As of this writing, the average price of a model-year 2010-15 Ferrari 458 Italia sits at $204,000. If you want to drink deeper of that naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V-8 soundtrack, a convertible 458 Spider goes for an average of $241,000. If you’re feeling speciale, the limited-production, track-oriented 458 Speciale coupe and open-top Speciale A will deplete your available balance by an average of $410,000 and $715,000, respectively. Mamma mia.
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Too dear? Capisco. If your budget is more corn-fed than carbonara, get in touch with your local Chevy dealership. They’ll be happy to order a wrapper-fresh 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in your choice of color and trim for a fraction of that cost, built to order in Bowling Green, Ky., by folks with exotic names like “Joe” and “Susan.”
Ferrari Focal
For some of y’all, a Corvette of any variety is a jarring suggestion for a Fauxrarri. For most, however, I suspect you’ve already seen the Z06 headlines and perhaps even read a review. If you have, chances are good you’ve already heard plenty of parallels drawn between Chevrolet’s latest superstar and Ferrari’s icon. It’s unavoidable, I’m afraid. Chevrolet did a rather poor job of hiding its benchmark 458 Italia, a car spotted multiple times in proximity to a parade of camo’d C8 Z06 mules. This comparison is integral to understanding just what planet this Corvette crash-landed from.
It is, without pretense, one of the most scintillating and emotive new vehicles available at any price in 2024. It all boils down to what’s under that expansive rear deck lid: In place of ye olde cam-in-block 16-valve pushrod small-block V-8 architecture, which has powered the overwhelming majority of Corvettes throughout their history, the C8 Z06’s dual-overhead camshaft, 32-valve, 5.5-liter LT6 V-8 shrieks to its 8,600-rpm redline with a flat-plane crankshaft.
Flat-Plane Fanatic
Compared with the traditional cross-plane crankshafts found in (nearly) every V-8 Mustang, Camaro and Challenger ever produced, the LT6 is unrecognizable as an American product. With the benefit of a decade of advancement on the 458 and the engineering might of GM behind it, the banshee wail of the Z06 out-belissimas the Ferrari handily — and that’s coming from an avowed Maranello superfan.
The fact that this 5.5-liter V-8 is able to spin to redline both quickly and smoothly — and sound every nanodecibel as evocative as an Italian supercar — is beyond remarkable. It’s also loud; remote-starting the Vette in an underground parking garage was a veritable detonation, triggering a wave of car alarms across a three-row radius. Later, a handful of back-and-forth full-throttle pulls resulted in a few cars pulled over and more than a few phones pulled out to record the cacophony.
Whew — breathe. Alright.
Essence d’Z06
Ignoring that ripsaw warp-drive for a moment, the rest of the C8 Z06 is simple to understand. In keeping with the precedent set by the first “real” production Z06 back in 2001, this is a focused track-performance weapon. It’s distinct from the base Stingray’s all-purpose character, and it offers a level of dynamic capability that puts it well into the realm of supercars.
The Z06’s magnetorheological shocks provide a stiffer baseline; the standard tires are stickier and way, way wider; and while the standard Z06 brake rotors are an inch larger in front and 1.2 inches larger in back than the Stingray Z51’s stoppers, carbon-ceramic brakes are available if you have the need (and the coin).
The Z06 is also significantly wider, stretching an extra 3.6 inches to accommodate its wider rubber. The effect of this swell is twofold. First, its street presence is remarkable; even when parked and silent, passersby stopped, circled and took photos of this electric-blue killer. And second …
Driving Dance
Not only does the Z06 pop in traffic like a 10-foot pile of Skittles, its mechanical grip oscillates between “ouch” and “my god!” Out on the performance playground that is Angeles Crest Highway, the Z06 carries a jogging pace far, far beyond what you should manage on-road. Turn-in is whip-quick, with ferocious front-end bite that comes mostly thanks to P275/30 tires up front. P345/25 rubber out back handily wrangles the LT6’s 670 horsepower and 460 pounds-feet of torque, loud as they might be.
Just about the only expected characteristic of the LT6 V-8 is how much more predictable it is compared with the prior-generation Z06’s supercharged 6.2-liter thumper. That Z06 delivered an extremely capable (though demonstrably hairier) experience compared with the new car; the C7’s square 650 hp and 650 pounds-feet necessitated deliberate inputs, with great, greasy torque available everywhere and at any time — including when the car was unsettled.
That’s perhaps a bit of a “no duh” sentiment, considering the C8 Z06 is naturally aspirated and has 190 fewer torques. Compared with the immediate sledgehammer smack of the C7 Z06, the current Z06 builds pace gradually — though that’s relative — through its 8,600-rpm rev range, rewarding high-rpm downshifts and sustained throttle through Angeles Crest’s infamously sweeping corners.
Even without its predecessor’s immediacy, the C8 Z06 is tremendously quick in a straight line. Chevy reports a stonkin’ 2.6-second 0-60 mph scramble — an impressive figure for a rear-wheel-drive car that’s made possible mostly via the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Though it’s not the finest dual-clutch on the market, the Tremec-supplied TR-9080 box is a great general-purpose transmission that’s fabulously suited to the LT6’s character. Shifts are requisitely quick, and transmission logic is impressive streaking up a mountain pass and oozing through LA traffic.
Oh Heck, Let’s Talk Engine Again
You’re gonna work that sucker out, too. Revs build in a blaring crescendo, raising goosebumps and echoing off each and every semi-solid surface. The V-8 spins to redline faster than you might expect, especially if this is your first flat-plane engine experience; I can imagine some Corvette die-hards will be turned off by the C8 Z06’s distinctly Italian accent, but I reckon there will be 10 hungry fans for every one stick-in-the-mud.
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A Livable Supercar
Strangely, the Z06’s greatest trick might be its preservation of the C8 Stingray’s wonderful duality. It’s noticeably harsher and more involving than its pushrod sibling, but if you leave it in Tour mode, it will navigate cityscapes with a mostly comfortable character not shared with many European supercars. Both cargo areas are unaffected by the Corvette’s Z06-ification, so there’s impressive stowage for longer-distance trips or aggressive stocking-up at Costco. Of course, you lose the rear trunk with the Targa roof panel removed and stored, but that’s a small price to pay for unrestricted access to that engine note.
The interior is left mostly untouched versus the base Stingray, and that’s a mostly good thing; it’s likely the nicest, most well-fitted cockpit GM makes, short of range-topping Cadillacs. My “touring-spec” test car — without the available Z07 Performance Package — was drenched in white leather that looked great but already showed mar from a million media butts.
What an incredible car. It’d be a worthwhile experience for $250,000, let alone the 2024 Z06’s starting price of $114,395 — even if it does share interior appointments with the $70,000 Stingray. Having driven my fair share of modern supercars, I can say the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is remarkable in both execution and philosophy, and it provides a balance of performance and experience not offered by anything … well, at least not by anything new. Ferrari’s gone and hybridized its twin-turbo V-6, while McLaren has never been anything but turbocharged.
If it’s scream you’re after, get a prescription for a Z06. You’ll wonder why you ever wanted anything else in the first place.
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