Payne: Screaming Z06 is a Ferrari with a 'Vette badge
Henry PaynePontiac — Some road warriors like to crank up Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Others prefer Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway” or AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
I’ll take the Chevy Corvette Z06’s flat-plane crank overhead-cam V-8 engine.
Wound at 8,500 RPM around M1 Concourse’s 1.5-mile circuit in Pontiac — WAAAAWRRHH! — the music from the ‘Vette’s four centrally-mounted pipes out back is irresistible. The eight-speed, dual-clutch gearbox downshifts automatically from 4th to 2nd into the hairpin — WHAP! WHAP! — holding gear in the meat of the 6,000 RPM rev band so that I could explode off the corner and down the back straight. WAAAAWRRHH! to 120 mph it howled.
Look back over 70 years of Corvette’s greatest hits, and the Z06’s Ferrari-inspired 5.5-liter V-8 — the most powerful, normally-aspirated engine built today — is right at the top. This is a Ferrari in ‘Vette drag. Taking the Corvette C8’s inherently balanced mid-engine layout, Z06 cranks up the shock stiffness by 30% over the base Stingray’s Z51 track package for a flat, nimble chassis that responded instantly to my steering inputs.
Unlike front-engine ‘Vettes of yore, the car’s 107-inch wheelbase shrank around me, and I rotated easily from corner to corner, nailing apexes with effortless precision. It’s a confident feeling and very close to the screaming, 9,000-RPM flat-6 Porsche 911 GT3 RS — the benchmark for supercar handling and visceral thrills — that I recently destroyed California’s Thermal Raceway with.
Can we compare 911 GT3 RS data (courtesy of Car and Driver) to give you a sense of just how good this ‘Vette is? Same 1.16 lateral g-loads on the skid pad, similar 0-60 mph time (2.6 seconds for Z06, 2.7 for GT3), similar braking (139-feet 70-0 mph Z06 versus 133 feet for GT3). Whoa.
Yet my $147,690 ‘Vette is $125K cheaper than the Porsche — and 1/3rd the price of the Ferrari 269GTB whose engine it mirrors.
These are cars at the summit of production performance — rare gems curated by Ferrari, Porsches, McLaren and yes, Chevrolet — to be supreme on track and on road.
Think I exaggerate? Consider supercar enthusiast Frank Moceri, 58, of Bloomfield Hills.
An avid racer, Moceri’s stable includes a 2012 Ferrari 458 Challenge, 2016 Ferrari 458 Challenge and a 2023 Corvette Z06. High-revving, flat-plane crank V-8s all. Moceri races the Ferraris all over the country from Road America in Wisconsin to Daytona to Sonoma, California.
“The Ferraris are race cars with stripped interiors. They’re lighter, stiffer, better handling — but the Z06 is really good,” he said as we admired his black-and-red Z06 next to my orange tester in M1’s paddock. “I like to take it on track as a break from the hardcore Ferraris.”
The flat-plane crank V-8, the taut handling, the mid-engine style. All that appealed to him, and the fact that the ‘Vette — like his first, 1981 Camaro Z28 sports car — is Made in America by a hometown brand.
“The mid-engine C8 had instant appeal for me when it first came out in 2020,” said Moceri. He tracks his cars and waited for the superior Z06. The only time he’s taken it on the road was for a trip to Florida — where he took it out on another test track, The Motor Enclave outside Tampa (designed by one of M1’s founders, Brad Oleshansky).
“The 1,200-mile trip helped me reach the 1,500 miles recommended by Chevy before tracking the car,” smiled Moceri.
He enjoyed the trip, which is more than a lot of owners can say about their track toys. I had a pal buy a 911 GT3 that he traded it in for a Targa a year later because it was killing his back. Great track car, problematic road car.
Not the Z06 which, despite its stiffer setup, uses its magnetic dampers to good effect in TOUR mode. I ran errands around town with the ‘Vette’s healthy cargo space (the frunk holds a carry-on suitcase, the rear a set of golf clubs) and was no worse for the wear, thanks to the comfortable seats and ride.
Sure, like Dom Turretto showing off his guns in a muscle shirt, Z06 wants you to know it has 670 horses under the rear deck. Start it up in the morning — WHOOM! CRACKLE! POP! — and it’ll wake everyone in the neighborhood. Idle in SPORT or TRACK mode and it sounds like an IndyCar in the pits. Or a T-Rex gargling razor blades. But you can select STEALTH mode to turn down the theater when desired.
It’s part of a cabin filled with high-tech tools to match any luxe vehicle. For 2024, the rear-camera mirror comes standard, which is a good thing because you can’t see out of the narrow greenhouse. Cadillac IMSA prototypes use camera mirrors for better visibility in race traffic, and I found it essential when switching lanes in Detroit traffic as well.
I navigated the metro area with wireless Android Auto, barked voice commands at the screen, programmed the Z MODE steering wheel button, and located the Personal Data Recorder in the screen should I want to record my hot laps.
Because at the end of the day, this rocket is all about hot laps. Track it or sell it.
You’ll know the Z06 by its wicked exoskeleton. Huge front air intakes to feed additional engine oil coolers. Expanded side intakes. And a (must have) aero package with front spoiler, dive planes and rear wing that gives the appearance of a scorpion ready to strike. The aero package makes about 734 pounds of downforce at 180 mph — well below the GT3 RS’s 1,900 pounds — but you’ll never see those speeds unless Nürburgring is your local track.
Better to buy the optional near-slick Michelin Cup 2 tires — or better yet, just buy a set of slicks. On my hot laps around M1, the brakes were so ferocious that the standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires (10.8 inches wide front, 13.6 inches rear) struggled to maintain grip. Slicks could take full advantage of the brakes, not to mention the added cornering Gs.
Owner Moceri is so enamored with his Z06 that he thinks Chevy should follow Ferrari and create a Corvette Challenge series with a stripped-down Z06. “I’d buy it,” he smiled. And I doubt he’d miss the stereo with that glorious V-8 soundtrack.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-passenger supercar
Price: $112,295 base, including $1,395 destination ($147,690 as tested)
Power plant: 5.5-liter V-8
Power: 670 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 189 mph
Weight: 3,434 pounds (mfr.)
Fuel economy: EPA 12 mpg city/19 mpg highway/14 mpg combined
Report card
Highs: V-8 from the gods; tenacious grip
Lows: New-car plastic smell; its limits can only be approached on track
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.