‘The Corvette Z06 is closer to a race car than ever before’

Chevrolet is preparing for the official introduction of the Corvette Z06. The car is closer to a racing car than ever before.

Tadge Juechter, Corvette’s chief engineer, said this in a conversation with Autovisie. “We have never built a car that is so close to our race car,” says the American. “The difference with the regular Stingray is also huge. Our customers found the difference between the C7 and C8 in terms of control to be very big, but the difference between the regular C8. Stingray and the Z06 is bigger.”

Corvette Z06 at the Nürburgring

Oliver Gavin, the famous and highly successful Corvette Racing driver, agrees. He is one of the few who has already driven the new Corvette Z06, but he was very impressed. “Already from the first meters I drove, from the industrial area on the Nürburgring to the circuit, I had the feeling of being in a real racing car. The Z06 feels like a track car. That is very special, because it is also a street car only.”

It will be a while before we know if the above claims about the Corvette Z06 are true. Performance certainly suggests so. Chevrolet has the most powerful eight-cylinder engine it has ever built. The compact V8 has a power of 670 hp, making the C8 able to run to 100 km / h in 2.6 seconds (!). The Z06 also makes 2000 more revolutions per minute than the regular Stingray: it just hits the limit at 8600 revolutions per minute.

Also as a Convertible

Z06 not only has more power, but also better braking, suspension adjustment and improved aerodynamics. It is not only available as a Coupé, but also as a Convertible.

By the way, the first Corvette Z06 has already been sold. Or should we say an auction, because that’s what Chevrolet traditionally does. The model collected $3.6 million earlier this year. The second production model is currently in the hands of Tadge Juechter, Corvette’s chief engineer.