Driving with a sensual and powerful engine

I took the Z06 on a test drive of more than 1,200 km round trip. I rented a car in Tokyo, drove to Kobe, met up with our supercar friends, enjoyed the Yamato Road in autumn, and returned to Tokyo.

I was once again impressed by the C8’s excellent chassis. I was particularly impressed when I encountered heavy snow on the mountain roads, which is unusual for Nara in autumn. It was daytime and there was a sprinkling of sleet, so there was not so much snow on the road surface, but there were still some sherbet-like accumulations, which made it very troublesome to drive the high-power MR. Despite this, the Z06 was very controllable and I never felt uneasy. I was so worried about the Ferrari F40 in front of me. In addition to the relationship between the body frame and chassis, the weight balance also shone through. In any case, the car didn’t make you feel the size of the body, it was as if you were dealing with a Lotus.

Of course, it inherited the C8’s charm. The engine has plenty of room to spare, making it even better as a grand touring car. Apart from the fact that the driver’s right foot tends to itch, it was a very easy GT to use. It also handles late-night runs to Kobe without difficulty.

And what a thrill it is when you unleash the flat-plane, naturally aspirated 5.5L DOHC engine! The sensation of driving with a sensual and powerful engine on your back, while still maintaining easy handling, is truly a modern supercar. It is no less impressive than Italian or British-made cars. The real spirit of America has finally been shown on the sports car scene.

In a sense, this is the closest we have come to the ideal we set out to achieve 70 years ago. The decision to install a large-displacement multi-cylinder naturally aspirated engine in this era was also a dream come true. And GM Chevrolet was already looking ahead. The E-RAY and other electric Corvettes with astonishing specifications will no doubt be born in the future.

translated by DeepL