Now that the Corvette C8 Stingray has been launched, the Chevrolet Corvette team is turning its attention to the next variant of the mid-engine sports car: the mighty Z06. Luckily, our spies just caught a prototype of what’s believed to be the Corvette C8 Z06 as it was undergoing testing, with the development model showing several noteworthy features.
Arguably the most eye-catching element of this Corvette C8 Z06 prototype is the prominent rear wing, which GM Authority exclusively reported earlier this year. These shots confirm the validity of our report. This wing will be offered as part of an optional package, likely the Z07 package.
As of this writing, it’s unclear whether or not the Corvette C8 Z06 will offer active aerodynamics elements. Whispers around the industry say that many active aero features might end up being reserved for the C8 ZR1 and C8 Zora variants, though some might still make their way to the Z06.
Next, allow us to direct your attention to the front fascia. The heavy camo appears to be hiding an intricate intake on the outer edges of the front bumper, reminiscent of the multi-LED setup on the C8.R.
C8 Z06 Prototype
C8.R
Meanwhile, the sidewall of the front tires appears to read 275/30ZR20. The script on the rear tires isn’t legible, though it looks like they could be a match for 345/25R21. Both sizes were detailed in a report earlier this month.
Exact sizing details aside, this prototype makes it clear that the wheels and tires are staggered, and that the rear tires are very wide – much wider than those on the C8 Stingray. The rubber on this prototype is none other than the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R compound, developed specifically for track use.
Furthermore, a set of carbon fiber wheels are likely hiding behind those wheel covers. We’ve heard that the wheels will also be part of the optional Z07 package, and that aluminum alloy rollers will be included as standard with the Corvette C8 Z06.
Expected for the 2022 model year, the Corvette C8 Z06 will focus on dominant performance at the track. GM Authority expects it to be powered by the upcoming, naturally-aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft. The DOHC 32-valve, rev-happy motor is expected to make around 600 horsepower and between 480 and 550 pound-feet of torque.
We initially expected the 2022 Corvette C8 Z06 to arrive in the second half of the 2021 calendar year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed that timeline back by a few months, and the launch might now slip to late 2021 or early 2022.
The C8 Z06 will be the first major addition to the all-new mid-engine Corvette C8. Later on in its lifecycle, the vehicle will also see the C8 E-Ray, C8 Grand Sport, C8 ZR1, and C8 Zora variants.
We’ll have more on the 2022 Corvette Z06 soon, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more C8 Z06 news, Corvette news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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And you can use it on paving jobs when it’s not on the track.
I thought exactly the same thing. Steam rollers away!
The C8 already had immense grip off the line. Really interested to see the new handling #’s.
Should dominate everything else in the segment, even exotics like koenigsegg and Ferrari.
It will beat everything but the fastest mid-engine cars that cost at least $350,000, most of them a lot more.
The ZR1 and then the Zora will beat the rest of them 😉
The C8 as it continues to introduce more variants will only attract more new customers! Which is great for the brand! If one only cares about performance they have no reason to be completely beholden to the overpriced european brands like Mclaren.
I like your thoughts but koenigsegg that could be ruff one to beat? But the great thing about the new Corvette’s will become the exotic with lowest maintenance best bang for your buck! I don’t know if you follow Amelia Hartford she bout new 2020 Stingray she just had 2 big twin turbos put on omg unreal looking how they take the back end away from the body its awesome!
She just blew it up too. Np for her tho, she’d already had plans to put forged internals in & a new clutch pack. Just not this soon. It’s well documented LT1 can’t hang past 600hp/tq
I gave you a thumbs up. You have to remember that part of the cost of a koenigsegg, it the completely handbuilt drivers compartment a monocoque. Approximtely 100% carbon fiber which is an expensive hand built process. Corvette competes with the stiff light weight central frame unit, 10% stronger/torque-resistant than a ZR-1. Each and every detail is worked out and if something better is found, it goes it without a compromise to price. McLaren on the other hand, is in for some real problems and let me predict what they are, because GM is a business and will others make this claim for them. Right now, with every problem uncovered with the C8, the mid-engine Corvette already beats McLaren in fit and finish; initial quality; 90 days of ownership; and shortly will trounce the McLaren in reliability and fit and finish in the one-year of ownership. Why should all that bother McLaren? Because my American brothers and sisters, Corvette is going to sell a right-hand drive in the U.K. including England and Australia. The brain trust at McLaren are going to need a fresh supply of Depends once the C8’s hit their shores. I hope the build line gives quality control a high priority and the units reaching England are perfect. It’s not that Americans don’t deserve perfection. But if this happens in the U. K., about the only thing that will sell a McLaren there will be to those who value spending much more money on their super cars from initial price to maintenance. AF
McLaren’s have a different driving feel than Corvette’s do. The people who will buy McLaren’s will be people who have have a ton of money and like the driving feel.
Them things gotta be what, 385 wide?
345 from what I read in the article.
Sick… just sick.
The largest width of that tire that is currently available is 325.
Currently is the key word there. Michelin will make a size specifically for GM.
Take a, finally, beautiful car and make it ugly. The new rear “spoiler” does exactly that-spoils the flowing lines.
When you copy what looks like a Ferrari, McClaren etc, and make it affordable, then turn it into a Japanese boy racer car, you ruin the concept and back to making this the losing -proposition like all other Corvettes.
Junk.
Like the article says, this will be a track-focused car. Downforce will be critical. It’s not about making it a “boy racer” car, it’s about keeping the rear planted at speed. Sometimes function has to trump form a bit. This thing will be a BEAST on the track. This is a serious track tool, not a toy.
I hope gm continues on improving the vette
And the replacement costs will likely be over $1000 per tire!
21 inches 345 in the rear. 275 upfront ,20 inches. Cup 2r tires. Next best thing to a slick
Sub 6:49 Nurburgring lap time I’m predicting
Tho i doubt any of this is true,because of the virus. One can dream tho. Maybe one day soon
So Covid has a direct effect on the virtue of telling the truth? Hadn’t heard that malady descibed. 🙂
Only if this is actually accurate information
A non active Rear Deployable Wing is my only Gripe with the C8
It’s a $60,000 mid engine sports car, you’re probably not gonna get active aero.
Momolos agreed. But you should be getting the active rear wing on the ZR1 and Zora.
Steak – the Z06 will start around $85K… a bit more than $60,000.
An active rear spoiler is not that expensive though clearly more expensive than a fixed one.
I thought it would be pretty obvious I was talking about the base when I say 60K.
But here’s the problem, the active wing would have to be integrated into the rear design, meaning redesigning the rear, also engineering where the actuators go, which would impede on the storage, not to mention that is where the top is also stored.
For the very few people that actually track their cars I don’t see the payoff. Storage or some fancy wing?
@Steak
I can get a 10 year old Audi TT with active rear wing…..So price makes zero sense to me.
A Porsche Boxster and Cayman come as standard as well. Similar price point.
I can excuse the Base but I say the ZO6, ZR-1, and Zora better have that feature.
For the Z06, it’s likely to be over $100K in its base version, not 60K!
Yea, I’m ready to see the C8 Zo6 in the wild, I have seen two C8 Stingrays in the wild, a white one and a red one. Pictures and videos don’t do it justice, it’s much nicer looking for real. I was driving my 1990 ZR-1 and both drivers of the C8s gave me a nod, kinda cool! I’m really enjoying my ole C4 Z, I think GM knocked it out of the park with the C8.
This is the best damn news I’ve heard since 2020. I feel a lot better knowing the c8 Z06 is ACTUALLY being tested
It will not have 50 less HP than the current Z06 lol
While the pictures are interesting, what would have been nice if someone took a few seconds of video so we could hear the C8 Corvette Z06 prototype to get a clue as to what might the engine might be because of comments made by some, there may never be a supercharged C8 Corvette because of the position of the transmission without a serious redesign.
The LT6 DOHC flat plane crank V8 is all but confirmed. We just dont know hp/tq #’s
Omegatalon – stay tuned on that video 😉
Update: here it is:
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/06/watch-the-2022-corvette-z06-accelerate-shift-through-the-gears-video/
Funny how ya’ll are talking about supercharging and that this Vette will have a flat plane crank engine. I have 726 HP at the rear wheels after letting John Hennessey 3-liter Whipple supercharge my 2018 (flat plane crank) Mustang Shelby GT350. AND I have a Tremec 6-speed. It sings. Life is good.
Yall miss the link or what? All the info and details on the LT6 can be seen here:
https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-engines/lt6/
We know it’s a slightly bored Voodoo 5.2L (97mm vs 94mm). That means it *can* rev to the same 8250 redline (any higher is unlikely for a production car with a warranty). The 5.2 makes 429 lb-ft, the 5.5 will make about 453 lb-ft (torque is proportional to displacement). 480 lb-ft is not possible on a production car without VTEC (so that it can pass emissions), and 550 lb-ft is literally impossible on pump gas, even on a race car. 560 bhp at 7500 rpm is 100% volumetric efficiency. I don’t expect it to top out much higher from the factory. More than power, GM needs to shed a few hundred pounds.
450 is plenty of torque. Anything above 300 needs severe torque management to maintain traction. This will let the LT6 rev quicker than the C7 Z06.
Bravo! A great Z06 and an awesome looking Wing. I’d much rather have that than my high wing spoiler on my present C8. AF
With the Z06 Ferrari is the target.
With the ZR1, Koenigsegg and pangani are the target
The Z06 will easily be able to compete with Ferrari’s and similar cars that cost around $300k (imo).
As for the ZR1 even coming close to million dollar plus supercars like Koenigsegg and Pangani…I respectfully disagree and doubt that it will.
If the Corvette Zora ever gets made though, It’ll allegedly have around 1000hp which might put it among the ranks of those cars provided that it has the performance to match.
Wings create drag. Unless your tracking it often. It just adds to the cost complexity weight. Most will never track the car or do more than 100 miles per hour. Not needed should be an at cost speacial order item
The Z06’s target, imho, is the Porsche 911 GT3. So this will be track car.
GT2RS more likely
I have 345 Michelins on the rear of my ’13 Grand Sport. I’m not crazy about that wing on the C8 Z06.
Sincerely doubt you actually know what you’re talking about.
C7 Z06 did not really live up to the Z06 spirit. The lineup is getting rearranged and the C8 Z06 will reflect the actual purpose and true direction of the Z06.
Props to GM for taking the Corvette to the lofty height of supercars. Still, I miss the days of the Stingray Roadster. I’d like to see a redux of the 1967 L88, redone with modern enhancements.
Just give us more ponies.
We can always add a rear wing cheap.
Active aero wings needs to be engineered. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune either.
Steve I know what you’re saying about the
L-88 Stingray. I have for sale a ’72 Stingray with a Aluminum head 454, clean as a whistle. See photos on my FB page. Morris Wallace
Ok, if you are Jim Hall with a Chaparral on the track, a big wing looks ok. (Am I dating myself?) However, on a street car, they look like goofy aftermarket junk. Sorry to say it. If you can find a picture of a C8 without any sort of spoiler on it, you can see how good it looks without the lines being broken up.
In general, i agree with you. If I were to get a C8, i would not have the high wing. But the Porsche 911 GT3/RS and Ferrari 458 Pista are two examples on how to properly design a wing on their track focused models. GM needs to get this right.
Maybe I am just that old man yelling at clouds, LOL…
✌I guess my point is that with track focused cars, form tends to follow function, but it does not mean it can’t look good.
Cool car
I just scrolled through and gave everyone a thumbs up.
WHY? Because every opinion is valid.
This is only the start.
Up it up. 2-3 more levels coming.
History will reveal and document the best performance car for the money…EVER
Take a, finally, beautiful car and make it ugly. The new rear “spoiler” does exactly that-spoils the flowing lines.
When you copy what looks like a Ferrari, McClaren etc, and make it affordable, then turn it into a Japanese boy racer car, you ruin the concept and back to making this the losing -proposition like all other Corvettes.
Junk.
Why not wait until you see the entire car without the camouflage before ripping the looks of the car. I wasn’t a fan of the new mid-engine design until I saw it in person. As far as being a losing proposition, a complete sell out of the first year production proves your statement is uninformed.
I really don’t know how many people have gone on line to view the history of the Skunk Works (Lockeed) particularly at a time during the arms race and the cold war where indiscriminate spending by the Soviet Union bankrupted the Soviet Union and caused immense tax payer spending on the arms race. Information was only available to the USA by one form of spying or another. Cameras were developed by the Air Force that could take pictures that were clear and sharp down to a space of 2 feet on the ground from 50,000 feet, more than anti-aircraft missiles at the time could reach. The skunk works was formed of a small number of engineers at Lockheed to attempt to create an airplane that was invisible to radar. The math and limitations of radar were a known factor/variable. The Chief designer created an airplane that did not look very good and looked like it could not fly. After much skepticism, a working aircraft was built and tested and refined and tested. Eventually a plane could take pictures over any part of the Soviet Union without being detected. This was just after planes such as the SR-71 Blackbird could outrun enemy missiles after it reconn. sorties, flying higher and or faster than the missiles sent to shoot it down. Once the Air Force and Pentagon, etc. saw what they had, they revised their sentiments on the beauty of the air craft. The U. S. A. obtained intelligence from the photos taken with this more advanced, “invisible to radar,” aircraft. Projected to lose 20-30 percent of the U.S. Bombers during the war with Iraq (Saddam Husein), instead we lost zero bombers during the sorties. The radar could “see” the American bombers. 100% returned home safely after the bombing runs. All of those angular lines were suddenly seen as beautiful! While I don’t know if the C8 mid-engine, Corvette Stingray’s design is partially a tribute to that technology, those highly criticized lines by some, could just as well as fact, be a tribute to the, “beautiful invisible design,” created by a team of Engineers at the Lockheed Skumk Works. Thus to me, the C8 Stingray is beautiful…and very American!!
Alex, that was a long road, but the destination was worth it. Well said.
Also, most people who say they dont care for the new design have probably not seen one in person.
Good lord. The Cadillac Art and Design direction was indeed inspired by the F-117 Nighthawk. But the C8’s design is pure chaos. A huge cut off mouth, a giant mess of a rear end and a fat brick between the two. It is inconceivably ugly.
The C8 is the only new Corvette in the marque’s history to be consistently called “Ugly” by major publications. The ONLY ONE.
Loving the concept so far. I’d like to see them go with center exit exhaust. I saw in another article that they are trying it out.
I’d like to get this Z-06, and add the electric motors to make up for the missing torque. Nothing would be able to beat it!
A year and a half can’t pass by quick enough…
Electric Motors, yes. And the electric motors would of course, add in four wheel drive. These are the secret ingredients to the Audi’s, “unfair advantage.” The competition indicated that Corvette’s offering so much in a car for a price under 60K was hardly sporting of them. To this and similar suggestions, Tadge Jeuchter stated about the engineers and producers of the Corvette, “We’re not gentlemen.”
Hahaha! How ironic a man with the last name Ford would have such great wit and banter in favor of the greatest American car brand made. God bless you Alex.
Joe Biden created this.
The C8 is inconceivably ugly. An engineering marvel and a styling disaster in equal measure. It’s a block with jumbled lines and angles. They took the ugliest part of the C7–the rear end–and used it as the design language for the entire C8.
The whole exterior of the c8 can be summed up as a mid engine C7. No throwback features.
The interior can be summed up as debatable, yet wonderful.
The mechanics can be summed up as perfect, except for missing a manual and 20-51 cubic inches.
Thanks. Alex Ford
The Z06 will easily be able to compete with Ferrari’s and similar cars that cost around $300k (imo).
As for the ZR1 even coming close to million dollar plus supercars like Koenigsegg and Pangani…I respectfully disagree and doubt that it will.
If the Corvette Zora ever gets made though, It’ll allegedly have around 1000hp which might put it among the ranks of those cars provided that it has the performance to match.