The ultimate all-Chevy race sees the C8 Z06 take on the C5, C6, and C7 Z06 Coupes in a generational battle of a lifetime.
In October last year, the all-new 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was finally revealed to the world. As expected, it arrived with 670 horsepower courtesy of a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8, and despite six-figure pricing, demand for the car has been a source of financial success for Chevy. But is it worth its asking price of over $106,000, or can you find similar performance in the nameplate's recent front-engine predecessors?
We recently saw that the C8 Z06 is capable of beating its claimed quarter-mile time of 10.6 seconds, and now Chevrolet has shown how big the gulf between it and its traditional forebears is in a race featuring the C5, C6, C7, and of course, the C8 versions of the Z06.
The Z06 is designed to be a track tool, and that was always the case, even back in the C2 generation for the 1962 model year, when the first Z06 appeared as an optional performance package. As the video explains, this secret package then disappeared from the lineup for some time before the C5 brought it back in 2001 as an upgrade that everyone knew about and wanted.
Former Corvette racing driver Oliver Gavin presents the video before racing the C8 against the three most recent Z06 variants, each of which has a Corvette engineer at the wheel. Setting off in five-second intervals, Gavin's goal is to overtake each of the older cars.
Unsurprisingly for a scripted video put out by Chevrolet itself, the C8 manages to get past each of its predecessors with ease, but with no timing shown, the exact difference between each model is unclear. Nevertheless, this sort of video does ram home the point that going for a mid-engine layout and spending an age developing the chassis and engine was the right call.
Of course, choosing which Z06 is right for you will come down to a number of factors, not least of which is price. You'll also have your preferences when it comes to transmission and whether you like a supercharged engine or not, but if you're not sure, check out our brief history of the Z06 to help you decide.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Automobili Pininfarina
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
Hennessey
Honda
Hyundai
Ineos Automotive
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
Join The Discussion