Europe currently builds some of the best performance cars on sale but the continent doesn’t get the best of what North America has to offer in this segment. We are not trying to say you can’t buy a new Ford Mustang GT or a Chevrolet Corvette in the region, though the latter comes in a slightly detuned form due to the Old Continent’s emissions standards. Does that mean that the fastest road-legal Chevy money can buy is slow on European soil? Not at all.
There’s a new video from the Sport Auto channel on YouTube, which takes us to the Hockenheim GP track in Germany. Through the video that is attached at the top of this page, you can join Uwe Sener onboard a Corvette Z06 C8 for a fast lap around the circuit. The time Sener achieves isn’t a new record but it is still very decent for a stock car.
Gallery: 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: First Drive
In Europe, the Corvette Z06 features the same 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine as its North American sibling, though it gets a gas particulate filter and a modified exhaust system, which explains the Stingray-style exhaust finishers at the back. As a result, the peak output of the mill is 636 horsepower and 439 pound-feet of torque versus 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque for the North American market.
Nevertheless, we know from a previous video the Euro-spec Corvette Z06 is mighty quick. Even though it is roughly a second slower to 60 miles per hour than the US model, it still reaches 155 mph effortlessly. And what about its track time? In this video, the supercar laps the Hockenheim GP in 1:49.1 minutes, which makes it faster than vehicles such as the BMW M4 CSL, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4-Door, and Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS, all in stock form.
There’s one more difference between the American Corvette and the version of the supercar sold in Europe – the price. We couldn’t find pricing details for the Z06, but the standard Corvette Stingray kicks off at $113,125 (103,122 euros) in Germany, whereas in the United States, the starting point is $64,500. Considering the Z06 starts at 105,300 in the US, we suppose the European price is close to the $200,000 mark.
