2015 Corvette Z06 Didn’t Run 7:08 At The Nurburgring
By Paulo Acoba
Rumor not true. But boy did we want it to be.
Thanks to former head honcho at Jalopnik Travis Okulski now working at Road and Track, it was confirmed earlier yesterday (July 7, 2015) that the 2015 Corvette Z06 did indeed not run 7:08 around the Nurburgring. The rumor was so false that GM replied, “with a flat out denial that the car turned that time.”Priced at almost half the cost of a 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo and with 50 more HP, we were all rooting for the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette to post a faster time than the GT-R, but we’ll have to wait until the Nurburgring lifts its speed restrictions and GM can have another crack at it.
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It all started with Rory Caroll over at AutoWeek who was having a conversation with another automotive journalist during the Goodwood Festival of Speed who heard that Chevrolet had posted a lap time of 7 minutes and 8 seconds round the Nurburgring, but due to an embargo on posting official lap times by Nurburgring’s management, nothing could be confirmed by Chevrolet. As a matter of fact, GM has been trying very hard to post a solid lap time around the Nordschleife, but bad weather prevented them from posting a good hot lap. Youtube is rift with videos of the Corvette Z06 whipping it around the ring.
For comparison, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 ran a 7:26 and the 2012 Corvette ZR1 ran a time of 7:19. With the addition of stickier tires and Magnetic Ride Control, seven seconds was shed between the two times. Compared to the 2012 Corvette ZR1, the 2015 Corvette Z06 has stickier tires, better aerodynamics, an overall stiffer and wider frame, a faster shifting automatic, a new generation of magnetic ride control and 12 HP/46 lbs-ft more power. Even if this rumored 7:08 wasn’t shot down, that time would seem believable with all the improvements. Like Koenigsegg, GM will have to wait until they can have a proper go.