2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 confirmed for Australia

Australia has an unfortunate history of missing out on the best American high-performance cars. That changes next year.

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is on its way to Australia.

America’s fastest car will reach Australia in 2022, when the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 arrives in local showrooms.

The high-performance coupe and roadster will join regular “Stingray” versions of the new Corvette sold through the General Motors Special Vehicles network that replaced Holden in Australia.

Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 is on its way to Australia.

The Z06 is a motorsport-inspired Corvette variant developed for intense circuit work.

It’s Chevrolet’s rival to hardcore track day weapons such as Porsche’s 911 GT3 or the McLaren 720S.

It has bigger wheels, wider bodywork and grippier tyres than the regular Corvette.

The Corvette Z06 is Chevrolet’s fastest car.

Oversized brakes and extra radiators help keep the Z06 cool when pushed to the limit.

But the biggest difference is behind the driver’s seat, where a new 5.5-litre V8 represents an enormous change for Chevrolet.

Positioned in the middle of the car – just like an exotic McLaren or Lamborghini – the new “LT6” V8 sidesteps Chevy’s recent preference for superchargers in favour of high-revving flat-plane crank internals similar to Ferrari’s 458 Italia.

The Z06 is powered by the 5.5L LT6 engine, the highest horsepower, naturally-aspirated production V8 to hit the market.

The 5.5-litre V8 makes 500kW at a spine-tingling 8400rpm, spinning to a truly exotic 8600rpm redline that puts the motor in elite territory.

Peak torque of 623Nm reaches the rear wheels through the same sort of snappy eight-speed dual-clutch auto found in a Porsche 911 Turbo or Ferrari F8 Tributo. The result is a sub-three-second dash to 100km/h, and lap times that should outgun far more expensive machines.

We don’t know how much the car will cost in Australia.

The Z06 is available as a coupe or convertible.

But it will be more expensive than the $144,990 (plus on-roads) price of the standard machine.

Particularly if customers choose the Z07 circuit package that adds an adjustable carbon fibre spoiler, ceramic brakes and ultralight carbon fibre wheels made by Australia’s Carbon Revolution in Victoria.

New wheels made in Australia are optional on the Corvette Z06.

The Z06 represents the a rare opportunity for Australian enthusiasts to get hold of a top-tier performance car built in the US.

US production of the machine starts mid-2022, with right-hand-drive examples to follow “some months later”.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have all sold V8 machines in Australia.

The mid-engine Corvette Z06 has a sophisticated, driver-focused cabin.

But the fastest machines, such as Chrysler’s supercharged Hellcat and Demon, Ford’s GT supercar or Shelby-tuned GT350 and GT500 Mustangs, or Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 and ZR1 have been off-limits until now.

Joanne Stogiannis, director of GMSV, said it is “an incredibly exciting time to be a Corvette fan.

The Z06 is closely related to Chevrolet’s Corvette C8R race car.

“It was announced this morning that the Corvette Z06 will be manufactured in both left and right-hand drive and we’re incredibly excited to confirm GMSV in Australia and New Zealand will be part of the global program,” she said.

“News that the C8 was available as right-hand drive was reason enough to make Corvette enthusiasts cheer, but this latest update is absolutely phenomenal.”