Fans of the Chevrolet Corvette will want to mark October 26th on their calendars, as General Motors has announced the date for their official reveal of the highly anticipated 2023 Corvette Z06.
Based on available teaser photos, the all-new Z06 will be incorporating design elements from the current C8.R endurance racing car, such as a revised front-end with generous air intakes for brake and engine cooling, and an even larger front splitter. Looking aft, we see the massive air intake lifted directly from the C8.R along with new protective side skirts and an updated wheel design.
While the cosmetic changes are significant, there has been much speculation that improvements in the Z06 will be more than skin-deep. Specifically, rumor has it that Chevrolet will be saying goodbye to pushrods and incorporating a variant of the high-revving 5.5 liter dual-overhead cam flat-plane crankshaft motor found in the C8.R.
A True American Supercar
According to the Speed Phenom YouTube channel, if the anticipated powerplant does find its way into the new Corvette it will be a game-changer, resulting in a potent combination for both road and track.
“Having a higher rpm range for a track car allows you to finally tune it for the race track and also getting on power in a linear way between each and every corner,” he said. “High revving plus a mid-engine Corvette is truly going to [take] this car to the next level of supercars, and I’m so excited to see it.”
Which raises the question, is the Corvette Z06 a true supercar? According to YouTuber ThatDudeinBlue, the answer is yes.
“In my opinion, America finally gets its first true exotic supercar,” he said. “Chevrolet has a really good performance line-up right now, and its only going to get better with the next C8.”
Sources predict that the upcoming Z06 will be accompanied by possibly two to three additional trim levels with varying levels of performance. For example, in previous generations we’ve seen a Z07 track-focused package, and of course the supercharged ZR1.
"They're going to offer a high-performance vehicle on a budget, so that's what makes me super-excited to see this [Corvette] because it's going to be stepping into a whole new realm, and possibly taking out some of the big level exotics out there," said Speed Phenom.
Will the new Z06 live up to the all the hype? Stay tuned and find out later this month.
Sources: Chevrolet, YouTube