The Corvette Z06 is the best sports car you can buy for money
It may not be the fastest or most powerful car ever made, but is the Corvette Z06 the best overall sports car for its price?
The Corvette is an American icon, that cannot be argued, but the Z06 is an improved Vette. While most think of 2001 as the beginning of the Z06, and in a sense they would be right, but the Z06 has been around for 4 of the 7 generations of the Corvette, but not in the way we know it now.
Zora Arkus-Duntov, a racing enthusiast, gave the Z06 its legs and the Corvette the first test of racing with the Z06 package in 1963. When added to the already highly coveted second-generation Corvette, the Z06 package prepared the Vette for the track with the addition of a thicker front stabilizer bar, larger diameter shocks, and much stiffer springs, and it came with the 360-horsepower 327-cubic-inch small-block engine.
Fast forward a few decades, and by the time the fifth generation Z06 was no longer a package, but a model of its own. The C5Z debuted in 2001 as a hardtop model with thinner glass, lighter wheels, a titanium exhaust, and a lighter battery. For 2001, the GM Gen III engine produced 385 horsepower, but it was beefed up in 2002 to produce 405 horsepower. The weight loss and improved engines would allow the 2004 Z06 to record a time of just under eight minutes at the Nürburgring.
The sixth generation would usher in a Z06 that had a supercar-like power-to-weight ratio of 6.2: 1, allowing the car to accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. Its 505-horsepower LS7 was a massive 7.0-liter powerhouse that could carry the light frame with ease, and was proven to be nearly a minute faster around the "Ring."
While a C8Z is expected, the C7 Z06 is the foot model and it came with an even better engine than before. Thanks to the use of a blower, the first induced forced Z06 was carried by a 650 horsepower LT4. Not only is it the first supercharged Z, but it's the first time a Z06 model can have a convertible, as well as the standard hardtop of a coupe.
Whatever happens next with the C8 Z06, it is sure to be the stuff of legends. The base C8 model is proving to be a formidable opponent that fights well outside of its class. Thanks to its reconfigured design, the horsepower and torque landing on the wheels seem to extend much more than ever. If the rumors are correct, the C8Z will debut with a 650 horsepower engine, like the previous generation, but it is expected to do so without the help of forced induction.
While there are certainly upline models (thanks to the insane ZR1), the Z06 positions itself in supercar territory at a price point some have criticized as being "too low" for what it brings to the table. There have also been some interesting patterns in how well the Zs hold their value - the C5 and C6 seem to topple the C7Z with their ability to hold an honorable price. Since the C8 is already considered a highly collectible car, the C8Z might be the best new sports car investment to consider, but you'll have to wait until 2022 to buy one. Regardless, the Z06 has always been and always will be one of the best sports cars on the market.
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