The Nurburgring lap time of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 adds up to the massive stir the blown ‘Vette has generated just like an earthquake replica might just be more serious than the initial event.
Ever since the Z06 hit the streets, we’ve seen owners engage in all sorts of hooning activities, from burnouts done straight our of the showroom to internet-stirring drag races against the Challenger Hellcat.
The fierce battle
This has allowed Chevrolet to take their time with setting an official lap time for the Z06, something they actually needed. As some of you know, Chevy has had two failed attempts at setting the record.
The first was affected by the rain, while the second saw test driver Jim Mero hitting the barrier, reportedly due to oil on the track.
Just like it happened in the case of the Mustang Shelby GT350/R, the Corvette went out of control. Unlike the ‘Stang though, the Z06 crashed, with the accident taking placed in the Hatzenbach section of the Green Hell.
While such unfortunate events only come to show the cars are being pushed to their absolute limits, Chevrolet has returned to the track last month. They managed to set a Z06 time and are more than content with the result.
It's been set
Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter recently opened up on the Corvette Forum, letting it slip that a lap time has been set, adding the official info is on its way.
“[The Z06] is the quickest car around the track we know how to make. That has been validated by numerous third parties. Last week, we were finally able to confirm the performance of the car on a continuous lap of the Nurburgring. We are putting together the press release and will have the lap time and video out shortly. I can tell you we were more than satisfied with the results.”
As you can imagine, enthusiasts had already probed Tange about the exact time. They were asked to make their own calculations and came up with something in-between 7:06 and 7:08. For the sake of comparison, this would put the 2015 Z06 on par with the all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R Nismo.
Until the footage of the obviously-blistering lap arrives, here a video showing the Corvette while attempting to blitz-lap the Nordschleife back in May.
P.S.: on a side note, when asked about why they added a blower on the Z06, Juetcher mentioned Porsche as an example of the performance side of the industry turning to forced induction to meet emission regulations.
"Porsche just announced an all turbo line up for the 911 in the future. Like it or not, regulators around the world are pushing manufacturers into lower displacements and charging to achieve higher output. With this reality, when we studied an LS7-like solution for the C7 Z06 we found only a very modest power boost would be possible while still meeting all the other new requirements," the Corvette's helm man said.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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