German Car Magazine Clocks Impressive Corvette Z06 Nürburgring Lap Time: Video

A quick Nürburgring lap time is a bragging right for many sports cars, and that includes the mid-engine C8. Now, German magazine sport auto put the C8 Corvette Z06 to the test, clocking a time of 7:10.51 around the infamous Nordschleife configuration. While certainly quick, the time is actually slower than expected, with the magazine originally expecting to break the seven-minute mark.

The Corvette Z06 tested was a coupe model equipped with the optional Z07 package, the latter of which lumps together a long list of track-specific equipment, including a more aggressive carbon fiber aero package with a larger front splitter, front-corner dive planes, underbody strakes, and a massive rear wing. The Z07 package also includes unique FE7 suspension and Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 calibrations, pus Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with 15.7-inch rotors in front and 15.4-inch rotors in the rear.

This C8 Corvette Z06 is also running the optional carbon fiber wheels, which reduce unsprung mass by 41 pounds. Wrapping the composite rollers are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, sized at 275/30R20 in front and 345/25R21 in back.

Taking position in the hot seat is sport auto test driver Christian Gebhardt. In a video, we see Gebhardt wheeling the C8 Corvette Z06 around the infamous German race track flat out, pushing the mid-engine sports car to its limit. In a video overlay, we see the vehicle speed, the lap time, and the G forces, as well as Gebhardt’s handiwork.

Check it out for yourself right here:

While impressive, the magazine thinks there’s room for improvement.

“The reason why the C8 Z06 lap time on the Nordschleife is not even faster is due to the ultra-long gear ratio of fifth gear,” sport auto writes in the video comments. “In fifth gear the revs collapse and the Z06 drives at quite low revs over the top speed sections of the Nordschleife and does not reach high top speeds here. With a shorter gear ratio in fifth gear, a sub-7 time might be possible.”

The magazine also reveals that Global Vehicle Performance Manager, Chevrolet Performance Cars, Aaron Link provided the magazine with an unpublished onboard video showing a 7-minute, 10-second lap time clocked when GM tested the C8 Corvette Z06 at the Nordschleife. It’s also worth noting that auto sport previously clocked a time of 6:58.70 in the Ferrari 296 GTB and 6:54.99 in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

As a reminder, the U.S.-spec C8 Z06 is equipped as standard with the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6, rated at 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. All C8 variants ride on the GM Y2 platform, while production takes place at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky.