Despite What Some May Think, the C8 Corvette Z06 Is a Proper European Sports Car Rival
The C8 Corvette Z06 isn’t just a proper European sports car rival, it’s actually a superior choice in many ways.
From the day it launched, the C8 Corvette Z06 was universally praised for its incredible, high-revving, flat-plane crank powerplant, as well as its supreme performance – performance that easily rivals or handily beats much of its competition. As has historically been the case with the Corvette in general, the C8 Corvette Z06 also manages to best many of its European counterparts in the performance department, and it does so at a fraction of the price in many cases. Regardless, there will always be at least a few folks in denial of that fact, which is on full display via this recent article from Forbes.
These days, clickbait and “rage bait” have become pretty popular ways of attracting clicks and views online, so we certainly can’t blame this particular piece – and a corresponding video from writer Karl Brauer – for trying to incite strong responses from readers and viewers, which it certainly has thus far. However, Brauer’s assertion that the C8 Corvette Z06 isn’t a proper European sports car rival is, well, a bit short-sighted and inaccurate, to say the least.
In all fairness, Brauer does praise the C8 Corvette Z06 for its value, engineering, as well as its amazing powerplant, which he says “is as splendid as anything from Stuttgart or Maranello.” However, he also believes that it’s not a proper European sports car rival for two specific reasons – its exterior styling and hefty curb weight. Though the Z06 is plenty quick and an amazing performer on the track, Brauer claims that “performance isn’t defined solely by specs alone,” adding that this extra heft negatively impacts “steering feel, responsiveness during rapid changes in direction, and braking confidence.”
In terms of the way it looks, Brauer says that the C8 Corvette Z06’s “busy styling and hefty hindquarters don’t contribute to its exotic pedigree,” claiming that there’s “simply too much going on.” He believes that the car’s rear end is too wide, a byproduct of GM’s desire to give the C8 a usable rear storage area. To him, it seems like GM is trying to appeal to its older, traditional customer rather than aiming to build a car for younger folks, which is a claim that, well, has been proven completely wrong by sales figures alone.
For starters, less than a year after the C8 went on sale, GM revealed that sales of the new mid-engine machine coming from young buyers had doubled compared to the C7. Additionally, the median annual household income of a 2020 model year buyer was $76,000 higher than for C7 customers at that time, with more than 60 percent of those buyers new to the Corvette brand in general – many of them coming over from the European exotic side of things, in fact.
Styling is obviously subjective, though most have praised the way the C8 Corvette Z06 looks, but performance and price are not. In that realm, the C8 Corvette Z06 is more than capable of hanging with its European sports car rivals in spite of its heft, as we’ve seen time and time again. And even if pure numbers don’t matter, as Brauer somewhat humorously claims here, we must also consider what would happen if GM made the C8 lighter, smaller, and less practical as he wishes.
In that sense, the C8 Corvette Z06 wouldn’t just lose some appeal to folks who actually drive and use the car like a regular, well, car, but also, it would be far more expensive to make and sell. Sure, GM could give the Z06 a carbon fiber body, and magnesium parts, or fill it with other lightweight, exotic materials, but that would also make it exponentially more expensive – just like its rivals. That would obviously make the Z06 far less approachable than it is now, which is what makes it special and unique in the sports car segment.
Thus, Brauer’s argument is, quite frankly, a little silly and short-sighted. GM didn’t just build a Corvette that’s worthy of competing with European sports cars – it built one that beats them at their own game in many cases, and it’s selling that car at a much cheaper price. Luckily for people like him, there are plenty of big money, lightweight, and more exotic alternatives available to purchase, but personally, we’d rather have two Z06s and potentially some cash in our pocket rather than something like, say, a McLaren 720S, however.
Photos: Chevrolet
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