Ever since the new Corvette Z06 arrived in late 2021 we’ve been waiting to see how it will do when put next to its less powerful sibling, the Corvette Stingray. Of course, in the past year we have seen many reviews talking about the two cars, but what other better way to compare them than putting them on the racetrack. After all, the Z06 is the most track-oriented Corvette yet. So, while there is no doubt it will do better than the Stingray, the guys over at Speed Phenom want to see how much better it really is. To make things even more interesting, they also brought the more exotic McLaren 600LT to the track.
Corvette Z06 vs. Stingray vs. McLaren 600LT
The Corvette Z06 in question is chassis No. 34, and it belongs to the guy behind the Speed Phenom channel - Austin Everett. It is not any Z06 though, but one equipped with the Z07 Performance Package – something that makes things even more interesting. The Z06 is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8 engine that puts out 670 horsepower with 460 pound-feet of torque. While the Z07 Performance Package does not add any extra power, it does make the Z06 faster, helps it stop better, and turn harder. The package's main purpose is to reduce the lap time by a lot. But, did it really help Austin Everett in this regard?
On the other hand, the standard Corvette Stingray is powered by a 6.2-liter, naturally aspirated V-8 engine good for 490 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque in the base trim, or 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when adding the Z51 Performance Package. One could argue that the Stingray stands no chance in front of its more powerful brother, but it doesn’t do that bad.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that the Z06’s performance figures catapult it into the McLaren territory – hence the presence of the 600LT. The McLaren is powered by a twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V-8 engine that delivers 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque - significantly less than the Z06. So, why is it on the racetrack? Well, why not? But, it might have something to do with the fact that both the Z06 and the 600LT deliver incredible performance figures.
How Did The Race Go?
All the action happened at the Big Willow - Willow Springs Raceway. Two years ago, when Austin Everett went there with a McLaren 600LT he lapped the track in 1 minute and 27 seconds. This time, however, the Z06 he wasn't as fast, mostly because it’s a $200,000 sports car that is still new to him. Still, he managed to score a lap time of 1 minute and 29 seconds, but he thinks without too much effort the Z06 can go down to 1:23-1:24 – which should put it right next to the C7 ZR1. As it turns out, the Z06 was able to hit a top speed of 149 mph, while the Stingray "only" hit 138 mph.
If you want to see how the 600LT did, and how fast the three cars were, check the video below.