The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette is here.
And on paper, it appears to be bad-ass in ways worthy of the Z06 designation.
The track-focused Z06 starts with wider front and rear fascias and a front splitter. The car shares its chassis with Corvette Racing’s C8.R, and the Z06 has a 3.6-inch wider stance than the Corvette Stingray. This allows for the use of 345mm rear tires. Additional side vents increase airflow.
The front fascia channels intake air to a central heat exchanger, which is one of five such units. Standard is a reconfigurable rear spoiler with an adjustable wickerbill.
Standard wheels are 20 inches in front and 21 in the rear, with carbon-fiber wheels available. The brakes are bigger than Stingray’s and get six-piston front calipers, and the suspension is specifically tuned. That includes the magnetic ride control.
Power gets to ground via an eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission and the final-drive ratio is 5.56. A Z07 Performance Package is optional and includes a carbon-fiber rear wing, ground effects, specific chassis tuning, specific magnetic ride control tuning, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, available carbon-fiber wheels, and Michelin Cup 2 R ZP tires. Chevy claims this package can give the car up to 734 pounds of downforce at 186 mph.
By now you’re likely screaming at me to tell you about the engine, so I shall oblige. The LT6 5.5-liter dual-overhead-cam V8 is naturally aspirated, has a flat-plane crank and an 8,600-rpm redline, a dry-sump oil system, short strokes, aluminum cylinder block, aluminum pistons, forged titanium connecting rods, active split intake manifold with twin 87mm throttle bodies, four-to-two-to-one stainless steel exhaust headers, and a power output of 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
An available carbon-fiber aero package adds a larger front splitter and underbody aero strakes, as well as a pedestal-based rear wing and front-corner dive planes.
Modern track-focused cars include electronic aids, and the Z06 is no exception, featuring launch control, an electronically limited-slip differential, and performance traction management.
Production is set to begin next summer in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and this ‘Vette is going global, as both left-hand and right-hand drive versions will be built.
Chevrolet didn’t list a price in the press release, but we’d wager that it will be close to, if not over, six figures to start.
[Images: Chevrolet]
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