Looks great, glad i got an order in for delivery some time Kinda reminds me how the NSX rewrote the rule book of what to expect in 1990.
If someone wanted a track car, it seems like the Z09 package is exactly what you want. Plenty fast, reliable, dare I say "exciting experience" with a lot of drama, and if you ding it a bit easy to fix the plastic body. For me I always only wanted this engine in a Stingray. It goes from really good to great and I like great cars. I only wish Chevy dealers matched the high water mark the car has reached.
Yah I would say that. Its interesting they went after the 458. Ford went after the 360 Modena with the first GT40. This car is an everyday exotic and I never felt the 458 was. I drive my C8 everywhere anytime and everywhere. I don't think anyone would look twice at this which is why I like it. Its a wolf under sheep skin. This is the car Ferrari and Honda forgot how to make, unfortunately.
The last NSX was a damp squib sales wise. Its not as though honda didn't spend a bucket designing it so coulda been anything, but hey went all tech, and thats not a sportscar, same fail as the maclaren P1. Ferrari, well the F8 is still top of the pile, they really got their game on there as they should. The z06 is also not quite Gt3 either. As the video says chev had to design a car that would also work for their customer base, which must be +70. As a track guy I think there is lost of potential still in the platform. Like great American cars of yore the motor dominates, and thats no bad thing. Agreed that unlike say a Gt4Rs this is still a car you can use daily or weekly. The z07 package without carbon wheels, or cermics, and Id get a set of light track wheels which would be better anyway. Im guessing a 2-3 year wait still, by then there will be lots of options and upgrades.
I wonder whether the Camaro zl1 1lt which is hyper focused and not very comfy is not a better track car. the z06 is designed to dance at two weddings with one pair of shoes, always a difficult balancing act.
Camaro might hold up better on track but that's about it so might as well mod it to track only w trailer. Z06 will be better all around and that motor puts it own category. Wouldn't get z06 if wanted hpde 20 x yr as some part of it will probably fail
I’ve watched a half dozen launch videos now and I think SavageGeese did the best most comprehensive job.
you might well be right, Hard to say with the c8 but prior gens always seem to fail on track due to some gm cheapout. But based on the savage geese tech analysis this one may hold up. The Camaros hold up from what I’ve seen, so they can engineer a Vette too. To me it’s more of whether it will have that bottomed down feel, the Camaro is barely roadable but good on track.. as we know there is a difference between a car that magazines say “feels” like a race car for road, and one that has real sustainable track chops. For sure they’re goi g to be run hard in the next few years by some people so we”ll find out. the Vette one day you just know there will be a version with less weight more downforce etc. still the current one all the reviews coment on how great the front end feels and stock it’s already -2 degrees camber front and rear. still it’s probably not gt4 honed and not that much less to buy(based on msrp) I’ve said for a while it’s a super car/Lamborghini that works. That’s a different proposition to the porche gt4 deoeds what fails I guess, parts gotta be way less than porche. It’s a car to drive to the track on occasion. If one is doing + 10 days per year better to have a primary track car anyway I can just perceive the compromises and one day we may see the RS version where they dont have to cater to the +70 golf club crowd. my musings are that for 1/2 the price the Camaro May perform just as well on track. It’s also possible that the practical delta between the regular z06 and z07 is minimal. Slicks and pads may tilt it in the regular cars favor by a significant margin. The question then is are those techs shocks able to handle slicks etc. seems Like this car is one of the greats, but even the reviews point out where some of the build is crap, like panel gaps and cheap ac vents. As a lotus driver I can look the other way at those things, but at 159k maybe not. let’s see the uk EVO review, they’re more objective this not being the home team car, and there will be inevitable group tests. in the end though whether it’s a gt3 gt4rs or this Vette the lap difference are going to be down to the driver and for the owner subjective feel. I like to think of it as the Lamborghini aventador that works and can track.
Completely agree that the Camaro Zl1 1LT may and probably is a better pure track toy. And it comes with a 6MT (which the Z06 does not). But the thing that separates the two cars from the same company (Chevy) is that one is a supercharged pushrod V8 and the other is a flat plane crank NA V8 with a 8400 redline. One can overlook a lot of faults of the Z06 to get that delicious NA V8.
Video on gt3rs just released and I would not be interested. Motor is terrific but same old thing. Trick is the downforce which requires certain skill and track to exploit, neither of which I possess. Then steering buttons (gimmick?) require engineer to explain. Doesn't seem like fun to me. Z06 all the way for me and that would be regardless price
yes, it was a big break for savage geese to be chosen as the ones doing the in depth interviews. yet they gently brought in valid observations
I’ve spent enough time shifting on track to embrace the idea of paddles. On road, or better put open roads manuals are the way to go, just far more engaging and involving another dimension added and you can only go so fast on road anyway. on track paddles really work and allow you to focus more. Between quick shift time and the ability to shift In areas near impossible with a manual, plus more closely stacked gears paddles are simply the thing for track, faster more focused and more fun. that supercharged pushrod v8 was a damp squib in the c7 z06 but the Camaro has the cooling to cope, and that motor makes power everywhere. The Camaro is to me more of a blunt instrument but it sure works ona. Big track. The guys I know with them don’t really street drive them much at all, too hard and way to fast not to get arrested. Like a gt RS it’s really a one trick pony, A car to drive to and on track but really not that good otherwise. yes the flat plane is cooler and a broad rev range means you’re putting down power more often in more places so it works: Most reviews say the car is still fun at real road speeds and won’t tire you out. The motor is a major part of what elevates this car and makes it an intoxicating exotic. I just wish the z06 or at least the z07 was a Little more focused, ie less weight maybe spool valve shocks, no trunk and a better wing as a result. A more durable faster track car without the golf club edict but still roadable. We’ll probably see some version like that before the platform is done, we’ll probably also see higher Revs and over 700 hp too. This is ver 1.0 we’re seeing. great car and I’m looking forwards to mine for road and track. Love super cars and this is one that works, is reliable, is roadable and trackable. The motor gives it the drama other vettes and Camaros lack, plus the performance. I’m trying to think of one suoercar that can boogie on track, maybe a maclaren 765 if you don’t mind the mandatory 15k in dealer prep each time. the Vette is a class of one, the big bruiser super car, but it can do track and it just works o.n Road. One just has to understand what it is. It’s not a gt3 or gt4 RS. It’s in its own spot. I spend most of my time in Florida, a gt3 here woukd be wasted other than on track. On the back roads of ct I’m sure the gt3 would shine and entertain in a way the Vette could not due to size weight drama. In Florida the Vette will shine on highways and I’m sure on big tracks it will work even if lacking some of the finesse inherent gt series porche. the question mark for me will be durability both mechanically and general build. Porsches we know have weak links but I general they’re still all of a piece and right at 50k miles. I can’t say the same for hard driven vettes and at $150k that is pause for concern. My biggest concern was always weight, but I’ve see 4000lbs Camaros do the buisness so what do I know. Basicaly love it, this will be my third Vette and the previous two were ultimately disappointments because they were twisty rattly unrefined and poorly built. Plus I personally think the sbc lacks due to low rev range and poor rod ratios. A 302 ford is was infinitely superior. so yeah if the build is acceptable the rest looks great. ice cars are banned in the peolke republic and the lemming states that follow after 2035. Putting aside the unreality of that edict we’ve got another decade or maybe more for this platform to evolve. once we get some non USA reviews and group tests we’ll know more. But seems like this car has rewritten the suoercar rule book justblien the original nsx rewrote the mid tier exotic rule book before. imagine if a mc20 had this motor, tells you who’s top dog. An r8 outclassed in every way. go USA
regular 992 gt3 is pretty sweet though as is a gt4rs. For the same money I’m not sure I’d take the Vette over a gt4rs, They each have virtues I admire. But they’re not the same money and that la based on msrp so no debate even in theory. In reality To get a gt4rs you must be prepared to fall On your knees and suck while ponying up an extra 100k over msrp. F that. you know at 30-50 k more I could probably find the extra $ for a gt4 RS and between the ipo driving sales and profit and looming. Recession they will probably be buyable at msrp, it’s just not that compelling so easy choice. The American suoercar it is.
i think the 4rs is too stiff and loud for street with the induction supposedly droning at low rpms. 3rs is too much like a science homework project. i dont want to go back to school to learn how to set diff, rebound, etc. gt3 is the porsche to have. the rws gives it the agility of the cayman while still being reasonable on street. but the z06 motor puts it in a higher league. i think its more desirable than even turbo pista, 765, etc. summary is gt3 if value engineering and clinical capabilities of car. z06 if value the emotional aspects of car. z06 really seems like the new ferrari
just saw some 3 RS reviews. Hhow many days/years woukd you need on track to be able to access this cars real capabilities. As things wear the complexity of the machine woukd be obscene to maintain, but it is some sort of ultimate. It’s also going to be 4x or more the price of the Vette. 4rs makes sense to me, but yes it’s less of a road car. Thing is the porche really fits the cliche of street legal race car: agreed the gt3 is the sweet spot, but it’s 3x the Vette when all is said and done. with unlimited budget you’d have one of each. I guess the z06 is more the type of car ferrari sued to build and that’s a good thing. I always said of an Elise, if that was the only sports car one owned you’ll have missed nothing. We might say if the zo6 if it’s the only exotic suoercar you’ve ever owned you’ll have missed nothing, expect the pain inherent the others. the difference is a Ferrari 458 pista f8 and I think 296 are also art. The Vette looks exotic in a crude way and the interior is gauche, art it’s not, but then neither is a pagani or a lambo, and the other Ferraris are gauche except the Roma which whike beautiful is deivative art with a Kia digiatal interior. we can pick things here and there but for the first time ever the Vette is more than bang for the buck, it’s a two contender. besides the porche gts (hurricane is going) this is also the last na car. As much as the Turbos make power they just dont have that precision of throttle and reinstantiate control that is so appealing in a na car.
I was just laughing as I thought to myself… wouldn’t it be funny if suddenly people were sourcing Corvette C8 Z06 crate engines to swap into their Ferrari’s to, you know, make it sound like a Ferrari? On a serious note, I would really like it in my F430. The only thing I really wish I had was the DCT. The F1 is the only thing that detracts from my peace of mind when I drive around and as the car ages.
Oh theres lots of things that detract from peace of mind in an aging ferrari, just read the owners threads for any particular model. You gotta put it out your mind and just enjoy the car. The thing about the z06 is that while Ferrari, lambo, Aston the brand may still be compelling to many, the actual cars not so much as before. I can say similar things about the MC20, its everything an italian exotic should be, from looks to performance to drama, for way less $$ and its more useable. Ferrai makes cool cars, but they're more of a fashion success statement than ultimately appealing. Dont get me wrong, a 296 seems great, but as a driver it does not inspire int he way a 288 did back in the day.
I owned a regular C8 up until a few months ago. My dealer has promised me one of these at MSRP. I’m amazed by some of the remarks in this thread. Ferrari owners are usually pretty smart, but I’ve read some stupid **** in this thread. You guys think these cars still have the build quality of a C6….some comments even alluded to it being “all motor” in typical American fashion. The simple fact is this: Chevrolet is building a better Ferrari than Ferrari can build themselves - at a price point they could never fathom releasing a car at. GM takes the cake while they’re building SUVs. The new Z outclasses the GT4 RS, cute of some of you to compare it to the cayman, and is running directly for the new GT3 RS and other top tier specials. The big difference here is you can drive it everyday, after 10 years the interior won’t start to fall apart, and maintenance will be much less than comparable cars. America is on top. Lots of haters in this thread
Oh and btw….when the 1st Ford GT came out it was competing with the Enzo. Not the 360 - the C5 Z obliterated that car back in the day as well as the old terminator cobra. The interiors in those however where piss poor and the F car was worth the extra coin then. now? Absolutely not for someone without the space or budget for more than one exotic toy
I am am rooting for the success of this car as much as anyone else but opinions are usually based on past experiences and GM has dropped the ball repeatedly with the Vettes. I would very much like this car to be "the Ferrari that Ferrari no longer builds." As far as comparison to the GT4 RS, I think its warranted. You have to ask yourself, if your life was depending on the GT4RS or the C8ZO6 being driven at its' limit for 24 hours continuously without issue, which one would you bet your life on? I know which one I would trust.
I would trust the corvette before the Porsche. Mechanically, excluding the C7Z cooling issues, they have always been more reliable
Not to mention the Z06 motor actually was built for a race car. like I said lots of delusional Ferrari owners and fans here who are biased and clearly upset that good ole Chevrolet has managed to beat them at their own game with a starting msrp of $105k.
