2024 Chevrolet Corvette

“As the nose swung sharply toward the apex, a wave of g-force rose, the front tires clawed for grip, and the words arrived between heartbeats: This thing feels like a race car.” The superlatives were flowing after Car and Driver experienced the C8 Z06, and for good reason: a high-strung V8, a sublime chassis, and incredible widebody styling tends to leave an impression.

It didn’t hurt that the 5.5L LT6 V8 was one of the most impressive naturally aspirated engines ever built. Equipped with an exotic flat-plane crankshaft, dual overhead camshafts, and four valves per cylinder, the “Gemini” LT6 screamed to an 8500-rpm redline, made 670 horses and 460 pound-feet of torque, and produced over 120 horsepower per liter — an incredible feat of American engineering. Mated to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Z06 blasted to 60 in only 2.6 seconds, and through the quarter mile in an incredible 10.5 seconds at 131 miles an hour!

And the hits just kept coming: the C8 chassis was reworked with higher spring rates and stiffer bushings complementing the control-arm suspension. Enormous wheels and tires hid equally gigantic brake rotors, which were pinched by Brembo 6-piston front, 4-piston rear calipers. And the driving experience was fully customizable, thanks to adjustable driving, steering, braking, and exhaust modes. Factor in the 3LZ’s premium leather-wrapped interior, and the C8 Z06 was one of the most capable dual-purpose sports cars ever made.