While there’s little doubt that the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is a serious track performer, its lap time around Green Hell – a metric that’s become a standard for sports cars around the world – has remained shrouded in secrecy.
The heart of the new C7 Corvette Z06 is the supercharged, direct injected 6.2-liter LT4 V8, generating 650 horsepower and an equal amount of torque. That twist can be sent to the rear wheels by way of either a seven-speed manual gearbox with a new dual-mass flywheel and dual-disc clutch, or GM’s own all-new eight-speed automatic gearbox.
GM boasts that the new automatic is capable of wide-open throttle upshifts that are executed up to eight-hundredths of a second quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission offered in the Porsche 911, while the extensive use of aluminum and magnesium make it more than eight pounds lighter than the outgoing six-speed slushbox.
The C7 Z06 also comes with a host of aerodynamic upgrades that are offered in three different trim levels of aggression: The first includes all the pieces found within in the standard Stingray outfitted with the Z51 performance package, while the second level of aero upgrades adds a carbon fiber front splitter with aviation-style winglets, carbon fiber rocker panels, and a larger rear spoiler with a fixed wickerbill. The third aero kit – part of the Z07 package – adds even more downforce capability to the Z06 package via larger winglets added to the front splitter, along with an adjustable, see-through center section on the rear spoiler for track use.
GM recently said that a lap time from the famous track from a Z07 package-equipped C7 Z06 is forthcoming soon, and the latest rumor pegs its time at 7:08, a number that would be a solid 14 seconds faster than the previous generation Z06, putting the new Corvette door to door with the formidable Nissan GT-R Nismo.
It’s an impressive (theoretical) time no doubt, but still keeps the Z06 trailing the Lamborghini Aventador SV by more than 8 seconds and 11 seconds behind Porsche’s 918 Spyder hypercar. Still, considering the Z06 can be had for under $100,000, it’s an incredible value for this caliber of performance – assuming the rumored time proves to be true.