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The track-worthiest Vette gets forced induction and gobs of race-car tech.
To introduce Chevrolet’s third-generation high-performance Corvette Z06, we seriously considered publishing the car’s spec sheet and letting it speak for itself. We haven’t driven the car yet—and likely won’t for another year or so—but given it’s a thinly veiled roadgoing race car, a cold, efficient, and straight-to-the-point list of its upgrades seems more appropriate than a long-form deep-dive into what sets it apart from the C7 Corvette Stingray on which it is based. Yet while a list might draw a clearly defined line in the sand between the Z06 and its humbler stablemate, it simply couldn’t capture the full wow factor of the thing, the sheer ridiculousness of Chevy’s technological and engineering achievements. So here goes.
When we were first shown the 2015 Corvette Z06 at a behind-the-scenes preview event last month, lead engineer Tadge Juechter minced few words when it came to the relationship between the car and the C7.R racer: The two were, for all intents and purposes, designed concurrently and alongside one another. It only takes a quick glance at the Z06’s widened, lowered, vented, and winged body to understand that. Interestingly, development on the Z06 has only just begun, and it’s really only being shown at the 2014 Detroit auto show because the C7.R makes its race debut later this month; Chevy’s merely removing the bag before the cat can jump out of it. That and Mr. Juechter lamented how difficult high-speed testing is with garbage-bag-like camouflage plastered all over test cars.
Left: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Right: Corvette C7.R Racer.
No Need to Hold On to Your Hats, Down force Has It Covered
In the past, the Z06 has enjoyed a degree of visual separation from the standard Corvette, but this new one looks like it mainlined a concentrated dose of pure aero. There are no fewer than three (!) aerodynamic packages available, but every one includes a substantial front splitter; an enlarged hood vent that contributes downforce by allowing air flowing through the grille to escape above—rather than underneath—the car; and a hyper-engineered grille mesh that somehow directs more air through the engine compartment than a mesh-less, gaping hole. The most extreme aero kit comes mated to the optional Z07 package, and brings an even deeper front splitter with tall winglets at each corner, deep rocker panel extensions, and a big ducktail spoiler with a manually height-adjustable center portion. That little panel, by the way, is clear to mitigate the wing’s effect on rear visibility.
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Other aero tweaks include a pair of brake ducts integrated into the grille, enlarged fender vents, rear brake cooling ducts, and larger air outlets in the rear fascia to help evacuate the increased cooling airflow running over the transmission and differential coolers that live back there. In fact, at the Z06 backgrounder event, Mr. Juechter spent the better part of five minutes discussing the upper rear fender vents alone. Those curious-looking inverted scoops are said to push 50 percent more air into the ducts than the scoopless units fitted to the Stingray. Overall, GM says that the Z06 with the Z07 package whips up (or down?) the most downforce of any production car it’s ever tested—GM-made or otherwise. How much downforce does it make? Chevy’s not saying yet, but assured us that there’s so much of it that the C7.R team for the first time ever didn’t need to add any for the race car; the team instead spent its wind-tunnel time paring back drag.
Vent and spoiler fetishes aside, the Z06’s front and rear fenders are 2.2 and 3.15 inches wider than the Stingray’s in order to fit a wheel and tire package sized the same as that on the outgoing C6 ZR1. The standard setup includes 285/30ZR-19 front and whopping 335/25ZR-20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport tires, while the Z07 package brings near-slick Sport Cup rubber. You’ll notice we haven’t made one mention of the Z06’s “styling”—that’s because it nearly doesn’t matter; race cars are functional beasts, and the Z06 isn’t any different.