 over curbs without consequence, and the car never fails to stick the landing. The track is also one of the few places you can enjoy the LT6’s full song to redline gear after glorious gear.
The soundtrack is unlike any that has ever come from a Corvette before. Our longtime editor David Booth, who has driven plenty of exotica, forbade me to say it sounds like a Ferrari 458, but in truth, it doesn’t. Outside the car from a fair distance, it sounds like two drag-racing Honda CBR 1000s side by side. From inside the car, it sounds absolutely manic. It definitely sounds more intense and resolved than the 5.2L flat-plane-crank Voodoo engine in the Ford Shelby Mustang GT350. Some traditionalists may miss the loping and choppy idle of the classic Chevy small-block, for the idle of the of the Z06 is smooth and menacing. Pull both paddles back and you can absolutely whip the tachometer needle to the far end of the gauge with a very un-Corvette-like ferocity.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Clayton Seams
All this capability doesn’t come cheap. But in the world of naturally aspirated sports cars and supercars, the Z06 is something of a bargain. It’s a damn sight more affordable than a GT3-spec Porsche (if you can even get an allocation) or a Lamborghini Huracan. Canadian pricing for the Z06 has been announced at $128,198 for the 1LZ; $138,198 for the 2LZ; and $144,198 for the 3LZ. These three trims are purely differentiated by luxury, convenience, and appearance content; there’s no performance difference between the three. But there are plenty of performance options available for the Z06.
The carbon aero package is $12,065 for bare carbon; or $9,765 for painted. The package includes a front splitter, rockers, front dive planes, and rear spoiler. The Z07 performance pack is $10,344, and builds on the Carbon Aero Package. It includes stiffer FE7 suspension, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R ZP tires, and underbody strakes to improve airflow behind the front wheels.
Most deliciously of all, carbon-fibre wheels are offered for an eye watering $13,794 in bare carbon, or painted for $11,494. They save 18 kg in weight over aluminum wheels (4.6 kg per corner) and can be ordered á la carte independent of the Z07 package. I had a chance to drive cars back to back with and without the carbon wheels, and I found the difference in weight most apparent under hard braking.
No matter how you spec it, the C8 Z06 is an incredible track car. While the rest of the world seems to be going hybrid and turbo, the Z06 is a love letter to the naturally aspirated V8 that made the name famous. Chevrolet engineers knew they were working on something special with this car, and they know the next Z06 will not be like this one.
Keyword: First Drive: 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06