The Evolution of the Z06: Comparing the C5 Through C8 Z06 Generations on Track
The evolution of the Z06 over the past twenty years has been staggering. This brief video shows how far the performance has come.
The C8 Z06 coverage has been as ubiquitous as political commercials, although the Z06 is far less irritating. The point is, the C8 Z06 needs no introduction at this point. We just need Chevy to build them fast enough so buyers can actually experience the car for themselves. We are sure Chevy is working on that as best as they can. However, in the meantime they did drop an entertaining little nugget on us recently. What they did is produce a (far too short) video for their YouTube channel showing the evolution of the Z06. They put Z06 models from the C5, C6, C7, and C8 generations on a racetrack to see how they compare.
The C5 Z06 is one hell of a performance bargain, but owners of that car might want to look away. You naturally expect each generation of Z06 to get better and faster. But in just twenty years the C8 Z06 takes Z06 performance to a whole other level. It makes the quick in its own right C5 Z06 look like a Chevy Spark. And to be fair to the C5 the C8 Z06 doesn’t have much of a problem dispatching every other generation of Z06 either. On the flip side of that you can go out today and easily buy a nice C5 Z06 for less than $30K. Try that with the C8 Z06.
What do you think about the Z06 video?
Join the discussion HERE!
Driving Impressions
Oliver Gavin does a brief stint in each car on track and offers his impressions on the various generations. For those not familiar with Gavin, he is a five time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and former Corvette racing driver. So, he knows a thing or two about how a Corvette should behave on track. And he doesn’t have anything negative to say about any of them. And that is a key takeaway here. Yes, there has been an evolution of the Z06 that resulted in faster and faster cars. But no matter what generation you are driving you will have a wonderful time pounding it around a road course. There is not a loser in the bunch. Just some cars are less fast.
Track Comparison
Each Z06 is released on track with a 5-second head start. That means the C8 Z06 doesn’t start for a full 15 seconds after the C5 Z06. That is a massive advantage on a road course. Yet it manages to catch and pass it with ease. It also passes all the other cars on course including the C7 Z06 coming out of the final corner. The finishing order is exactly what you would expect. C8 first, C7 second, C6 third, and C5 fourth. And by watching this you can see the speed differential between the C8 Z06 and everything else. It is massive.
It is not just the speed either but the braking where the C8 seems to have an advantage. Watch the video closely around the 2:28 mark. Going into the next turn the C7 and C6 both use roughly the same braking point. But the C8 brakes later and does not even fully track out but stays inside in order to pass the C6 coming out of the next turn. The C8 seems to have an advantage in the braking department. Or it is helped by the fact that Gavin is behind the wheel.
Give Us More
The video Chevy provided is a terrific concept. We love to see the various Z06 models battle it out on track. But at less than 3 minutes long the video just whets the appetite. We would love to see a more comprehensive evolution of the Z06 comparison. It is fascinating to see how these cars have evolved and just how impressive the new C8 Z06 really is.
What do you think about the Z06 video?
Join the discussion HERE!
