That 670-hp flat-plane crank V8 sound really is something else.
The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was announced almost a year ago, and it won't be much longer before the first examples are delivered to customers.
This is the most exciting version of the C8-generation Corvette family for now, and we can't wait to get behind the wheel. Chevy has been picky about who gets to go in the new Z06 before the car goes on sale, but a few lucky people were able to get a ride-along last weekend at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA.
YouTuber Speed Phenom went for a ride-along, and he just so happened to be prepared to capture the lap on video. The sights and sounds from the video are straight-up intense, so we highly recommend watching the video starting at the 7:37 mark with the volume up. You won't regret it.
The video notes that the laps shown are not 10/10ths hot laps but rather "fun laps" with a pro driver to demonstrate what the car is capable of. So anyone trying to calculate lap times based on the time codes in the video, don't bother.
Though this experience may not have produced any new lap records at Laguna Seca, it is the best example yet of how good the Z06's flat-plane crank V8 sounds at full tilt. The car was previously driven around the Indy 500 track, but not at this pace. We've also seen the Z06 testing at the Nurburgring, but not from the inside like this.
The Z06 uses a new 5.5-liter LT6 V8 engine with a dual overhead camshaft flat-plane crank design. This differs from Stingray's 6.2-liter LT2 V8, which uses a more conventionally American-style cross-plane setup.
The flat-plane crank design in the 670-horsepower LT6 gives it that Ferrari-like sound.
It also revs higher than the LT2 V8, which produces maximum power at 6,450 rpm. The Z06's full power is delivered at 8,400 rpm, just 100 rpm before the digital redline.
When the pro driver lets off the throttle, this car wails, unlike any American car we've heard before. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission rips off rapid shifts, as we've learned to expect from the C8.
We previously stated that the standard C8 Stingray is almost good enough to ignore the Z06, especially since the latter starts at $106,395 compared to only $64,200 for the base car.
But after hearing the new 5.5-liter V8 engine in action, we are starting to wonder about the validity of our original assessment. The Z06 will undoubtedly be quicker than the Stingray, but this video proves that the sound is tremendously different.
No other American V8 sounds like this. The Z06 is starting to look like it could easily be worth the price, making it the best value supercar available in the USA.
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