The C8 Corvette has been an unarguable hit for General Motors, not just globally, but also here in New Zealand and Australia with more than 850 of the US-built RHD sports cars being delivered across our two markets since launch.
And while the range has done well limited to the coupe and convertible versions of the Stingray (with a choice of spec levels), the time has finally come for an expansion of the range into, well, more.
And that “more” comes in the form of the electrified E-Ray hybrid and the ferocious Z06.
And it is more in every way too, with both new additions using the widebody that adds 90mm to the width of the Corvette (mainly in the fat rear haunches to allow for a wider track), as well as more power. LOTS more power.
And, of course, money, with the E-Ray costing a hefty $285,000, while the Z06 takes that even further by landing in NZ at $346,000. But you do get a HELL of a lot more for that extra money…
GM says that the E-Ray is the super GT of the Corvette range, while the Z06 is the supercar.
We headed over to Melbourne to get a taste of the two new flavours of Corvette at the legendary Sandown Raceway, or Australia’s Pukekohe, as we prefer to call it. Except it still exists, despite facing the same existential pressure as the iconic Auckland track did, and is still as gloriously bumpy as Pukekohe ever was.
After some time on the road in a standard C8 Stingray, we were ushered into pitlane to clamber into an awaiting E-Ray. While the E-Ray is the hybrid of the range, it certainly isn’t your Prius-style hybrid.
GM has managed to make the Stingray, E-Ray and the Z06 feel obviously similar where it is necessary and totally different where it counts.
No, the E-Ray packs the same 6.2-litre 369kW/637Nm V8 as the Stingray, but then adds a 119kW/169Nm electric motor on the front axle (fed by a 1.9kWh battery) to bump things up to a truly ferocious 488kW/806Nm combined total.
Oh, and it also makes it both the first AWD and FWD Corvette while it is at it, with the E-Ray being capable of electric only running at speeds of up to 45km/h. Handy for not having your neighbours hate you on early mornings when, instead of the big V8 erupting like the apocalypse played through a wall of Marshall amps, you can simply slink off silently on electricity.
In the E-Ray, an electronic scream lays a sci-fi vibe over top of the traditional big V8 howl.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the E-Ray is quiet - it just means it can be. Nail the throttle and the big V8 explodes angrily into life, just like the Stingray, and the car belts forward in an equally angry fashion.
Actually, even more angrily, as the extra punch from the big torque the electric motor brings is instantly noticeable and - even better - a supercharger like electronic scream accompanies it, laying a sci-fi vibe over top of the traditional big V8 howl. Think a T.I.E fighter and a NASCAR having a race and you get the idea.
Despite weighing more than the Stingray and the Z06, the E-Ray is actually the fastest Corvette currently available here - it beats the Z06 to 100km/h by 0.1 of a second, hitting the open road speed limit in a frankly unnecessary (but utterly awesome) 2.9 seconds.
For the mathematically challenged among us, that means the Z06 does it in 3.0 seconds, while the standard Stingray languishes at the back with a frankly embarrassing 3.4 second 0 to 100 sprint. (That was sarcasm, by the way…)
But while the E-Ray is technically faster, the Z06 takes things to a whole new level by being utterly mental.
In an impressive feat of clever engineering, GM has managed to make the standard Stingray, the E-Ray and the Z06 feel obviously similar where it is necessary and totally different where it counts.
Where the Stingray is a surprisingly practical supercar, with a great ride and a surprisingly docile nature when required, the E-Ray takes it even further by adding even more ferocious performance and an added layer of civility thanks to its electrification.
The Z06, on the other hand, just goes feral.
While the E-Ray uses the same V8 as the Stingray, the Z06 gets a spectacular 5.5-litre 475kW/595Nm flat-plane crank V8 that revs to 8600rpm and shrieks like a banshee in a blender.
By way of a brief explanation here, your more common cross-plane V8 (like the Stingray and E-Ray use) fires one cylinder ever 90 degrees of crank rotation, while a flat-plane fires one every 180 degrees meaning that it is better balanced and requires less additional balancing mass, so can therefore spin faster and rev higher, albeit at the loss of a cross-plane V8’s low down torque.
While the Z06 still offers all the surprising practicality of the Stingray, it isn’t so concerned with unnecessary things like overall ride comfort as it is with the business of going very fast indeed.
While the ride isn’t racing car brutal, it is firmer than its siblings, but the real giveaway comes when you really push the throttle for the first time and the stunning flat-plane V8 spools up with a wonderfully furious scream that high-revving flat crank V8s alone possess.
The sound and fury is spectacular, but the blatantly angry acceleration is the star - not, it may not technically be as quick as the E-Ray, but the fire and brimstone it belts out make it considerably more aggressive and actually feel faster.
The nature and attitude of the Z06 couldn’t be more different to the E-Ray, with the former being all noise and fury, but remaining utterly predictable and supremely tactile, while the latter is every bit as fast, but considerably more civilised and with that brilliant high-tech sheen and sci-fi sound that the electric additions bring.
GM says that the E-Ray is the super GT of the Corvette range, while the Z06 is the supercar (well, that was until the mad ZR1 dropped…), and those descriptions actually fit surprisingly well. The track enhancements the Z06 gets transform the Corvette into a sharply honed weapon; a true racing car for the road, while the effortlessness and sheer accessibility of the E-Ray’s brutal performance make it a consummate grand tourer.
Where the E-Ray is addictive with its electrified howl and glorious composure out of corners, the Z06 matches that with its distinctive flat plane scream and its superbly direct nature that is constantly encouraging you to brake just that bit later and carry just that bit more speed through a corner. It is constantly egging you on to go faster and faster, and it is superb.
As to what they are like on the road, well, that remains to be seen, as the launch event was limited to track time only (that is most definitely not a complaint, by the way), but Sandown’s bumpy nature suggested quite strongly that - as expected - the E-Ray will be far more suitable to daily driving on New Zealand roads, while the Z06’s track-focussed nature will likely make it the one you will pull out on special occasions.
Which seems very appropriate.