Chevrolet just unveiled the all-new Corvette Z06, and the shock waves will be felt throughout the performance car world. This is because the new, high(er)-performance version of America’s “Plastic Fantastic” supercar will feature an almost impossibly potent V8 engine. This motor, a racing-derived “flat-plane” V8, resembles designs from exotic automakers like Ferrari.
This results in an engine—the blaring heart of a sports car like this—that will wind out to an extremely high 8,600 revolutions per minute, and produces a whopping 670 hp, making it the most potent V8 of its kind ever made. Blasts from 0 to 60 mph should take just over 2.5 seconds. That’s Ferrari fast. Moreover, this engine will provide an extremely visceral and audible experience. All the more so because—to enhance acceleration and handling—the engine is mounted in the middle of the car, right behind occupants’ heads.
To help cope with all of this power—almost 35% more than the closest highest-performance Corvette—this Z06 has all sorts of performance add-ons. These include giant wheels and tires (a carbon fiber wheel is optional), huge iron brakes (carbon ceramic brakes are optional), more gaping air intakes to feed and cool the engine, and big front and rear spoilers, the former looking like fangs, the latter like a torqued hoverboard.
The tech-heavy interior of the Corvette also receives an upgrade, with higher quality leathers and suedes and plenty of carbon fiber trim bits.
Though pricing hasn’t been announced, we expect the Z06 coupe (with a removable targa roof panel) to start at around $90,000. (A convertible version with a power-retracting hardtop will also be available, but expect to pay around $7,500 more.) This is about twice the current average price of a new car. However, it’s one-third to one-quarter the cost of cars like the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S that the Z06 has benchmarked as its competition.
We expect it to drive as thrillingly as it sounds and looks. We’ll report back once we’ve gotten behind the wheel, which should come as soon as early next year.
