European Corvette Z06 Is Faster Than a 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS at Magny-Cours

Both vehicles had Michelin Cup 2R tires on during their fastest laps at Nevers Magny-Cours, listed by Motorsport Magazine as being 1:15.23 for the Z06 and 1:15.96 for the Neunelfer. The list shown at the very end of the video reveals that Chevrolet's new superstar is faster than the 488 Pista (1:16.06), 765LT Spider (1:16.51), and the Huracan STO (1:16.89) as well.

Even more telling, the eighth-generation 'Vette made easy work of the previous generation, which recorded 1:18.48 with Michelin Cup 2 tires. First place on the leaderboard, however, is taken by the McLaren Senna. Developed specifically to deliver the ultimate track driving experience, the 720S-based Senna rocked Magny-Cours in a staggering 1:14.93 on Trofeo Rs.

As you might have noticed by now, the Z06 for Europe is noticeably different from its American counterpart in terms of exhaust setup. The corner-mounted outlets are more Stingray than Z06, but General Motors didn't have a choice. Both the Stingray and Z06 for the European market feature gasoline particulate filters, which became rather common in 2018 due to Euro 6c regulations.

Also known as petrol particulate filters in the United Kingdom and Ottopartikelfilter in Germany after the Otto combustion cycle, said filters are somewhat similar in design to their diesel counterparts. Located downstream of the catalytic converters, these filters trap the yuckiest of stuff from the exhaust gases. Excess hydrocarbon particulates, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide are burned, resulting in carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and some water. The takeaway is that said filters reduce the nastiest of particulates by a tremendous margin.

There are two main drawbacks to running these gasoline particulate filters, though. For starters, the exhaust sound isn't as aurally pleasant compared to a GPF-less exhaust system. And secondly, the more restrictive the exhaust, the less power and torque a given engine cranks out.

Both rules of thumb apply to the Z07-equipped Z06 for the European market, which makes do with 645 ps at 8,400 revolutions per minute and 595 Nm at 6,300 revolutions per minute. That means 636 horsepower and 439 pound-feet in old money. As for the American-spec Corvette Z06 Z07, that'd be 670 horsepower (679 ps) and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) at the same RPMs.

Over in France, where Magny-Cours is located, the Z06 currently doesn't have a sticker price. Only the Stingray is listed on Chevrolet's local website, starting at a staggering 104,980 euros or 115,820 dollars at current exchange rates. On the upside, prospective customers are getting the 2LT trim and Z51 pack as standard.