The leap from the C7 to the mid-engined C8 Corvette was larger than the leap from the C2 to the C7, we're not making that up. After sticking to a tried and true formula for going on six decades, GM finally bent the knee to consumer demands.
Finally, the Chevrolet Corvette is the mid-engined Ferrari challenging supercar we all knew it could one day be. One that can sprint to 60 miles per hour in three seconds and makes contemporary Shelby Mustang GT500s and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats look fat and slow in the process.
So what happens when you take the standard C8 Stingray Corvette and try and make it even faster? It turned out to be even more intriguing than we originally anticipated. There's not much concrete evidence just yet, but spotting of Corvette test mules on the roads of America recently have us all buzzing about what could be soon to come.
Didn't think it was possible to improve on perfection? The upcoming Z06 Corvette wants to prove you wrong.
Improving On A Formula That Works
The benefits of moving the engine from the front to the middle of the C8 Corvette had advantages many of us muscle car fans never saw coming. If you've had the misfortune of seeing older Corvettes get gapped by R35 Nissan GTRs and Porsche 911's online. You might wonder how the all-American Corvette manages to get so trounced at the drag strip.
The truth was, the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout of all previous Corvettes was its Achilles heel all along. Especially in the C7 ZR1, its 700 plus horsepower was far too much for just the rear wheels to handle. Making it a handful in the corners and an absolute devil to launch in a drag race.
Moving the engine to the middle meant planting even more weight onto the C8's back tires, which took care of the drag strip problem, but also made it a balanced and capable autocross machine. If the base C8 can hit 100kph in three seconds, that must mean the upcoming Z06 is going to be vomit inducingly quick.
A New 5.5 Flat Crank V8?
This is the most buzzworthy rumor we think you should know about. We have nothing but good things to say about General Motor's line of LT V8 engines. The LT4 and LT5 have been such successes lately that we wouldn't have been surprised if a supercharged variant found its way onto the upcoming ZO6. Instead, though, it looks like GM might be taking the leap of faith to stay with natural aspiration in the form of an entirely new 5.5 liter V8 with no forced induction at all.
The one obvious benefit of natural aspiration is the engine has the potential to spin at gargantuan rpm numbers. The Lamborghini Hurrican's V10 revs to 8500 rpm, seeing as the Hurican and the Z06 will be bitter rivals sooner rather than later, we expect the sound these two cars make as they zoom past you to sound like music to any petrolheads ears.
Leaked information uncovered by MotorTrend revealed the new Zo6 will likely make around 600 horsepower. If you think it's lame that it doesn't make as much as the front-engined C7 Corvette, we'll remind you that the base C8 is actually faster than the C7 Zo6 in most respects. Expect the Z06 to only have one option of a semi-automatic gearbox, a real bummer for sure. But let's keep it real, no one can shift as fast as one of those can. Maybe it's best we let technology do the work for us.
The Competition
There was a time where we'd have to give American cars a bit of a handicap when comparing them to cars from Japan and Europe. They just haven't been on the same level of refinement or technology for the better part of 45 years since the first oil crisis. The C8 finally bucks that trend, therefore we must treat it to the same harsh rigors as other supercar makers from abroad.
Namedropping the Hurrican once again, it'd be a really tough choice to pick between the two. The fact that the Vette stands a good chance of being outright faster than the baby Lambo is wild in itself.
Want something a little more overtly German? The new Audi R8 V10 has the same mid-engine layout as the Corvette but with the benefit of all-wheel drive.
Will the R8's off the line traction be enough to outsprint the light and agile Z06? We can't wait to find out. In the meantime though, let's just take a moment to reflect on how far the Corvette's have come in the last six decades. The guys and gals at HotCars couldn't be more proud.
Sources: Motor Trend