Here's a Special Edition of Quick Shifts for Memorial Day

May 10, 2023

Welcome back to another exciting edition of Quick Shifts! Quick Shifts is a content feature here at CorvetteBlogger that highlights links to Corvette and automotive-related stories of interest. In this edition, Engineers will Explain the most impressive acts of the C8Z; the Brits finally give a Corvette its due, some ‘Vettes for sale are so good that we have questions, a 3.21 second 0-100 happened, the Hellcat van, big industry reveals and news, and more!

FIRST GEAR

The Engineering Explained YouTube Channel will kick things off this Memorial Day with a new Z06 video that, you know, explains three mind-boggling feats that the most exotic vehicle ever minted by General Motors achieves. First, how is it quicker with 670 HP than the 755-horse C7 ZR1? Second, how does it make more power with 5.5 free breathing liters than the previous Z06 did with more displacement AND a supercharger? Finally, how can the high-revving LT6 possibly have a flatter torque curve than its supercharged pushrod predecessor? Check it out, but only if you are prepared to be blinded by science!

SECOND GEAR

Once you get past the engineering excellence on full display in the C8 Z06, one of the most fascinating things about the car, and the C8 in general, has been its first-ever status as an export to countries like the UK and Australia (the latter of which is destined to become the nation with the most unfilled recalls in automotive history after this week's announcement). In Britain, one of our favorite publications had a chance to sample a US-spec C8Z on their home turf, and even though they aren't allowed to give a Corvette a five-star rating because of some apparent nationwide edict, evo came away more than impressed! The whole writeup is available here, but the article that poises the Z as "America's 911 GT3" closes beautifully with the following; "It's not just the Z06's handling that impresses. The ride is excellent in all modes, from Tour to Track, even though in Track the Z06 is so taut it feels like a different car. And that's the thing about this Corvette: the tyres, the aero and the engine's top-end all shout race car but the specification includes multi-way electric memory seats, a 14-speaker Bose sound system and a head-up display. This sounds contradictory but isn't because the Z06 has remarkable bandwidth; it can feel everyday effortless one moment and track ready the next. Is it as desirable or compelling as a 911 GT3, Ferrari F8 Tributo or McLaren 720S? We have a feeling it might prove even more impressive on UK roads." Coming from a country where the automotive press is dyed-in-the-wool to lionize sports cars from Europe and belittle anything from the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, that is high praise, indeed!

THIRD GEAR

Shifting to third, we will focus on some notable Corvettes for sale and the bigger questions that they inspire. For this exercise, we will start with another Inferno Orange Z06 Carbon up for grabs. After seeing almost none of the 85 similar examples hit the market in 2021 and 2022, a third IOM Carbon surfacing in the past couple of months begs the question, why are a relatively significant number of people suddenly deciding to part with one of the most special limited-edition Corvettes of the past two decades? We have a few theories. It could just be that the market for top-shelf C6s (the ZR1 and later Z06s, especially ones equipped with the Z07 Ultimate Performance Package) is very strong right now, and people are jumping at the opportunity to get $80,000+ for cars that were underappreciated for a while there. Another strong possibility is that Carbon owners look at everything on the horizon and see the current Z06 as their last chance to buy a car of any kind – Corvette or not – that suits their naturally aspirated preferences. Whatever is going on, I stand by my thesis that there's never been a better time to have some extra coin at your disposal; I’d snap one of these up in a heartbeat (though probably not this one; it isn't mentioned in the description, but upon further inspection, it sure looks like there's a PROCHARGER sharing the engine bay with that particular LS7, which gives significant gains to be sure, but also takes away what makes the 7.0 unique amongst modern Z-badged Corvettes) before they take the next step and start trading for six digits.

FOURTH GEAR

FIFTH GEAR

Have an excellent weekend, Corvette Nation, and to my fellow educators out there, you made it! We officially have the best job in the world for the next couple of months!

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