C8 Chevy Corvette Z06 to get rear wing bigger than ZR1’s?

GM Authority credits “sources familiar with the project” for intel that the coming Z06 version of the C8 Chevrolet Corvette will “feature a massive rear wing spoiler.” The 2019 Corvette ZR1 offered two wings in low and high flavors, and GMA didn’t clarify which wing for the Z06, but we’re going with the latter. The site says the aero plank “will differ in appearance and functionality from wing on race-going C8.R,” and will resemble the wing in back of the Agera RS. At the same time, the wing will provide more downforce yet create less drag that the unit on the ZR1. There was no mention of active aerodynamics, so it’s not clear if the wing will act automatically, or simply offer multiple positions as on the ZR1. The Agera RS uses an active wing.

GM might have been toying with such an idea on the C7 Corvette Z06, once spotted in prototype form with a high wing, a roll cage, and tow hooks. The base C8 Corvette offers a high wing option for buyers who choose the Z51 package, and folks who throw down get the standard Z51 wing and the high wing. There’s apparently talk inside the Corvette team about making the big wing standard fit, although that hasn’t been decided.

We can imagine there’ll be factions in the Corvette community that prefer the more restrained looks of Z06 compared to the berserk aggression of the ZR1 — restrained being a relative term, of course. Among the numerous rumors about which engine goes where, GMA believes the Z06 gets the naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8 derived from the unit in the C8.R, making around 600 horsepower. It’s possible that the new Z06 goes in a far more hardcore direction than the daily driver track-day car we’re used to, as a quasi homologation special to satisfy IMSA requirements for the C8.R’s engine, making a mongo wing a near necessity for extracting performance.

Speaking of engines, GMA believes General Motors will use the E-Ray name it applied to trademark in 2015 on one of two electrified models. That would align with a report from Bozi Tatarevic in November, citing GM paperwork suggesting a hybrid base model and a hybrid performance model. The latter version, possibly dubbed Zora, would slot into the top spot with something like 900 to 1,000 hp.