Souped-up, latest-gen American sporting icon braves the Autocar timing gear
Going global is proving a tricky challenge for the Chevrolet Corvette. The latest, eighth-generation (C8) version was launched in Europe in 2021, and in 2022 – as the first factory-built, right-hand-drive examples ever made arrived in the UK – it won an Autocar Award for Best Dream Car.Chevrolet’s European distributors couldn’t have hoped for a better reception for the all-new, mid-engined ‘Stingray’. And yet, as the demand for the C8 has rolled in, so General Motors’ commitment to the car’s supply in Europe, including the UK, has started to waver. GM has, say insiders, become more interested in Europe’s EV market, and less in selling anything with a combustion engine.Now, with an all-electric Corvette in the wings, Chevrolet Europe is reviewing how the Corvette is to be sold throughout this continent. All UK and mainland Europe dealers have had their supply contracts ended and the expanded European sales plans for the Corvette, which Chevrolet talked up so ambitiously two years ago, are in limbo.Against this backdrop arrives the extra-special Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for road testing. The Z06 was unveiled towards the end of 2021 for 2022 production in North America and Chevrolet has confirmed that it will definitely be offered in the UK, in right-hand-drive form, once its new sales and distribution arrangements are finalised. Its commitment even extended as far as bringing an early left-hand-drive car to the UK for us to fully assess.The Range at a glanceEnginesPowerFromC8 Coupé 2LT475bhp£93,785C8 Convertible 2LT475bhp£98,785Z06 Coupé637bhptbcThe UK range for the Corvette Z06 has yet to be set, but if it follows the template of the standard C8, it will be available in both coupé and convertible bodystyles (although even the coupé still comes with a removable Targa-style roof panel).We are unlikely to get North America’s base model but instead will probably have a choice between 2LZ and 3LZ derivative lines (3LZ getting a higher-grade interior and upgraded seat design).The Z07 package adds carbon brakes and uprated springs, and you can have carbon wheels and carbon aero addenda at further cost.
