With a 670-horsepower V8 and a base MSRP of $105,300, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is one of the best high-performance bargains that money can buy. It's a rapid piece of machinery, and with a motivated driver and special tires, it's capable of achieving incredible things on the drag strip.
YouTube channel 377ndacut recently crossed paths with one of these all-American sports cars and witnessed this example (reportedly) break the world record for the fastest Corvette C8 quarter-mile time. With Will Farmer behind the wheel, the Z06 is destined to do great things.
The veteran drag racer explains that the Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership already holds the world record for the latest Corvette but wants to break into the nine-second bracket. With the protective plastic wrapping still on the steering wheel, it's clear that this is still a brand-new car.
Despite that, Farmer shows no mercy, sending the Z06 down the strip with gusto. The thunderous V8 growls away, punctuated by the lightning-quick gearshifts as the mid-engined 'Vette rushes to the end of the strip. The first run, while impressive, isn't good enough to break the record, and the car crosses the line in 10.11 seconds at 134 mph.
The second attempt is far more successful, with the Torch Red Z06 covering the same distance in a blistering 9.98 seconds at 135.5 mph. While it's difficult to verify, the driver claims this is officially the fastest Corvette C8 known to man. What makes it all the more surprising is that this vehicle is stock - save for the drag racing tires, of course.
Chevrolet claims the Z06 can do the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds, which is still plenty fast.
We'd love to see what happens when people hit the drag strip with tuned Z06 Corvettes. It may still be fresh, but that hasn't stopped owners from already extracting as much as possible from the flat-plane crank V8. YouTuber Emelia Hartford recently fitted her example with twin turbochargers and a custom exhaust, which should make it ridiculously quick.
Modified Stingrays have been setting impressive times, with some examples even venturing into the low nines. These vehicles have been tuned to deliver 1,000 hp or more, so it's to be expected. With a few modifications, the Z06's 5.5-liter will likely make even more power, meaning we could see some impressive results shortly.
Returning to the video, it's incredible that a stock sports car, priced at just over $100,000, can have a sub-10-second run. Some supercars costing three times as much require plenty of mods to shave a second off this time.