2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Chevrolet introduced the 2023 Corvette Z06, beginning a new chapter in the mid-engine Stingray’s life. Arriving two years after the first production mid-engine Corvette Stingray, the Z06 model is designed for precision driving on track.
The Z06 features new and wider sculpted front and rear fascia designs, giving it a very confident and aggressive look.
“Corvette has always brought a discerning customer to the Chevy family,” said Steve Hill, vice president of Chevrolet. “This new Z06 was designed and engineered to set a higher bar with increased levels of craftsmanship, personalization and performance so customers can truly have their own bespoke performance car.”
When it originally debuted in 1963 the Z06 was created to win on the track and in the intervening years the model name has come to represent the best Corvette could offer. The C8 Stingray Z06 is a solid blend of both a supercar and a dominant force on the track.
“The new Corvette Z06 defines the American supercar,” said General Motors President Mark Reuss. “It builds on the distinctive design and groundbreaking dynamics introduced with the mid-engine Corvette and elevates them to deliver refined but uncompromising track capability with world-class performance.”
The 2023 Corvette Z06 is powered by an all-new 5.5L V8 known as the LT6. Producing 670 horsepower, t is the highest horsepower naturally aspirated V8 to ever be sold in a production car, according to Chevrolet. The new engine’s flat-plane crankshaft design allows drivers to reach into the stratosphere with a redline at 8,600 RPM. Years of engineering went into every aspect of the Z06, including a distinctive exhaust note, “unlike anything ever heard from a Corvette.”
New Corvette Z06 - Built from the Track
Chevrolet was able to take direction from Corvette Racing in creating the Z06. In fact, the Z06 chassis has been underpinning the C8.R since its first race in 2020. Due to the shared chassis and similar engine design Chevrolet says, “the C8.R has been referred to internally as the Z06 hiding in plain sight.”
“Racing was the reason the Z06 was developed in 1963, and it continues to support development of the road models that make them better on the street and the track,” said Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, Corvette. “It also means we’ve tested the Z06 on the best tracks around the world, from Circuit of the Americas here in the United States, to the Nürburgring in Germany.”
Building on the design of the C8 Stingray, The Z06 offers additional interior feature packages, new material offerings, and features that are unique to the Z06, essentially allowing future Z06 owners to create their own bespoke American supercar.
“Virtually every component that distinguishes the Z06 was developed to support or enhance its capability,” said Juechter. “By leveraging the mid-engine architecture’s inherent advantages, we are able to achieve six percent more downforce than a seventh-gen ZR1 at eight percent lower drag.”
The Z06 will feature Magnetic Selective Ride Control 4.0 as a standard feature that will allow drivers to adjust the suspension for “touring comfort or maximum track performance via the standard Drive Mode Selector.”
The Corvette Z06 was born in 1963, as an optional Special Equipment Package intended for racers. It included a stiffer suspension, heavy duty brakes, a thicker front stabilizer bar, and a large, 36 gallon fuel tank that reduced the number of necessary pit stops in longer races. A fuel-injected 5.4-liter engine (327 cubic inches) and a close-ratio four-speed manual transmission were required with the package.
2023 Corvette Z06 Availability
Chevrolet has yet to announce pricing or when preorders will be available, but production is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2022. We expect dealerships will place their own markups above the unannounced MSRP once ordering starts.