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Corvette Z06 Competitive Comparison Means We Could Have a Pricing Heart Attack?

More than three years have passed since Chevrolet announced the C8 iteration of “America’s sports car” back in April of 2019, and we still have just one version on sale, the Corvette Stingray. The other one, a mighty new, record-breaking Z06 is still lurking around the corners.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Competitive Comparison against supercar rivals 26 photos
Photo: corvetteforum.com
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First and foremost, let us start with the bad news. While everyone was expecting Chevrolet to finally announce the 670-horsepower FPC (flat-plane crankshaft) V8 Corvette Z06 pricing details, the GM division in turn revealed the $61,900 C8 Stingray will immediately incur a rather significant MSRP bump. Now, if you check out the online configurator tool, a Stingray Coupe is featured at a starting MSRP of $63,295, while the fashionable Convertible goes for at least $70,795.

And that is before those pesky dealer markups, of course. But let us get back on the 5.5-liter Z06 track because a Corvette Forum member recently spilled the beans on an official 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Competitive Comparison document that listed the supercar’s main rivals: Ferrari F8 Tributo, McLaren 720S, Audi R8, and Porsche 911 GT3! That is quite a select bunch and goes to show how important European competitors have become for Team Corvette over the past few years since the C8’s development switched to a mid-engine, rear-biased configuration.

Interestingly, the specification sheet is not just a mathematical nightmare with lots of tough numbers (those are relegated to the final page, of course) and after a little bit of Z06 pride on the account of this Corvette version offering “an elevated experience and leaving competitors trailing in its 8,600-rpm redline wake,” it is rather cerebral and well-documented. So, each of the targeted foes gets a few words about their main accomplishments and the Corvette tries to counter each strong point with its own set of assets.

Naturally, Chevy pushes the pedal to the metal on what could be perceived as major flaws against the Americana darling. For example, the initial Ferrari F8 Tributo foe is too exclusive for its own good, has a huge asking price, and has no removable roof panel to enjoy the wind in your hair when you’re tired of the Coupe stiffness.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Photo: Chevrolet
The next rival, McLaren’s already-iconic 720S has a strong racing pedigree – but obviously, that is no problem for the Corvette – along with an extensive list of Z06 features that are not available on the British supercar, from carbon fiber wheels to a HUD or techy stuff like wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. On the other hand, it is rather hard to argue with the V10-equipped Audi R8 which has a thrilling engine noise (almost) like no other. Sure, the ‘Vette team found some stuff, but they are pretty subtle.

Last, but not least, the incredible Porsche 911 GT3 might be one of the hardest foes to beat, as the 992-series track-focused machine is already riddled with various accolades and awards. Still, it seems that a Z06 might be a little better for daily driving and probably also a tad less expensive. Speaking of the latter value, we can now circle back to that pesky MSRP.

As it turns out, among the four compared rivals the “cheapest” is the $151k+ Audi R8 while the Ferrari F8 is, of course, in a league of its own. As for the Corvette Z06, there is a big “NA” (not available) along with a bunch of other values marked with an equally disconcerting “TBD” (to be determined).

Those numbers are particularly important in the economy of this comparison, though, since we are dealing with specialized sports cars. Alas, we are going to have to wait a little longer before we can find out if Chevrolet’s Z06 beats the 5.2-second McLaren 720S across the zero to 100 mph (162 kph) acceleration sprint or the latter’s 212 mph (341 kph) top speed, which is even better than the 211-mph (340 kph) Ferrari F8!

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Editor's note: Gallery includes official images of C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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