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2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 First Official Photo Reveals Widebody Makeover

General Motors finally decided to reveal the Corvette Z06 before the actual premiere next month. Scheduled to be unveiled in full on the 26th of October, the first performance-oriented variant of the C8 adopts the wider body and sticky steamrollers we’ve seen on countless test mules.
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 official photo 18 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 official photo2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z062023 Chevrolet Corvette Z062023 Chevrolet Corvette Z062023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 spy shots on the Nurburgring Nordschleife
Pictured in Silver Flare Metallic paintwork over a red interior, the prototype further boasts a redesigned front bumper with larger openings for the condensers and radiators. The more prominent lip spoiler also has to be mentioned, along with restyled trim over the side vents. Two Z06 badges are featured on the lower parts of the side vents, and the rear deck is complemented by a body-color spoiler. We’ve seen test mules with much larger wings, but not much is known about them at the moment of writing.

The finish touches come in the guise of black-painted side skirts, double-spoke alloys with a polished finish, and red-painted brake calipers that hug drilled rotors. Zooming in on the picture, we can further notice Michelin rubber shoes although it’s hard to tell what type of compound that is.

Customers who specify the most extreme specification available will get Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires on the Z06, and the rear tires have been confirmed to measure 345/25 by 21 inches. That’s an inch wider than the Cup 2s on the previous-generation Z06 and ZR1, translating to a larger contact patch.

From a technical standpoint, General Motors will update the dual-clutch transmission of the Z06 with a magnesium case as per a leaked picture. The powerplant, meanwhile, will introduce a DOHC valvetrain to the LT small-block V8 family as well as a flat-plane crankshaft to enable very high revs.

LT6 is how the 5.5-liter engine is codenamed, and even though it’s not as large as the 6.2-liter LT2 of the Stingray, the Z06 is tipped to deliver 617 horsepower and close to 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque. Based on the LT5.5 of the C8.R endurance racer, the lump in the Z06 will be much to the liking of those who are familiar with the Voodoo V8 of the Shelby GT350.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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