How does the 2023 Corvette Z06 compare to the 2022 Stingray?

The two C8s may not look pretty similar, but under the skin, they're two different animals

Tolu Akinshete

Oct 29, 2021 • 4 days ago • 6 minute read • Join the conversation

The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z06 and C.8R race car Photo by Chevrolet

It’s taken a while, but Chevrolet’s finally rolled out the first performance variant of the C8 Corvette, taking the covers off the 2023 Z06 earlier this week. The new ‘Vette was showcased the same day the carmaker revealed plans to invest significantly in electric vehicle charging , which got us thinking: Z06 versions of the Corvette have been around for a long time. Could we be looking at the last one that will be purely gasoline-powered?

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We hope not. The Corvette Z06 supercar (walk away from anyone who calls this trim just “a sports car”) is the new top dog of the Corvette clan, and that’s saying something, because the C8 Corvette Stingray is no slouch in the performance department.

Here, we examine a few points that show just how the Corvette Z06 outshines its Stingray sibling.

Powertrain

The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06's LT6 V8 engine Photo by Chevrolet
The 2020 Corvette Stingray’s LT2 V-8 engine and dual-clutch transmission Photo by Chevrolet

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The C8 Corvette Stingray debuted with a punchy 6.2-litre LT2 V8 engine that had enough grunt to make it the most powerful Stingray sports car ever produced. Sitting amidships, it cranked out a thumping 495 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque (with the Z51 performance package). An 8-speed dual-clutch transmission feeds all that power to the rear wheels for some blistering performance. Under ideal conditions, you can expect a zero-to-60-mph sprint of 2.9 seconds; and a quarter-mile run of 11.2 seconds at 122 mph (196 km/h).

For the souped-up 2023 Corvette Z06, the engineers at GM ditched the LT2 V8 altogether and instead built a new powerplant from the ground up. At the heart of the car sits a flat-plane-crank 5.5-litre V8, dubbed the LT6, that puts out a peak 670 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the previous-generation Z06, there are no forced-induction implements at play here — this is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine ever fitted on a road car. The engine revs to an 8,600-rpm redline, emitting an otherworldly exhaust note that took two years to perfect.

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Like the Stingray, the Z06 also gets an 8-speed DCT, but with a shorter final drive ratio. This translates to an even faster acceleration time than the Stingray. Chevrolet says the Z06 will rocket to 60 mph in only 2.6 seconds. That’s quicker than a Ferrari 488 Pista.

Chassis and Suspension

The Corvette C8.R lapping Laguna Seca Photo by Chevy Racing /General Motors

“Racing was the reason the Z06 was developed in 1963,” explains Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, Corvette. “It continues to support the development of the road models that make them better on the street and the track.” It’s fitting, then, that the 2023 Corvette Z06 shares its chassis with Corvette Racing’s C8.R, a race car that captured six victories and seven pole positions at the IMSA 2020 SportsCar Championship Series.

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The stance of the Z06 is 3.6 inches wider in the rear than the Stingray, allowing for more airflow through the side vents. More importantly, it enables the car to be shod with massive 345-mm-wide rear tires on 21-inch wheels. Those forged aluminum ‘spider’ wheels are the largest ever on a production Corvette, gaining a full inch over the set on the Corvette Stingray.

The brakes are also bigger on the Z06. Six-piston Brembos in front, up from four-piston in the Stingray, chomp down on 14.6-inch rotors. The rear brakes are slightly larger, with 15-inch rotors, but the cream of the crop for the Z06 is the optional carbon-ceramic brakes that bump the sizes to 15.7 inches in front; and 15.4 inches at the back.

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Chevrolet says the suspension setup has been specifically tuned for the Corvette Z06. Also, features like magnetorheological dampers and electronically controlled limited-slip differential offered as options for the Stingray come as standard for the Corvette Z06. It’s all part of what makes the Z06 the most capable track-focused Corvette ever.

Aerodynamics

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Chevrolet

Aerodynamics is serious business on the Corvette Z06. Even a casual observer will notice the lower and wider stance of the standard Z06 model when parked alongside the Stingray. Upfront, a unique fascia helps funnel air to a center heat exchanger. This helps cool the formidable naturally aspirated powerplant packed within the car’s frame. The Corvette Z06 is equipped with centre-mounted quad exhaust pipes, differentiating it from the Corvette Stingray, which wears dual exhausts on both sides of the rear diffuser.

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The Z06 also gets a new front splitter and a rear adjustable spoiler. That spoiler includes an install-able fixed wickerbill. It’s the wide, vertical tab along the spoiler’s rear edge that, according to Chevrolet, boosts downforce, providing an extra 365 pounds at 186 mph (299 km/h). Those craving more downforce and the oomph that comes with it will most likely opt for the Z07 Performance Package, specially put together for the Z06. It includes a more prominent front splitter, canards around the front corners, underbody strakes, and a significantly larger fixed rear wing than what you get with the standard Z06.

Interior

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Chevrolet
2021 Chevrolet C8 Corvette Z51 interior Photo by Elliot Alder

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The driver-focused interior of the Z06 remains essentially unchanged from the layout in the Stingray. Chevrolet does offer a wealth of options, though, to make the Z06 feel truly personal as you slip behind the wheel. A palette of seven interior colours can potentially be combined in thousands of different ways.

There are also three seat choices, six seat belt options and two interior carbon-fibre trim packages, plus something Chevrolet dubs a Stealth Aluminum trim option. It’s more customization than the carmaker has ever offered for any Corvette.

Looking Ahead

The new Corvette’s performance will undoubtedly come under closer scrutiny in the days leading to production and customer deliveries. However, the initial evidence indicates that Chevrolet has made a big jump from the C8 Corvette Stingray with this new Z06.

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2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupe and Convertible Photo by Chevrolet

Even more exciting is the fact that the Z06 is just the first in a line of upcoming variants expected from the eighth-generation Corvette. If the various online rumours are to be believed, we can expect at least four other C8 Corvette models over the next couple of years.

An even more potent ZR1 version will allegedly follow this outrageous C8 Corvette Z06. Chevy reportedly plans to bolt on a pair of turbochargers to the 5.5-litre V8, for a total power output well in excess of 800 hp!

There have also been a throng of whispers alluding to the fact a hybrid variant will join the lineup. If that happens, the Z06’s LT6 engine will most likely remain the base powerplant there, with up to three electric motors to boost the power output. That could also be the first-ever all-wheel-drive Corvette, with two electric motors driving the front axle. Now, that would be interesting.

2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Photo by Chevrolet
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Photo by Handout /Chevrolet

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An all-electric C8 Corvette would tie in nicely with GM’s drive towards an emissions-free future. There would be no gas-guzzling V8 for environmentalists to get worked up over, with the C8 Corvette “E-Ray” – as some have rumoured it’ll be called – most likely leaning on the EV technology and expertise gleaned from other electric vehicles in GM’s lineup.

The C8 Corvette lineup will allegedly be finished up by a range-topping Chevrolet Corvette Zora, expected some time in 2025. The name is a direct nod to Zora Arkus-Duntov, the engineer who first flirted with the idea of a mid-engine Corvette decades ago. The Corvette Zora will be a beast of a supercar, suggest rumours, pairing a twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 (from the ZR1) with a hybrid-electric system. Details are still sketchy, but a 1,000-hp output is in the realm of possibility. The flagship Corvette Zora will most likely be offered in limited numbers, right as Chevrolet waves good-bye to the C8 Corvette with a flourish.

All these upcoming models point to an exciting future ahead for the C8 Corvette. The lads at GM will have to be on top of their game, though, if they are to deliver on all the ante-upping variants. There are many uncertainties to contend with, and plans can still change. For now, though, there is the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to fawn over, and that, we reckon, is good enough for us.