C8 Z06

I'll post a picture of the new Camaro ZL1-1LE we are picking up tomorrow.

 

So this is where you run up against the "Corvette" buyers. They are a different group. They won't pay $140K for a 2 seat sports car let alone $300K for a Maserati or $400K for a Ferrari. The reason why the C8 was such a smash it was the "under 60K" starting price point.

To me this is a daily driving alternative to a 12 year old Ferrari 458 where the Stingray isn't. At $140K for a spider with the best trim interior, its a bargain. But to many, its just too expensive to justify. And I think many have never driven a 9000 rpm flat plane crank car before to really understand the magic.

 

Actually quite a bit. The parts from the Z06 package are included. Wing, upgraded brakes, Ediff, better exhaust, etc. That was like $5K on a Stingray for the upgrade.

The big difference is which interior you select. You go from vinyl to all leather with different seats. That's like a 10K option if you go all out.


Its between this, the Maserati MC20 at $280K, or a used 458. Or the C8 plus a Nissan Z.

 

but other than the motor, what does the z06 offer in base form?

 

Based on what i saw at the track this past week, excellent choice. Maybe a little tough going as a street car depending on roads, but an absolute killer on big tracks where it can really stretch its leggs.

these guys do a good review of many cars and I think capture the nature of this quite well, maybe ver 2.0 z06 will become this focused. Chev clearly has the talent.

 

Nice quandry. Depends on use. C8 and Nissan z are both more daily driver type cars. Different yet for similar use.
Used 458, the issue there is its a 10 years old ferrari, prob most fun to drive on mountains, but more limited application elsewhere like lv straigh roads and stoplights, not to mention parking lots etc, and its a 10 yo ferrari where things may need more and more attention here and there.

MC20 covers all the bases, its exotic, looks great, is new, works well as a driver, is comfy enough yet can do the business.
z06 prob in similar category to MC20, not as exotic and its big, you have a vette now, its different to that but more, so maybe an easier question to answer as in do you nwat more vette or somehting different.
For the price of a MC20 you could do a z06 and a Nissan z as a daily. Personally I like to switch cars depending on trip and mood.

Seems the Mc20 is more like a ferrari in terms of style and experience and a z06 is going to be more lambo.

Hard not to do a Mc20. It covers many bases, the style and exoticness of a 458 with hopefully some of the reliability and "comfort" of a z06.

My vote for 250K. Go Mc 20, or z06 and Nissan. But you cant go wrong either way. 458 is a classic.

 

Width, wider wheels(grip), shorter final drive, brakes, and numerous small enhancements. porb less comfy a little more raw. Almost certainly less low down torque so its going to need revs to move and may feel intialy slower off a stoplight unless you really hammer it.

For the road the upcoming e rey is probably going to feel a lot faster and more responsive to throttle input as road speed due to the Tq, more secure, more fuel effcient, more comfy and maybe cost less. For road the z06 is going to have that exotic sound and top end rush as the revs scream past 6500-8500. For track thats where one needs the power and powerband,

You raise a good point, we'll see how focussed this car really is for track, or is it wheels brakes and tires, there is a lot more that goes into a porche Gt3 over a carrera than that.

Id like to see the z06 not trying to cover so many bases and maybe become more focussed, which I think will happen after the other variants come out, the basic bits are there already, and the e-rey and zl1 will take the road car crown freeimg the z06 to sharpen its claws..

Im thinking the vette team had to present the z06 as more mainstream to the brass in order to get that motor. Now that they have it, and theere will be faster betetr road c8 alternatives, the z06 will in 3-4 years has an "rs" version.

 

I wonder how many vette buyers will be happy with a motor that does not make serious power till the revs are above 5k or so, plus it wont have that classic sbc sound. Most vette buyers love that off the line tq of a pushrod v8. The e rey is going to have all that plus be way faster thana regular c8, it will be the ticket to ride for many.

I woder as a driver how different the z06 will be to the stingrey. maybe a little harder and obviously the motor, there is a lot more to the feel of a 458 than that.
It could be like comparing a M3 bmw to a Alfa Guila. Maybe on paper the bmw is faster and more modern, but there really is no comparison to drive.

Im hoping the z06 will be able to play the porche Gt,2,3,4 game, comfy enough to drive to track, good enough to really perform all day, sharp enough to feel accurate on track, and then drive home, plus ocasional weekend use. Kinda what a camnaro zl1 le now does but better sharper and more rewarding, ie more of a scalpel. Thats going to be a question of how stiff it can be and how dialed in the steering is(something p cars have). That camnaro is really as focussed as that platform can get, the z06 currently looks to be more of a generalist for now. the talent is clearly there and all the basic ingredients are present.

The fastest vettes I see on track by far are the c6 z06s that have maybe 550 hp(headers intake) been lightened a bit, stiffened a bit, and have serious focus on suspesion (shocks, springs ride height), brakes etc.

 

Agree camaro zl1 is track beast but its also very heavy and uses up consumables as fast as it drives. Plus its really too uncomfortable to use on street other than occasional canyon run. I don't think chevy can do much with z06 to get past zl1 weight and comfort issues in trying to make it more track focused. 911 platform just has more bandwidth and can go from base to gt3 to 3rs. Imo z06 will have to stay as it is with base and z07 package. More track focused would render it unusable street car. Maybe they offer a super limited run lunatic version at end c8 before all electric?

 

Im thinking somewhere in between. Ditch the electric seats, magnetic ride, Go swan neck wing(cause 700lbs downforce on z07 at 180 means what at 120mph), maybe loose some sound deadening, thinner glass etc. It might not be light even then but 200lbs less weight and more focus will make it a very different machine.
That being said one could take a standard z06 and reap these changes.

As to where this car could go, just look at a pic on one next to the c8r, the body is very different, not to mention aero.

im hoping the oter variants become the choice and the z06 becomes free to focus, but will Gm allow it, maybe.

the vette simply because of layout, and relative weight can be less road brutal than the zl1 1le and more scalpel like, cause yore spot on with the zl1 1le as a road machine, and consumables on track. A camaro will smoke a G4 on track though, hence the Gt4 rs, maybe well see the z06 rs.

 

Probably too expensive for me.

I'm 16th on my dealers list and may still order, but the 2LZ is about 20k more than I was prepared to spend. Apparently there's also a 5k gas guzzler tax.

I could order and sell it, but I doubt there would be much room for profit at these prices, so probably not worth the trouble.

 

Carbon fiber wheel repair
https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2022/07/14/video-future-z06-owner-i-curbed-my-carbon-fiber-wheels-now-what/



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Mike Furman sent out an email blast this morning. There's some new information. Here's part of it:


GM has not yet shared the Z06’s Order Guide (hopefully July 25th). As soon as they do, it would be on the MidEngineCorvetteForum and other places. When that happens it is probable that soon thereafter GM would be sharing initial ordering allocations with its dealers, at least with those who would be getting one or more allocations during that first ordering cycle. GM has still not announced production numbers, constraints or allocation amounts...so please do not contact me, I will contact the start of my long Z06 list in a timely manner. I started my Z06 deal folder list January 2015! >>> I closed down my Z06 deal folder list 8 months ago.<<<

At the April NCM Corvette Bash we heard Chief Engineer Josh Holder say that “to deliver the best Z06’s we can to our customers, its roll out will be very measured and progressive.” Therefore the bottom line is that until we know officially from GM when the first batch of Z06 order allocation might be announced, I can not answer that nor related further “what-if” questions. Again as soon as I know official GM information, I would reach out happily contact those fortunate, initial order batch customers who have been on my Z06 for years and years and only to those people. I would contact you individually, saying “it is time to finalize your order and get it entered.” I hope during the interim all who think they might be getting that initial call from me, that you have made most if not all of their ordering decisions so we can efficiently work together to get your order in. Thank you.

 

basically, “dont call me, ill call you”

 

I would definitely buy a 140 k z06 because i have driven and owned cars with a flat crank 9000 rpm engine I have my deposit at Criswell and at the new dealer that was kerbeck I would gladly buy a position….
I also have a GT3 touring i bought used and a bnew one on order with a deliveery date in October 2022…..both of them are 9000 rpm manual transmission cars and the amazing thing is even at that all three of these cars will cost less combined then my Pista I recently sold on BAT

 

Yep, I received the same email from Mike and will patiently wait for his call when my time to order comes up.

 

Mike closed his Z06 list back some time ago. At the time he had what he believed to be a 3 year supply of orders based on the allocation he thought he would get. No point in calling him. He gets back to the prospects when he gets his allocations.

IMO, GM can make about 4-5K cars a year based on the limitations of engine builders. We are getting into Ferrari / McLaren / Lambo allocation territory with so few being made.

 

I think the calculas was they could make 15k of these. Maybe 10k more realistic.
There are any number of buyers who have 2-3 orders out there. Then there are those scared off by the price. Past the fiorst few thousand who gotta have it, its not going to be an easy flip.

The car is already 1 year delayed, and it looks liek if they deliver this year it wont be full production rate, thats keeping tension high..
By the time volume deliveries start many will migrate to the less expesive more comfy and "faster" e-rey and the mush faster zl1. The e-rey will not be production limited either, nor so expesive, its basicaly a sbc with electric motors to the front wheels.
I'll bet in 2 years they will be at the end of that 3 year waiting list for a z06, by then he flaws of the z06 will be known and the other variants will have rolled out. the vette team will then be able to turn their attention to z06 2.0. Its always been some form of this pattern with new vettes.

 

Yeah he told me I was 2-3 years out back then. Im 58 so maybe my 60Th birthday present, kinda the right age for a vette.

 

With all of the price complaining going on in corvetteforum, I'd say your 2-3 years may be more like 6 months...

 

Yeah thats fine too.
I never understood all the clamor for the z06 by the general corvette buyer. Its like they didnt understand what it was (and were bound to be disappointed) other than a more powerful more expesive corvette. I'd say Ive pretty much never seen a newer one driven in anger on road, and the average owner has a age not less than 70. I think chevy nailed it making the first c8s Gt cars, more the personal coupe of old. The E rey is the upscale vette they want.

For road warriors the zr1 is going to be the ticket with 800hp, and the zora even more so.

The z06 is for thsoe who understand what it it. Possibly it would have been better if one of the other versions came out first, sating the gotta have the more expensive "faster" vette crowd and freeing the z06 to be what it should. I can see lightly used z06s being turned into track cars for a decade or more. In fact given the average age of many vette owners, were goign to be seeing a glut of used ones in about 5 years as their current keepers simply cant drive them anymore. then it really will be the performance bargain of the century.

Gm is probably getting a little greedy with pricing, and I can easly see 30k discounts once the overenthusiasm subsides, and the boomers move on to new persuits due to age.

As much as Ive called this car too heavy and too big, one need only see how a Zl1 Ilt camaro performs to realize that maybe this z06 really can dance.
Porches answer was the cayman rs, and we'll see if lotus can make the emira really go. Its all an ice golden age swansong, the performance of these cars shadows anything from a decade or two ago other than viceral feel and engagement.

Cool stuff.

 

It's been crazy. I haven't even been on corvetteforum in a while, but the FB groups have been blowing up over the pricing. Just shooting the messenger, it's fairly priced. Probably adjusted some for inflation, market, but then people have less discretionary income moving forward and financing is going to be double what it was when most of us got on the list. I was def expecting 2025 or 2026 before my number came up, but I think you're right might be more like late next year now and I'm going to have to start socking cash away because I don't want a 5-6% loan either. Going to be a lot of people passing.

 

A lot of people were hoping to get a car that frankly they couldn’t have afforded. It shouldn’t be sub $100k. It’s too special. Dealer mark ups need to be eliminated though