General Motors USA is continuing its march into Europe with the confirmation that the new Corvette, which went on sale over here earlier this year, will be joined in December by the storming Z06.
With a blueprinted and dry-sumped normally aspirated 7.0-litre V8 engine producing a massive 504bhp and 468lb ft of torque - 106bhp and 66lb ft more than the standard C6 - the Z06 is the most powerful production Corvette ever. As you might expect performance is heroic, with 62mph reached from rest in 3.9sec and a 198mph maximum speed - enough pace to frighten the Ferrari F430 and forthcoming Porsche 911 Turbo.
But it isn't only about power. The Goodyear Eagle F1 325/30 ZR19 rear tyres are the largest ever fitted to a 'Vette, the suspension has been thoroughly reworked and the cross-drilled brake discs are gripped by six-pot front and four-piston rear calipers. The new car's makers claim that the Z06 has lapped the infamous Nurburgring in an astonishing 7min 43sec.
Unlike the C6, which comes as both coupé and cabrio, the Z06 will be offered only as a hard-top with prices expected to be around £15,000 more than the standard £45,850 C6 coupé.
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