There is a brand new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 out, which officially pointed its nose to the finish line at the end of 2021. It sticks to the mid-mounted V8 recipe of its lesser sibling, the Stingray, albeit with a superior motor mounted behind the seats.
It uses a naturally aspirated 5.5L flat-plane crank V8 lump, developed with Ferrari's indirect expertise. The official spec sheet reveals 670 horsepower (680 ps/500 kW) unleashed at 8,400 rpm and 460 pound-feet (624 Nm) of torque at 6,300 rpm, with an 8,600 rpm redline.
Chevy says the C8 Corvette Z06 deals with 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) in 2.6s with the Z07 Performance Package up and running. Everything is transmitted to the rear axle through a dual-clutch 8sp automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is also available for the C8 'Vette in a premiere, though you must upgrade to the electrified E-Ray.
This model enjoys a combined 655 hp (664 ps/489 kW) and starts at $104,900 (MSRP), which makes it $7,800 cheaper than the latest Z06. As for the Stingray, it kicks off at $68,300, and despite having 'only' 495 hp (with the Z51 Performance Pack or optional performance exhaust system) on tap or 5 hp less without it, it is also very agile in a straight line, and not only, taking 2.9s to reach sixty mph.
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | ImportRace
However, this story is not about the latest C8 Z06 but its predecessor, the C7. Such a model was recently filmed at the Island Dragway in New Jersey, putting its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine to use. With no outside intervention, this iteration boasts 650 horsepower (659 ps/485 kW), taking roughly 3.5 seconds to accelerate to sixty miles per hour.
As a result, the C7 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sits in the same zone as some older supercars in terms of straight-line performance. But how does it compare to a bad Audi S3 Sedan? If you must know, the tuning fairy visited the premium subcompact sports model. It is a previous-gen model, meaning that its 2.0L four-banger used to steam out a little over 300 horsepower when it rolled off the line, and it took some 4.5s to hit 60 mph.
However, it has become far more capable in the meantime, as the undisclosed output and thrust have turned this S3 into an absolute beast on the prowl for superior models, looking to school them in a good old quarter-mile battle from a standing start.
Speaking of which, these two completely different machines, the Z06 and S3, were recorded going head to head down the 1/4-mile and trying to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. We won't ruin the video's outcome by telling you which of the two was quicker while the camera kept rolling, as you'll have to watch it to find out. However, we'll highlight that both were eager to school their ad-hoc rival. So, can you spot the winner before scrolling down and hitting the play button?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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