Detroit: Z06 officially fastest Vette yet

So we saw pictures of Chevrolet’s performance flagship a few days ago, but what we didn’t know was how much grunt the track-focused Corvette Z06 would have.

Until now.

Officially unveiled in Detroit just hours ago, Chevrolet has released the Z06’s official performance figures – and they’re mighty impressive.

Powered by a massive, all-new 6.2-litre LT4 supercharged V8, the new Z06 churns out a colossal 466kW/861Nm and should hit 0-100km/h in a Ferrari-beating 3.0 seconds.

That means the Z06 has even more grunt than the previous king of the Vette, the ZR1 which would only manage 819Nm.

But don’t think the Z06 is just a big engine. Rumour suggests it’s one of the fastest road cars ever to lap GM’s test circuit, with its new lightweight chassis, upgraded brakes (ceramics are an option) and tyres and trick new aero the key to its new speed.

Engineering wizardry means the Z06 is also 60 percent stiffer than the previous car, with GM also offering two transmissions – a seven-speed manual and, somewhat controversially, an eight-speed torque converter automatic.

But if sliding under the radar is your thing, the Z06 isn’t for you. Even GM exec Mark Reuss called it “the big nasty”.