The New Z06 is King – Here’s Why

Right now there seems to be a die-hard contingent that can’t seem to wrap their heads around the new Z06’s performance figures. This group has already decided that buying the last-generation Z06 is the far-better investment, especially when you throw in a few performance modifications. However, I have no idea how this group has come to this realization since the new Z06 is by far the best performance car Chevy has ever produced. That’s including the Z/28, which is an absolute animal.

The complaints seem to stem from the car’s overall straight-line speed, or lack thereof. But here’s the thing: that’s not what this car was made for. This is not a Corvette of old. This car is for a new generation; buyers who would rather go around a turn faster than have all-out top speed. It is Chevy finally stepping up to the plate and building America’s supercar.

Let’s break it down.

For years, Chevy has lauded the Corvette as America’s sports car. However, during that time, the company really didn’t make an effort to truly compete on a world scale, and the Corvette always fell short. That being said, Chevy is on a sort-of renaissance right now. The company wants to shed its old drag-racing persona for an automaker that can truly compete on a world scale. That means the Corvette needed to be overhauled completely, and made into the racecar it always wanted to be.

With the new Z06, the engineers increased the car’s overall downforce allowing it to corner faster and harder than ever before. When Motor Trend tested it, it was only three-tenths of a second slower than the Porsche 918, a million-dollar hypercar, on their figure-eight test track. However, with that downforce, the car tends to be slower in top speed.

When Chevy launched this car, everyone immediately compared it to the ZR1. That, however, should not have been done. Even though the ZR1 had less horsepower, it could go almost as quick due to the lack of real downforce. That also meant the ZR1 had more in common with a Formula D car than the C6.Rs that raced around tracks. This Z06 is about as close to the racecar as you can get.

If all of this still bothers you, though, here’s what you can do if you want to go extremely fast in a straight line. Slap a few turbos on it and call it a day. You also have the option to get a lower-priced C7 Stingray and head on over to Hennessey where they will be more than happy to give you the 1,000 horsepower you so desperately want.

After a while, though, straight-line speed can get very boring. On the other hand, if you want one of the best performance cars of our time — 0ne that can scare the living hell out of you, and turn harder than things well outside its price range, then the Z06 is the right car for you.

You might think the honeymoon is over after Chevy hyped this car up for the past year, but this car is a huge accomplishment — one that should be celebrated, not mocked. The new Z06 is a monster.

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