The Corvette Z06 blew my mind

Published 2025-06-26 by Peter Ternström

Before we start, we have to go back to the golden age of supercars that begun in 1995. Ferrari had just released their masterpiece F355. A car that would set the standard for all supercars for two decades to come. This car is important to understand the Corvette C8 Z06. Bear with me for a moment.

The supercars between 1995 and 2015 were emotion centric. What mattered was handling, design and beautiful engine noise. Ferrari created a benchmark with their V8 cars that all had flat-plane cranks and beautiful brand-defining engine noise. There are few cars that are as fun to drive or sound as good as a Ferrari F355 or a Ferrari 458 Speciale.

Cars from today simply can’t compete. Yes, they are more powerful, but with added turbochargers, particle filters and electric motors they lack the excitement of the golden age. There are no screaming engines at high revs anymore. There is no purity. This is sad.

Then, the Corvette C8 Z06 came into my hands two weeks ago. It was delivered to my home in Italy from the European Distributor in Stuttgart to drive on the Riviera tour.

I had the pleasure to enjoy the base version, the Stingray, in Croatia in May. A brilliant car that blew my mind. How could a mid-engined supercar with a proper V8 cost less than a third of a new Ferrari?

“But wait. There is more. Much more.” Cyprien Chatteleyn, head of Marketing at the Corvette Distributor of Europe, Hedin Sport Car, wrote me.

“You must try the Z06. It is a race car in comparison to the Stingray”

I was not convinced. I have driven supercars as my job for the last 20 years. But, I was wrong. Very wrong. What happened next was a great surprise.

I was handed a delivery slip and the keys to the car. The trailer driver then promptly left and I was alone with the orange Corvette Z06. It looked like the Stingray, but different somehow. The car was lower. It had a proper race car stance. Much more aggressive than I had anticipated.

Lots of carbon fiber. Aerodynamics in the front and a gigantic wing in the rear. The brakes were carbo-ceramic and not steel as in the base version. The tires were Michelin CUP2. Semi slicks.

It takes guts to put CUP-tires on their cars from factory. Confidence in the product. The only other brand I know that does this is Porsche with their GT3s.

I opened the door and noticed the alcantara racing seats. No more comfort Stingray seats. These seats were made to keep your butt in place when cornering hard. Interesting. Challenging.

The steering wheel was also alcantara, mixed with carbon fiber. Not round. Octagonal and futuristic. Nice to touch and grip. Grooves for your thumbs at the 9-3 position, just as a race car. I felt right at home.

I pressed the start button once and the car came to life. The instrument cluster in front of me illuminated, revealing a speedometer and a big rev meter in the centre.

Putting my foot on the brake pedal I pressed the start button again. What happened now would completely change my perception of the American supercar brand. Cyprien was right. There was much more. I was not prepared.

The engine started. It was cold and placed the revs at a perfect 1500 rpm. The noise made me shiver. I had not heard anything like this for a long time. The car sounded just like the Ferrari F355 I had 25 years ago.

A howling high-pitch noise. Aggressive. Sharp. I was immediately sent back to the golden age of supercars. Where performance sounded exactly like this. No turbo chargers or hybrid misery. Instead, Purity.

The engineers at Corvette had copied the greatest engine in the world, the 4.5 litre unit from the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Flat-plane crank, bore and stroke, everything. Then they upsized it to 5.5 litre for more power. A completely different engine from the 6.2 litre unit in the Stingray.

Two days later I was on Route Napoleon, the part between Grasse and Castellane. One of the top three roads in the world. The other two, according to me, are Grimsel Pass in Switzerland and the Adriatic Magistral in Croatia, the stretch between Rijeka and Split.

Route Napoleon is a fantastic road. It gives you the opportunity to drive your supercar, hard. Full throttle between the curves. It is also three lanes wide, so no problem with overtaking. Here, I finally got the opportunity to push the envelope with the Z06.

It was a completely different animal than the base Stingray. The suspension was stiff with plenty of feedback to the driver. I could feel every little road imperfection through the steering wheel. Just like a race car.

The naturally aspirated engine screamed at high revs. Keeping it above 6000 rpm became an obsession for me. While no turbo chargers, the power delivery was without surprises. Just a steady incremental flow of thrust on tap.

With a bit of heat in the tires, the grip became amazing. Together with the insane downforce, I soon could take curves at incredible speeds, to my co-driver’s anguish. It became a sport to scare the living daylights of her, braking late, taking the turn at breakneck speed and accelerating hard out.

Then something beautiful happened. It was me, the Corvette, and the road. In unison. The road became a rhythm, with me as the conductor. My orchestra was the laws of physics, and my instrument the orange Z06. I felt as nothing could catch me. The car gave me incredible confidence that I have only experienced a few times before. I became Michael Schumacher in an American supercar on a country road in France.

No modern Ferraris give you this confidence. The only cars I have experienced this before was in the Lamborghini Huracan Performante and the Porsche GT3. Both absolutely brilliant cars.

The key to making a perfect car is balance. Balance between grip, driver feedback and power. More power does not make a better car. Ferrari and McLaren have competed with engine output the last decade and their last iteration of supercars both have over 800 horsepower.

Are they fun to drive? I beg to differ. Straight line performance is fantastic, but can you moderate the power at the next turn? You can not. Both brands use computers to keep you safely on the road. You are never in control. You are not driving the car.

Maurizio Reggiani, former head of research and development at Lamborghini, told me at the Geneva Auto Salon: “There is a reason the Huracan has 640 horsepower. We could easily add more, but it makes no sense. The car is fast enough, and anything above makes the car less fun to drive”

Maurizio Reggiani has been at Lamborghini since 1995, and probably knows what he is talking about. Power does not automatically translate to an exciting driving experience. You need balance. The last Ferrari that had balance was the 458 Speciale. My 488 Spider is really fast, but I don’t trust it in the corners, as I trusted the Corvette Z06. The Corvette was a more rewarding car to drive on Route Napoleon. I had more fun.

Being mid-engined, the new Corvette is a proper supercar challenging the Italian brands. Can it be a serious contender? I will leave this to you. Make your own conclusions. The car is great, cost half of a new Ferrari, and gives you incredible thrills on the road. It looks the business.

Also, keep in mind that the number of Corvette Z06s on the road in Europe is way less than any new Ferrari or Lamborghini. You will be unique, in your own way. The only difference is that you do not have a Ferrari horse badge on your car. If you are man enough to live with it, then you can proudly own one of the best supercars made the last decade.

From a purely driving excitement perspective, the Corvette Z06 beats any new Italian supercar that I have driven, including Ferrari. I am sorry Ferrari 296, but you are a playstation rocket with very little character. I had much more fun in the Corvette.

I ordered a yellow Corvette Z06 for delivery in the spring of 2026. It will replace our Lotus Exige in the Gran Turismo fast fleet. Good luck catching me on Route Napoleon.