Corvette Z06 spied again... for the first time?
Mon, 23 Sep 2013
Last Monday we caught wind that the successor to the 505-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was out testing. However, some details on that car, such as what appeared to be a convertible top and front brake vents, had us scratching our heads. Today one of our spy photographers spotted what is sure to be the follow-up to the previous Z06, but this time we won't speculate on its name (for now we'll call it Z06, not Z07).
This time the prototype Z06 wasn't wearing anything that resembles a convertible top, but instead featured a steeply raked roof extending all the way to the rear of the car, though the rear portion of the roof was covered in a disguise. We can't say for sure what it looks like under there.
Other clues point to this Corvette being the real next Z06. What appear to be huge carbon-ceramic brake discs are clamped by larger calipers, and the setup is encapsulated by the new wheels we saw last week, which are wearing extremely wide high-performance tires. Just ahead of the rear wheels are the tell-tale air vents that have adorned the last two generations of Z06. The rocker panels also look more aggressive than what's found on the standard Corvette Stingray.
We can also see something going on under the front-end disguise. Looking through the camouflage covering, there seems to be a revised front fascia with new aerodynamic bits to the sides of the grille opening, which also are obscured. The camouflage on the hood is hiding what seems to be a larger hood bump, which we believe is meant to make room for hood vents and the supercharger Chevrolet is rumored to be adding to the Z06-spec LT4 V8. The new powerplant should be good for 600-650 horsepower.
Take a look at the new shots of the next Z06, and then head over to last week's gallery to compare the camouflaged Corvettes yourself.
By Damon Lowney