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C8 Corvette Z06 HTC Masterfully Rendered, Coupe Will Premiere Later This Month

A long time ago, a gentleman by the name of Zora Arkus-Duntov joined General Motors after development work for Allard in Britain and racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s. He’s the guy responsible for giving the first-generation Corvette a V8 engine, some of the design for the second gen, the Grand Sport program, as well as plenty of concepts.
C8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber Amaral 23 photos
Photo: Joao Kleber Amaral for autoevolution
C8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber AmaralC8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber AmaralC8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber AmaralC8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber AmaralC8 Corvette Z06 HTC rendering by Joao Kleber Amaral2023 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
His wildest dream, however, didn’t come true. The C4 was initially envisioned as a mid-engine sports car based on the Chevrolet Aerovette design study, but as fate would have it, big wigs and bean counters weren’t exactly fond of this layout. Dave McLellan, who served as the chief engineer of the Corvette from 1975 through 1992, agreed to switch from a midship to a front-engine design. But as you all know, GM eventually realized that going midship is the only possible way to improve the breed.

Revealed in July 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center, the C8 is arguably the best-performing sports car in the sub-$70,000 range. The LT2 small-block V8 with 495 horsepower on tap and loads of low-down torque is complemented by a dual-clutch transmission, but Chevrolet isn’t stopping here. The Stingray will be surpassed by the Z06 for the 2023 model year, a full-on performance variant derived from the Corvette Racing C8.R that won the GT Le Mans class in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Recently teased in Silver Flare Metallic paintwork over red upholstery for the interior, the wide-bodied coupe has been spied testing with a hard-topped convertible in tow. Pixel artist Joao Kleber Amaral fired up his Adobe Photoshop suite for an autoevolution exclusive, one that imagines the latter in five colors that are loosely inspired by Accelerate Yellow Metallic, Rapid Blue, Torch Red, Arctic White, and the aforementioned Silver Flare Metallic. The black nacelles, rear spoiler, and side intakes really bring the point home, as does the LT6 engine.

Proven on the racetrack by the LT5.5 in the C8.R, the flat-plane crankshaft V8 is expected to deliver approximately 617 horsepower and in the ballpark of 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) of torque. Add the fast-shifting DCT and ultra-wide rear tires into the mix, and you’ll understand why the C8 Z06 with the Z07 package has the makings of an instant classic.
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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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