Road & Track Delivers a Biting Perspective on the Corvette C7 Z06

By Detroit Steel - October 22, 2015

landscape-1445358786-092415-pcoty-0343

I just get the sense that a recent Road & Track story is going to stir up quite a firestorm here at Corvette Forum.

In fact, I think the title says it all – “Is the Corvette Z06 Actually a Corvette ZR1 in Disguise?”

Yup, Road & Track took it there. And while the story, written by Jack Baruth, is one of those pieces you just have to read in its entirety, the general summation is that the new Z06 fails to live up to the all-around performance legacy of the Z06.

More specifically, the writer asserts that while the C7 Z06 is certainly impressive when it comes to power, it falls short on the essentials necessary to be crowned a track king.

“Think about it,” writes Baruth. “Fifteen years ago, the C5-generation Z06 quickly earned a reputation as the fastest and most capable off-the-showroom-floor trackday car that sub-Ferrari money could buy. Those early cars weren’t perfect—they had transmission heat issues of their own, and experienced Z06 pilots quickly learned to bring extra brake discs to the track with them—but they were, and to an extent still remain, the gold standard for a ‘fast car’ in HPDE or club event.”

Baruth goes on to say that aside from the power, the Z06 just doesn’t feel all that special. But he does offer this perspective for potential buyers: “Look at it this way: you’re buying the engine and getting the Corvette for free.”

There’s a lot more in the full story, but I think you get the gist.