Chevrolet Corvette Z06 C8 Review

The LT6 is the story here and it is a genuinely startling piece of engineering. Five and a half litres, flat-plane crankshaft, dry sump, 670 horsepower with no turbochargers or supercharger anywhere, and a limiter at 8,600rpm. It sounds like a racing engine because it essentially is one, and it makes the pushrod Stingray feel like a different species. The wide body adds three and a half inches of track, and the optional Z07 package brings carbon wheels and enough aero to change what the car does at speed.

The interior is unchanged from the Stingray, which means it is fine but does not read like a car near six figures. Fuel economy is poor and the engine wants premium in volume. Servicing is more expensive than a Stingray but still ordinary next to anything European, which matters more than people expect. Values held up better than the Stingray because production has been limited and the engine is a landmark. This is the American exotic argument, made properly.