When Chevrolet unveiled the C7 Z06 next to their C7.R racecar, it stole everyone’s attention at the Detroit Auto Show. Corvette Racing has been winning around the world since the C5.R was introduced in 1999. Their performance on the track led to the return of the Z06 in 2001, and the 7-liter C6 Z06 in 2006.
Team Corvette kept winning, so the World Endurance Championship began to impose ridiculous restrictions on the team. First, they banned the 7-liter, forcing Chevrolet to run a 5.5-liter LS1. This is smaller than the production block used in the Camaro and the Cadillac CTS-V. Corvettes kept winning. So then they were slapped with a restrictor plate, limiting the twin throttle bodies to 29.5mm…Breathing through a straw, the Z06 uses an 87mm throttle and a supercharger to make over 100 horsepower more than the C7.R.
Both cars were developed simultaneously while the C6.R was winning races. This has allowed the street-legal Z06 to share many components with the C7.R. To celebrate the history of Corvette Racing, the 2016 Z06 offered a C7.R edition. Each one includes the Z07 performance package along with carbon ceramic brakes. Only 500 were built, each with a sequential VIN. This one was ordered with the 8-speed automatic and it has only been driven 650 miles.