Prior to Chevrolet revealing the MY23 Corvette Z06, prototypes with corner-mounted tailpipes were spied roaming the streets of Michigan with heavy camouflage covering their body panels. The reason why General Motors adopted corner-exit outlets compared to the center-exit outlets of the North American variant is – of course – emission regulations.
Under the current Euro 7 regulations, the diesel particulate filter received a gasoline equivalent in the form of the gasoline particulate filter. GPFs are designed to remove particulate matter from the exhaust gas. These filters are extremely popular in combination with internal combustion engines running direct fuel injection because direct fuel injection produces more particulate matter than internal combustion engines equipped with port fuel injection.
Said to capture over 90 percent of airborne particles that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere by the exhaust gas, said particulate filters also have a detrimental effect on a given engine’s power and torque. This applies to the European specification of the Z06 as well. As opposed to 670 horsepower (679 ps) and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque for the North American variant, the 2023 model year Corvette Z06 for the European Union and the United Kingdom as well cranks out 636 ponies (645 ps) and 439 pound-feet (595 Nm).
The dramatic difference between the US and EU specifications shouldn’t put you off because the Z07-equipped Z06 tested by France’s Motorsport Magazine sounds incredible and goes like stink as well. Based on the way it accelerates from zero to 250-plus kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), it’s more than adequate for a €200,000-plus ($211,500-plus) super sports car.
Final pricing for the European specification isn’t yet available. To whom it may concern, the Z51-equipped Stingray Coupe 2LT is rocking a starting price of €99,650 including value-added tax in France. That’s $105,360 at current exchange rates, and a bit of a bargain compared to the more track-focused Corvette Z06 Z07.
Loosely inspired by the flat-plane crankshaft V8 in the Ferrari 458 Italia, the flat-plane crankshaft V8 of the ‘Vette helps this variant of the C8 stand out from the small block-engined Stingray and hybridized E-Ray. Derived from the motorsport-spec powerplant in the C8.R and Z06 GT3.R endurance racing cars, the LT6 engine sings the songs of its people at up to 8,600 rpm.
A dual-clutch transmission supplied by Tremec is connected to it, a fast-shifting box that’s closely related to that of the Stingray. Produced in Wixom, Michigan, the eight-speed transaxle features an extra odd clutch plate, strengthened hub and basket, numerically higher final drive, larger output flanges, high-strength half shafts, and a different lubrication system. The final piece of the puzzle is a custom launch control system, which allows the driver to set launch RPMs in increments of 500 revolutions per minute. The system also allows the driver to set the slip target from 5 percent to 15 percent.
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. Full profile
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