GM’s all-new ‘Global Supercar’ confirmed for NZ

We’ll have to wait until GM release official figure to confirm, but either way the Z06 promises to be an outstanding vehicle for both road and track.

“News that the C8 was available as right-hand drive was reason enough to make Corvette enthusiasts cheer, but this latest update is absolutely phenomenal.” said Joanne Stogiannis, Director of GMSV.

The 2023 MY Corvette Z06 will be manufactured at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant and left-hand drive production will commence in the North American summer of 2022, with right-hand drive production to start some months later.

The 2023 MY Corvette Z06 debuts an all-new naturally aspirated LT6 5.5L DOHC V-8 engine and features an all-new flat-plane crankshaft design which allows the engine to rev to 8,600 rpm.

The LT6 is hand assembled by master engine builders at the Performance Build Centre within the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky.  Builders use precision tooling and hand fit pieces of the engine to meet Chevrolet’s exact specifications.  Each engine features a plaque on the intake manifold with the signature of the technician who crafted it from start to finish.

Performance credentials of the Z06 build on the already impressive foundation laid by Stingray.  For example, the Z06 delivers greater braking capability, with larger 14.6-inch-diameter (370 mm) front and 15-inch-diameter (380 mm) rear Brembo® rotors, compared with the Stingray. The Z06 also features 6-piston front callipers compared to 4-piston callipers on Stingray.

Additional highlights of the 2023 Corvette Z06 include:

• A stance 3.6 inches (9.4 cm) wider than the Stingray, accommodating massive 345-series rear tires and more airflow through side air vents
• Unique front and rear fascia, a first for Z06. The front fascia is designed to optimise the Z06’s cooling needs, including channelling air to a centre heat exchanger, which is one of five for maximum cooling performance
• A unique, standard reconfigurable rear spoiler with adjustable wickerbill elements designed to improve high-speed stability and cornering capability on a racetrack
• Standard 20-inch (50.8 cm) front and 21-inch (53.3 cm) rear forged aluminium “spider” wheels (with five available finishes) — the largest wheels ever available on a production Corvette

Details such as price, anticipated arrival timing and number of vehicles allocated to our market will be revealed next year.

In the meantime, the first Corvette C8 customer cars are planning to be shipped from Bowling Green to Australia and New Zealand in coming weeks and these deliveries will herald in a exciting new era for GM in this part of the world.