More Corvettes coming to Australia: Z06, E-Ray, ZR1!

We rate the Corvette C8 Stingray. Anything that can emerge in top spot against a C63 S, an RS5 and an F-Type P450 is clearly made of the right stuff.

With a 369kW V8 slinging just 1545kg up the road, it’a a potent and accomplished thing. It’s priced keenly too, thanks to its factory right-hand-drive build.

We always knew that the ‘vanilla’ ‘Vette was just the start. The C8 product line had some hugely ambitious plans behind it.

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The first of the specials to make landfall in Australia is the Z06, powered by a 5.5-litre atmo V8 with a flat-plane crank and, in Australian tune, develops 475kW and 595Nm.

The first cars are now arriving, and the asking price in the 3LZ coupe (the only version imported) is $336,100.

Also offered is a Z07 Performance Pack, which adds stickier Michelin tyres, carbon-ceramic brakes, retuned suspension, and a carbon-fibre aero pack. If you’re really keen – not to mention suitably skilled at parallel parking – you can also option carbon-fibre wheels built by Geelong-based company Carbon Revolution.

“Due to incredible global demand, the Corvette Z06 is a measured volume proposition. In keeping with its exclusive nature, availability will be very controlled,” General Motors Specialty Vehicles director Greg Rowe noted in a media statement.

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If 475kW still leaves you merely whelmed, it’s probably best to wait for what is billed as the quickest accelerating Corvette ever: the E-Ray.

As confirmed in January, the Corvette E-Ray is also coming to Australia. With power and performance that reside firmly in the supercar bracket, the first electrically-assisted Corvette features all-wheel drive to launch it to a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time.

The electrical hardware fitted is for performance, not economy or emissions, with a 1.1kWh battery wedged into the car’s transmission tunnel driving a front electric motor that adds a 118kW shot in the arm to the LT2 V8 for a total system output of almost 500kW.

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“The electrified architecture makes this the most technologically advanced Corvette ever and we are pleased to announce that the MY24 build of the new model is expected to commence mid-next year [2024],” explained Rowe.

Detailed arrival timing and pricing for Australia and New Zealand has not been confirmed, but in the US, the E-Ray retails at $106,595 versus the Z06’s $114,395. That should give you some sort of idea when taking the Z06’s Australian pricing into account.

As tempting as the Z06 and E-Ray are, nothing other than the daddy of the lot, the ZR1, will suffice for some.

This flagship version is still in development and, as spy shots taken at the Nürburgring show, it seems to be following a similar development pathway to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

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A huge fixed rear spoiler has been trialled, as has a bonnet which channels air through a huge duct, at the expense of frunk storage.

Said to be good for 630kW thanks to two turbochargers that augment the 5.5-litre V8, the rear-driven ZR1 is expected to utilise a more traditional cross-plane crank set-up. If that’s not mouthwatering enough, a Zora version is also said to be in the works, which will add hybrid tech for near 750kW. Whether the ZR1 will reach Australia has yet to be confirmed.

In the meantime, right-hook Z06 and E-Ray imports should keep enthusiasts occupied and the Euro blue-blood brands on their mettle.