Talk about big game hunting. The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 has its sights firmly set on the Porsche 911 GT3 and targets don’t come any more ambitious than that. Thankfully, for our first taste on Australian soil, GMSV laid on Sandown Raceway to really put it to the test.
Just as a GT3 differs radically from a Carrera, so too is the Z06 a very different proposition to a Stingray. The basics are familiar – mid-mounted V8 engine, eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, rear-wheel drive – but the closer you look the wider the gulf becomes.
Let’s start with the engine. Out goes the 6.2-litre LT2 V8 found in the Stingray and E-Ray, replaced by a motorsport-derived 5.5-litre V8. The flat-plane crankshaft, in addition to dry-sump lubrication, forged pistons and titanium con-rods, lift the rev ceiling to 8600rpm.
It also takes outputs to 475kW/595Nm, but despite this grunt being sent to only the rear wheels, the claimed 0-100km/h time is just 3.0-seconds. But the engine is only the tip of the iceberg.
The eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox remains, but a shorter 5.56:1 final drive improves acceleration. A 94mm wider rear end allows enormous 345/25 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres to be fitted to the 21-inch rims, while at the front 20 x 10s wear 275/30s.
Behind the rims are larger brakes, 370mm discs with six-piston callipers at the front and 380mm discs with four-piston rears, Magnetic Ride Control adaptive dampers are standard, there’s more cooling and the aero addenda provides 166kg of downforce at 300km/h.
But this isn’t the real Z06. To really fulfil its potential you need to dig much deeper into your pockets, well beyond the initial $336,000 (plus on-roads) purchase price. The Z07 Performance Package costs an extraordinary $50,000 more, but adds plenty.
This includes giant carbon-ceramic rotors (398mm front; 391mm rear), super sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres, a unique calibration for the Magnetic Ride Control and bigger wings that more than double the downforce to 333kg at 300km/h.
Another $23,000 includes Geelong-built carbon fibre wheels that save 18.6kg of un-sprung mass. Happily, our test car has the works – yes, that’s a total of $409,000 (+ORCs) – so we’ll be experiencing the Z06 in its ultimate form.
Much of the interior is the same as the Stingray. Some huggier seats and more carbon fibre but plenty of leather, the strange quartic steering wheel, the massive strip of buttons that separates driver from passenger and takes a bit of practice to navigate are all here.
It’s questionable whether it’s a $400K interior, but this is always the issue with hero variants of cheaper – relative term – cars. Externally it’s a different matter.
With the substantially fatter rear end, shiny carbon fibre wings and wheels, it looks every inch a supercar, though a brighter colour than the white or grey at the launch – the palette includes red, blue, purple, yellow and more if you so wish – would certainly help.
I nestle into the Z06 driving seat having just driven the new Corvette E-Ray, which will provide an interesting point of reference being very similar in outright performance, if quite different in focus.
One of the differences becomes apparent the moment you hit the starter button, the ensuing exhaust note more Maranello than Detroit. Select Track mode, click D for Drive and M for manual and head out of Sandown’s pitlane – it’s time.
The drier, busier note rises in intensity, but there’s still a musicality to it that’s sometimes lacking in flat-plane engines. The differences keep coming thick and fast. The Z06 doesn’t feel as immediately urgent as the hybrid-assisted E-Ray, but it’s not far off.
The 150kg weight advantage and shorter final drive compensate slightly. At the E-Ray’s shift point the Z06’s LT6 still has around 2000rpm to go and it screams through the early gears on the way down to turn one.
With massive Cup 2 R tyres – road-legal rubber doesn’t get any more serious – hitting the apex is a breeze and traction is no issue. That said, mash the throttle greedily like in the all-wheel drive E-Ray and the Z06 traction control does step in.
Apply some progression and the electronics will leave you alone. The brakes are outstanding. If you used them to their full effect at the – understandably conservative – braking markers GMSV has put out, you would come to a standstill before the corner.
A full ABS stop from 200km/h has the Z06 shedding speed like it’s dropped an anchor into the tarmac. It’s different in character to the E-Ray, feeling skittish and almost hyperactive, giving you feedback about the many lumps and bumps in Sandown’s surface.
That’s not because it’s too stiff, as it happily runs over the kerbs without drama. There’s little else to say, really, except that the allocated laps went far too quickly and only really allowed us to scratch the surface of this awesome machine.
It sounds brilliant, is incredibly fast, and the handling is secure yet involving. It genuinely seems happy to circulate until either the driver or the fuel is exhausted. Is it better than a Porsche 911 GT3?
That’s a call that’s too big to make without driving them back-to-back on the same road (or track), but the fact that the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is even in the conversation shows how impressive it is.
How it stacks up on the road remains to be seen, especially on the Cup R tyres. It might be best left in the garage on a cold or wet day, but one thing’s for sure, we can’t wait to find out.
You can find out more by visiting the GMSV website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote on your next vehicle purchase, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One.
To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by GM Australia for independent review purposes.
