Manoli Katakis 
Soon the peaceful emptiness of a quiet backroad will be assaulted by the howling scream of the LT6 V8 engine chambered into the rear cavity of the 2023 Corvette Z06. And while there has been no shortage of leaks, spy shots and videos capturing and confirming the engine sound of a flat-plane crank V8, this is the first time Chevrolet has gone to confirm it. And it’s almost two years to the day exactly when the C8 Corvette Stingray was officially revealed. We’re now turning the page on the next chapter of Chevrolet Performance. And it’s teased in the video just below:
2023 Corvette Z06: Details And Expectations
The 2023 Corvette Z06 completely rethinks everything previously seen from the nameplate. It’s the first midship Z06, and it’s the first flat-plane crank V8 Z06. While details haven’t been made official yet, the C8 Corvette Z06 will be exclusively rear-wheel-drive, and will send all of the power from its LT6 V8 to those rear wheels via a Tremec dual-clutch 8-speed transmission as we currently see in the Stingray.
MC&T can also confirm that the 2023 Corvette Z06 will utilize Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires; the same make utilized on the $400,000 Porsche 911 GT2 RS that has been seen trailing Z06 prototypes in benchmark testing. The C8 Corvette Z06 is also expected to feature a unique exhaust system, routing gasses to a center exit. We’re told that the positioning is intended to amplify the high-revving pitch of the LT6 engine.
Of which, the new DOHC flat-plane crank V8 is expected to be the most powerful naturally-aspirated eight-cylinder engine ever produced by any automaker, topping out somewhere between 600 and 620 horsepower. Corvette enthusiasts may scoff at the fact that projected output is less than that of the LT4-powered supercharged V8 of the C7 Corvette Z06, but the C8 Z06 is expected to make much more use of that power through record levels of downforce, superior tire grip, and optimal weight distribution. Around a road course, such as Circuit of the Americas where the teaser video was shot, the 2023 Z06 should shame any previous iteration of Corvette before it.
The full reveal of the 2023 Corvette Z06 is expected to take place in the fall of 2021.
