2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: This Is It
The new Z06 gets the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever built.
The base-model C8 Corvette is no slouch. With 495 horsepower and a
zero to 60 time under three seconds, it’s got more performance than any of us will likely ever use on the way to work. What about those track rats, though, the ones who bring their ‘Vettes out for weekends of hot laps? Well, they’ve been waiting for this: the track-pack Z06.
The Z06 package started as an option on the 1963 Corvette but came into its own with its revival on the fifth-generation car. Since then, every generation of Corvette has had a Z06 package with more power, better handling, and revised bodywork. The C8, different though its engine placement may be, is no longer an exception.
So what’s different about the Z06? Well, for starters, the Stingray’s 6.2 liter V8 is out, replaced with a 5.5-liter flat-plane V8 making 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Torque may be down from the base model’s 470, but the increased horsepower leads Chevrolet to claim the new LT6 is the most powerful naturally-aspirated production V8 — with the Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series
taking a distant second place with 622, they seem to be right.
Those 670 horses make their way to the wheels through the same eight-speed dual clutch transmission as the Stingray, but the final drive ratio has been upped from 4.9 to 5.86 for better acceleration. The result is a zero to 60 sprint of 2.6 seconds, a number formerly attainable only by all-wheel-drive supercars.
The Vette may only drive its rear wheels, but it’s not wanting for grip — the new Z06 comes with
enormous carbon fiber wheels wrapped in track-ready rubber. The front gets 275-section tires on 20" wheels, while the rear gets a staggering (and staggered) 345-section tire wrapped around 21" wheels. The entire car is 3.6 inches wider than the Stingray, to house both the wide wheels and wider rear air intakes to feed (and cool) the engine.
The base-model C8 Corvette is no slouch. With 495 horsepower and a zero to 60 time under three seconds, it’s got more performance than any of us will likely ever use on the way to work. What about those track rats, though, the ones who bring their ‘Vettes out for weekends of hot laps? Well...
jalopnik.com