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Chevrolet teases Z06 convertible ahead of high-performance Corvette debut

If we're getting this right, the flat-plane-crank V8 will boast a buzzing 8,600-rpm red line

Nicholas Maronese
Oct 20, 2021  •  October 20, 2021  •  1 minute read  •  Join the conversation
2023-Chevrolet-Corvette-Z06
Photo by Chevrolet

Chevrolet thought it’d give the Z06 trim of its 2023 Corvette C8 one more tease before pulling the covers off the thing next week, and that it’d do so with a video that offers more than just flashes of fenders or darkened headlight close-ups. Nah, the clip it flipped just a few hours ago let us in on the car’s 8,600-rpm red line, and gave us a glimpse of the drop-top, too.

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Sure, the aforementioned fender-flash and light-at-night staples are there, too – I mean, we already know what it’s going to look like – but so is a brief shot of the tach in the gauge cluster revving up to just shy of 9,000 rpm, well above the 6,500-rpm red line of the standard C8 Stingray. To really drive the point home, Chevrolet actually dropped the teaser 8600 minutes before the official debut.

That’s a lot of spin to wring out of the Corvette Z06’s new 5.5-litre flat-plane-crank V8, and while output numbers have yet to be confirmed, rumours are they’ll be around the 625-horsepower and 485 lb-ft of torque mark — more than a hundred ponies up on the base ‘Vette, but not quite as high as the old 6.2-litre V8 used to make.

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Besides that nugget of info, the teaser also showed us the shadiest of shots of the convertible variant, which we expect will hit showrooms in 2022 alongside the coupe. In the stock trim, the drop-top boasts the same cargo space as the fixed-roof, which is a pretty impressive trick.

Z06 isn’t where the C8’s evolution ends, though; an even wilder ZR1 is still expected that could use twin turbos to crest 800 horsepower. Rumours are a “Zora” editon – named after Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov – could add a hybrid motor to take the ZR1 even further than that. And a not-quite-so-powerful hybrid should fit somewhere in the mix next year, too.

We’re sure to find out more at the Z06’s official reveal October 26 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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