After years of fervently devouring every spy photo, creating our own renderings, and piecing together hush-hush early information about the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the track-ready Vette is nigh. Chevy has confirmed the new high-performance C8 Corvette will appear this fall (though it may not actually go on sale for a while). To kick your anticipation into high gear, it also released a video of the Z06’s new logo set to the sweet, furious music of its new V-8 engine revving wildly.
Take a listen for yourself in the clip above. Anything stick out? Is it that piercing shriek as the V-8 revs higher and higher, seemingly never running out of breath? That, people, is essentially aural proof that the Corvette Z06 is getting a special V-8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft. This neat little trick helps Ferrari’s V-8s rev to the moon, while also delivering that signature—and exotic—wail.
As we’ve reported on for some time, the noise you hear in the video above emanates from a 5.5-liter V-8 with twin camshafts operating the valves, instead of the pushrods that have actuated valves in Corvettes forever. This engine is much like the V-8 of the same displacement used by the Corvette C8.R racecars, only it’ll make more power because it won’t be restricted by racing rules to a mere 500 hp. Instead, the Z06 will get over 600—likely 615 to 625 hp—although the Z06’s torque output is expected to be similar to the C8.R’s 480 lb-ft.
Of course, the Z06’s saucy new engine will be joined by a hardcore suspension setup, unique styling, and available carbon-fiber wheels and carbon-ceramic brake rotors. Sticker tires and extra aerodynamic accoutrements will also be part of the deal, all geared toward making the C8 Z06 as track-capable as possible. Along with all of this hardware, the Z06 will also feature a slightly new logo (pictured above), with a more stylized “Z” that matches the Z button on the current non-Z06 Corvette’s steering wheel. That button activates custom performance settings all at once, essentially calling up a specially tailored driving mode, so it’s neat that Chevy is linking the letter to performance and the Z06 brand.
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