Key Takeaways

• The Z51, Z06, and ZR1 codes used by Chevrolet for the Corvette are names of performance packages.
• The Z51 package improves the handling of the Corvette and includes suspension upgrades, bigger brakes, and stickier tires.
• The Z06 package is a wilder iteration with beefed-up features, and the latest C8 Corvette Z06 is a track-ready American supercar with a powerful naturally-aspirated V8 engine.

Many might not know, but the Z51, Z06, and the ZR1 codes used by Chevrolet for the Corvette are actually names of performance packages. The "Z" fever started with the 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Z16. Yup, the first Z car wasn't a Corvette. The track-ready 1960s Chevy Camaro Z/28 was the car that sent shockwaves into the muscle car world.

While it was just a simple option code for Chevy's accessory list, the Z28 evolved to become the most famous optional package of the time, and thus started the Chevy Z fame. And it was in 1969 that the Corvette got its first Z-code with the Corvette ZL1. But now, the ZL1, along with the forgotten ZR2 codes, are used with Chevy's pickup trucks.

It is the Z51, Z06, and ZR1 that continue to fuel the performance fever for Corvettes with performance-spec suspension, tire, aerodynamics, and engine upgrades. The C8 Corvette Z51 and Z06 are wild machines, just like their predecessors. The C8 Corvette ZR1 will be unleashed soon, and the automotive world simply can't wait.

UPDATE: 2023/12/6 08:43 EST BY RON FP

Using cross-referenced vehicle specifications and performance data from Chevrolet's websites, Zero To 60 Times, and Corvette forums, we've updated this article to give you more details about what the Corvette's Z51, Z06, and ZR1 codes stand for.

Chevrolet Corvette Z51 Code: The Sober Performance Pack

The Z51 badge started off as a performance handling package back in the 1980s with the C4 Corvette, which was produced from 1984 to 1996. It included stiffer springs, larger sway bars, wider 16-inch tires wrapped around wider wheels, and a modified steering ratio to push the Corvette's sportiness forward.

Back in the day, this package cost about $600. That's about $1,536 in today's money. Over the years, the Z51 package has stayed true to improving the handling of a Corvette and widening the grin on the driver's face! Chevy has also added in improved cooling, slicker tires, and even a bump in performance over the years to this package.

Today, the Z51 bundle stays true to its origin's story and continues its purpose of making the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray drive sharper and nimbler. It includes a performance suspension with manually adjustable spring seats, an electronic limited-slip differential, a performance rear axle ratio, bigger Brembo brakes, a heavy-duty cooling system, and stickier tires.

Performance figures also get a bump (of 5 hp and 5 lb-ft) with the Stingray's mid-mounted 6.2-liter V8 pumping out 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. It also adds a sporty rear spoiler that provides up to 400 pounds of downforce. This helps the C8 Corvette Stingray become one of American sports cars that go 0-60 MPH in less than 3 seconds and hit a top speed of 194 MPH.

2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Package Features

• Z51 adjustable performance suspension
• Brembo 4-piston front and rear monobloc brake calipers
• 13.6" front and 13.8" rear brake rotors
• Z51 front splitter and rear spoiler
• Michelin Pilot 4S Performance run-flat tires: 245/35ZR19 front and 305/30ZR20 rear
• Electronic limited-slip differential
• 5.17 performance rear axle ratio
• Performance exhaust system
• Upgraded engine, brake, and oil cooling system

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Code: The Hardcore One

The Z06 package is a much wilder iteration in the Corvette Performance Car Codes. Chevrolet first introduced the Z06 package in the 1963 Chevy Corvette Stingray. It only lasted for one year but came with a slew of features to convert the Stingray into a racecar for the roads. Everything from the suspension, engine, and even the fuel tank was beefed up.

The Z06 package came back in 2001 and has since been an integral part of making all Corvettes race-ready, ever since. We'd buy the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 over a supercar for many reasons, and the all-new C8 Corvette Z06, which debuted in 2023, also opens a wild new chapter. It is America's first-ever mid-engined Z06 Corvette, and Chevrolet launched it not as a performance package, but as a trim by itself. Think of the Z06 as a Z51 gone ballistic. It is a proper track-ready American supercar. The explosive part of this car is its engine, which is one of the world's most powerful naturally-aspirated V8s. For even better performance, Chevrolet offers the Z07 performance package for the C8 Corvette Z06.

Propelling the 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 is a flat plane-crank 5.5-liter V8 engine that churns out 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. This bad boy does 0-60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. It packs everything that the Z51 packs. But all of it has been dialed up to 11 in the Z06 to handle better, stop better, and make your grin wider. The latest Z06 has made people go gaga. So much so, that a dealer tried to sell a 2023 C8 Corvette Z06 for a staggering $100,000 over the MSRP.

2024 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z06 With Z07 Performance Package Features

• 5.5-liter LT6 flat-plane crank V8 engine
• Z07 adjustable performance suspension with Magnetic Selective Ride Control
• Performance Traction Management
• Performance Brembo carbon ceramic antilock brakes: monobloc 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers
• Brake rotors: 15.7" front and 15.4" rear
• Dark Gray Metallic-painted calipers
• Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2R run-flat ultra-performance tires: 275/30ZR20 front and 345/25ZR21 rear

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Code: One That Gives The Ultimate Chills

The most powerful Corvettes are born with the "ZR1" tag. It all started with the 1970s Chevy Corvette ZR1 that came with a 370-hp LT1 small-block engine. Interestingly, there was also a ZR2 that was offered for one year, in 1972, that packed an impressive 425 hp.

To give you a perspective, the most powerful American muscle car of the time, the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS454 LS6, packed 450 hp. There have been only four of these insane Corvettes and the last one was the Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1 with 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque. It was the most powerful Corvette to date and still remains so. It packed an LT5 6.2-liter V8 that had an Eaton supercharger as its crown.

Apart from the beastly engine, the ZR1 Corvette also came with insane aerodynamic upgrades to stay glued to the tarmac at all times. While people consider the C7 Corvette ZR1 to be the ultimate Corvette ever, it's all going to change as the first-ever mid-engined ZR1 is incoming.

2019 Chevrolet C7 Corvette ZR1 Features

• 6.2-liter LT5 supercharged V8 engine (755 hp, 715 lb-ft)
• 7-speed M/T with Active Rev Matching or 8-speed A/T with paddle shifters
• 13 total heat exchangers
• Carbon-fiber "halo" hood design
• Over 210 MPH top speed with available Low Wing aero package
• 950 lbs of downforce with available adjustable High Wing aero package
• 4-wheel disc brakes with 4-channel ABS
• Performance suspension system

The Upcoming C8 Corvette ZR1 Is Going To Be Insane

Chevrolet is actively testing the C8 Corvette ZR1. Chevy has not officially confirmed yet what engine will power the sports car. By the looks of the spy photos, it could also be much meaner-looking than the existing C8 Corvette line-up.

Time will tell what exact performance figures this upcoming release will have, and whether there will be a "Z" package for it.

Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray Vs Stingray Z51 Vs Z06