Automakers like to keep an eye on their key rivals, and Ford is certainly no exception. The Blue Oval seems to be very interested in what makes the Chevy Corvette tick – Ford Authority already spotted the C8 Corvette Stingray being benchmarked by Ford around Dearborn last year. Now, our photographers recently spied yet another ‘Vette in Ford’s hands for benchmarking purposes: the 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06.
Our photographers spotted this Elkhart Lake Blue Corvette Z06 leaving a Ford facility, which is curious, because the Z06 hasn’t entered production yet. It is entirely possible that The Blue Oval obtained it through a vehicle swap with General Motors. Either way, Ford has one in its possession.
The 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 harnesses GM’s brand new naturally-aspirated, flat-plane crank 5.5L LT6 V8, which produces 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque under the hood of the sports car. Coupled with General Motors’ eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, that’s good enough for a run from zero to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds, according to Chevrolet. The sports car will be capable of a 195 mph top speed. Additionally, this particular Corvette convertible boasted a rather robust set of equipment:
- Carbon Flash-painted nacelles and roof
- Carbon/Edge Red Stinger Stripe (on the hood)
- Z07 Performance Package
For comparison, the Ford GT makes use of the high-performance version of Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5L EcoBoost V6, making 660 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque in the GT, which propels the supercar to 60 mph in around three seconds. The Blue Oval could be benchmarking the Corvette Z06 as a rival for a potential Ford Thunderbird revival. As Ford Authority reported back in May, the Thunderbird could very well make a comeback, and though it’s not likely this vehicle will feature a mid-engine layout like the ‘Vette, it could certainly pose a threat to The Bow Tie’s sports car in terms of power and performance.
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Comments
Hmm Thunderbird comeback sounds like another battery or wind up edition of the former ICE model
Ford should spend the money on fixing damaged Lincoln which currently doesn’t offer anything inspiring or anything we want to aspire to. Just boring SUV’s we don’t want.
I’d check your facts. That does not look like a Ford vehicle sticker on the front windshield. Maybe just somebody visiting from GM?
Hard for me to imagine that Ford would usurp the Mustang as it’s second tier performance for all machine…behind the Ford GT with the Thunderbird. If they keep with the luxury aspect of what the Thunderbird has always imbued, how much performance can one add before this aspect starts to become compromised? I’d be very surprised if the Thunderbird would move ahead of the Mustang in the performance rankings…but one can never truly know for sure.
I don’t believe it, cause customers that have ordered them haven’t received them yet