Everyone seems to have an opinion about the new flat-plane crank Z06 C8 Corvette. We were curious what our Vettes of Atlanta Magazine subscribers thought about this latest offering from General Motors.
So, we sent them a link to the Chevrolet Z06 reveal video and asked them a simple question. What do you think?
Honestly, we were excited by the sheer volume of responses and their often, take-no-prisoners, style remarks. The fact that readers from most of the planet’s seven continents responded was not lost on us either.
On a side note, we’d appreciate an email introduction if you have Corvette friends in Antarctica. Unfortunately, it appears we’ve been getting the cold shoulder there.
Icey South Pole puns aside, the responses showed the genuine passion that our readers have for America’s Sports Car.
To make it easier to skim through, we grouped the responses into loose categories. Once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to send in your first take on the all-new eighth-generation Z06.
Is This Love At First Sight?
The vast majority of the responses we got back were optimistic about what they saw and heard on the Z06 reveal video from General Motors.
- “I watched the video release for the 2023 C8 Z06 and was amazed. 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, a red line of 8600 RPM, 670 horsepower from a non-supercharged engine is phenomenal, and instant power throughout the RPM range. This level of performance and handling is several levels above cars that cost twice as much. I can’t wait to drive one. – Bill.
- “When I crank my C7 and hear that growl, it just makes me smile. Give me some clear curvy mountain roads to unleash the beast, and I won’t be able to stop smiling for a while. Seeing the new C8 is exciting. I can only imagine owning and driving one. A C8 on clear curvy mountain roads with exhaust notes that sound like a crying baby, I can only see myself saying that was fun to drive.” – David.
- “Very impressed – to me, everything you could hope for. I’m on the allocation list at Day’s Chevrolet dealership. Saw a lot of chrome that I didn’t like, but I’m a black trim guy. I’m hopeful that black trim options will be available.” – Don.
- “Now you made me want it. I even liked the yellow on the Z07” – Doug.
- “Sounds like a fantastic package. I can see the early naysayers who canceled their initial orders rushing to get their new orders in, even for the Z-07” – Bob, Bob’s World.
- “The commercials, especially the one during the World Series, game 1, are well done. One of the best GM Corvette commercials I can remember. No question, a state-of-the-art product, made in America. One of the best value sportscar buys in the world. I would have liked the fenders to be more pronounced as a semi-wide body; it pretty much still looks like a Stingray. But it won’t hurt sales in my opinion. All in all, out of a 10, it’s a 10 for me.” – Rod.
- “Incredible art of a production vehicle. Chevrolet nailed it. I would like a 7-speed manual. Great attention to driver experience. Flat plane crank fan. – Al, Lanier Corvettes Unlimited, Oakwood, Georgia.
- “I first watched the video with no sound using just visual aspects to see a beautiful sports car in all respects. Engineering on mechanical as expected is powerful and “Exotic.” This leads to my final observation that it belongs with other “European Exotics,” not the “Individual American Iconic “ sports car of its historical past. Still impressive vehicle! – Greg in Georgia.
- “I think the horsepower numbers are very impressive for a naturally aspirated engine” – Reggie.
- “Love it!” – Liz.
- Just one word, “Awesome.” – John B.
Competition Beware!
- The Z06 is a Ferrari killer for the masses. It even sounds like the 458 Ferrari. It has the sound, performance, and now the looks to take on the prancing horse. Its target has to be the Ferrari SF90. The SF90 starts at $600k Canadian, so you have that. – Brandon, Toronto, Canada.
- Porsche says: Needs turbochargers and AWD to get a 2.6 second 0-60. GM’s response: Hold my beer. – Nicholas, 32nd Street Naval Station, San Diego.
- Pretty sure the Z06 got the upcoming GT3RS in its crosshairs, and it’ll be a battle royale! – Justin, FL.
- It’s soooo amazing what Chevy did. Lol, and it’s not even the ZR1 yet. Is it time for the Porsche boys to fear the bowtie? – Matthew, CA.
- The only competitor for the new Z06 is going to be speed bumps and radar guns. – Kevin, Baltimore, MD.
- That Z06 is the potential to be fantastic. It truly is. GM outdid themselves on this one. It makes me wonder what the ZR1 is going to be like. – Stephen, USAG Grafenwoehr Army Base in Grafenwoehr, Germany
- The documentary-style reveal was EXACTLY what I’m looking for in a new car reveal. The Tadge and the engineers talked about developing the car, not just some CEO trying to act “hyped” – Christopher, New York.
- The #1 competitor for the zo6 will probably be just Porsche. Looking forward to seeing what the zr1 will bring to the table. – Ethan, Vancouver, Canada.
- Somewhere in Italy right now, there is a Ferrari exec screaming in terror at the thought of the C8 Z06. – Cody, NY.
Dealer Mark-Ups, MSRP & Flippers
- Hmm, just guessing on the price here, but thinking of a $95K starting price. Supposing the carbon wheel equipped Z07 will be in the ballpark of $120-130k. – Ben, AL.
- I can’t wait for these to be sold for triple MSRP at the dealerships due to “Supply chain issues.” – Thomas.
- Thinking a 2021 C8 loaded is $160 – 150K + %13 HST up here in Ontario, Canada. So a Z06 will be north of $200K easily. $25K just in taxes. Sadly it doesn’t matter. I still want one! – Michael, Toronto, Canada.
- The “flipper” market for this car will come out in full force now, bet on it, bank on it. – Gerald, CA.
- Fully loaded Z06 with dealership mark-up out the door will be around $150k with no negotiating possible. Supply/demand economics in action. – Michael, Chicago.
- In my opinion, the new Z06 will be the top bargain in its market segment. Undercutting the price of your cheapest competition by 50% sends a message. I hope the dealers don’t screw this up, but they probably will. – Frank, US of A.
- I cannot wait to see the dealer mark-ups on these puppies. All the older guys who bought C8s are going to be reaching deep into their wallets again. Looking forward to seeing them on the road soon here in Texas. – David, Dallas, TX.
- You should get a vehicle for MSRP & not have the soul-crushing hassles of dealership mark-ups. I’m loving this new Z06 but expect to hear horror stories of people paying $150k-$200k for the Z07 Track Pack. Demand will be so high & dealerships know they can fleece people. Chevy dealers have no ethical standards when it comes to MSRP. We should replace MSRP for DFRP, Dealer Fleece Retail Price. – Justin, AZ.
- My guess? The Z06 will cost fully loaded close to 150K out the door, 200K with dealer mark-ups. Where I’m from, a Chevy dealer sold 2 C8.R’s, one coupe, and one convertible for 150K out the door. The Z06 will be sold out for a year or two. I can see prices going over 200k for it, in my opinion. Steve T. Fl.
An Engineering Marvel
- The power numbers surprised me. The looks stunned me, and the engineering and R&D left me jaw-dropped. Even if it sounds like a cliche, the car has left me at a loss for words. And that’s something I don’t think any European exotic could ever do. Imagine producing a ludicrous 500kW of power at 8400rpm and 623Nm of torque at 6300rpm? – Joshua, Brisbane, Australia.
- Fantastic car with crazy technology, but I think after initial hype is going to get lost among the rest of the European “Grey Poupon” crowd here on the continent. For me, it’s all about the driving experience, which includes a manual gearbox. If the C8 Z06 is going to be a collectible, it needs a manual. Manual transmission C7s will outpace C8s in the future. – Samuel, Germany.
- When the Detroit engineers get permission, we get some astonishing things! – Joe, Assigned to RAF Lakenheath, England.
- My favorite part about the new Z06 is that it’s naturally aspirated. I appreciate the devotion to squeezing out as much as possible from the intake manifold, the design of the plenum, the overall shape of the engine, and so on. True engineering marvel! – Nate.
- Amazing car! I am concerned about how the low torque and torque curve of a high revving v8 will feel. – Heitor, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
- It’d be amazing if they made the ZR1 electric upfront, turbo/supercharge the rear. – Charles, Upper Michigan.
- The C8 ain’t no American muscle anymore. It’s a Supercar now. There’s a new king of the Autoban! – Michael, USAG Kaiserslautern, Germany.
- “I think the performance is very impressive to offer 670 hp for a naturally aspirated engine, also love the colors and the new wing; however I think GM stole the shape from the McLaren.” – Oliver, Christchurch, NZ.
Reliability Issues Are A Concern
- I love everything about the new Z06 except potential reliability issues, recalls, and how many days it will spend in the dealership’s service bays. Parts availability? Has anyone thought about that yet? – Patrick, IL.
- Can we just be honest for a minute? Look, it’s a new GM product, so I’m worried about reliability. Besides, which techs are skilled enough to debug them? – Bill.
- Hmm, let’s review, shall we? Overheating issues with automatic C7 Z06s. Cracked wheels on C7 Grand Sports. I could go on and on. My prediction is 130k minimum, outrageous dealership markups, and unreliable. It takes GM years to sort out new models, but oh, they look good! – Tony, TX.
- It was a real treat to watch this vid. I just love the style of the C8. It rocks!! I hope they get out all the bugs before they bring it to the market. – Stan D, Oxford, Michigan.
- Yep, I need that high pitch whine in the low rpm. Carbon fiber wheels will be a pass after the fiasco on the previous wheels cracking and not being covered. Just saying. – Tom, Tampa Bay, Fl.
- Potential to be epic. I’m just a bit worried about the reliability considering the Ford GT350 flat plane with a lot less power had serious issues. Besides, what Chevy mechanic can work on it? Does anyone remember the ZR-1 LT5? – Steve, VA.
- I’m think this will mark the end of the “matching numbers” Corvettes. I suspect they’ll last an average of 50,000 to possibly 100,000 miles before needing an engine replacement. Look, at 8,600 RPM, it won’t take long to wear one out. How much will a new engine cost for one of these? – Robert.
Potpourri of Comments
- Literally, I’m not even kidding, I’ve never had any sort of emotional response to a car reveal before. But this one was close to making me cry when I saw its documentary. The Z06 needs to be mine. – Loren, Austin, TX.
- Now, if only GM could produce the materials and chips to make it, their dealerships could sell some cars. – Eric & Natile, NC.
- How much money did the GM spend on R&D? Had to be a stupid amount. Mind-blowing results for sure! – Joe H.
- Well, my desire for a vintage Corvette just went up after seeing this mess of a “Corvette.” I didn’t like the C8 when it was announced, and now I really don’t like this one with that motor. – Frank B.
- Remember a few years ago when we were told by the “Save the Planet” types that combustion engines would be gone by 2020? Hmm, not so fast, it seems. – Dylan, Los Angels.
- I haven’t been this excited about an individual car in a long time. It checks all the boxes for sure. Exotic, open roof, 8k plus redline, very customizable, and easy on the eyes. Now, how do I convince my wife we need a 100k car loan? – Tony – Upper NY.
- You know, I was wondering when they were gonna release the z06. Nice vid. Now I feel bad for those guys who bought the Stingray. – Mike, Sasebo Naval Base in Sasebo, Japan.
- Neither here nor there. The rear is too Camero. The front is both too busy and tall. The Lamborghini and Ferrari have both done better jobs in design. – Mark.
- Enjoy the Z06 because it’s probably the last hurrah before the Corvette becomes an SUV. – James, Los Angels.
- Just my luck, I’ll buy one, and California will immediately make it illegal. – Derrick, Sacramento, CA.
- Are we taking bets on how long it will be before a C8 Z06 shows up at Jay Leno’s garage? – Phillip, Reno, NV.
Pinnacle Of Performance?
No matter how you slice it, this is an incredible time to be a performance enthusiast. The engineering barriers to engine technology that once seemed insurmountable, are being conquered.
You have to ask yourself, “Could this be the pinnacle of combustion engine performance?”
Many will say this is a governmentally directed evolution of the car culture to the electric side of the ledger. If indeed we’re reached the summit, so be it.
The new C8 Z06 is a great way to go out.
We can’t thank our subscriber family enough for taking the time to share their thoughts on the unveiling of the new Z06 Corvette. Your thoughts, concerns, and opinions matter here.
Thanks again for sounding off on the new Corvette Z06!
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