Detroit’s most fearsome supercar has been spied at the Nürburgring – again.
The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is expected to feature a new 5.5-litre flat-plane crank double overhead cam V8, based on the Corvette C8.R race car engine and mated with a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Usually found in supercars from Maranello, flat-plane crank engines rev much higher than their cross-plane counterparts and produce a unique sound.
A report from Car and Driver last year indicated the V8 would rev to around 9000rpm and make at least 447kW of power.
It’s likely to be well north of that, considering the Z06 version of the previous C7 generation Corvette produced 485kW of power from its supercharged 6.2-litre V8.
The ‘regular’ Corvette produces 364kW of power and 630Nm of torque from a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine.
The Corvette is a fast car already, hitting 0-100km/h in just 2.9 seconds, but expect the Z06 to take things to a whole new level.
The Z06 is distinguished from the ‘regular’ Corvette by a deeper and more aggressive looking front spoiler to increase downforce, plus a larger centre opening.
At the rear, there are four centre-mounted exhaust outlets. The standard Corvette also features four outlets, but they’re split in two pairs on either side of the rear end.
Our spy photographers captured three different prototypes: one with a large and distinctive rear wing, and two with an even larger one.
At least one of the prototypes was running on 345/25 ZR21 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R rear tyres.
Z06 prototypes have also been spied running on wheels from Australian manufacturer Carbon Revolution.
Carbon Revolution engineers, builds, and designs these wheels around one hour outside Melbourne in Geelong, and has produced wheels previously for vehicles such as the Ford GT and Ferrari SF90.
Carsguide reports GM Specialty Vehicles has trademarked the Corvette Z06 nameplate for Australia, suggesting the sonorous beast will make its way here.
According to GM Authority, an even mightier ZR1 model will reportedly bolt two turbochargers onto the Z06’s 5.5-litre V8 engine and boost power to 633kW and torque to 1016Nm.
If pure petrol power isn’t your thing these days, the E-Ray will be your choice.
Utilising hybrid power with both electric and V8 grunt, the E-Ray will be the first hybrid and all-wheel drive Corvette to ever see production.
Finally, the Corvette Zora will reportedly utilise a twin-turbocharged version of the 5.5-litre V8 engine and hybrid electric assistance to boost power outputs to 745kW and 1355Nm.
We might be waiting some time for the Z06 version to hit Australian shores but, in the meantime, the regular Corvette will be more than enough to challenge European supercars.
Deliveries of the ‘regular’ Corvette will begin in Australia before the end of 2021, with our models featuring the Z51 Performance Pack as standard.
It’s produced in factory right-hand drive, unlike the Silverado which is a local conversion.
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