Just as Chevy kept an eye on Porsche and Ferrari during the development stages of the mid-engine Corvette, Ford may now be doing the same thing with a 2023 Corvette Z06.
At least that’s the opinion of Ford Authority after its photographers captured a heavily optioned Elkhart Lake Blue Z06 convertible leaving a Ford facility this week, outfitted with carbon flash-painted nacelles and roof, carbon/edge red stinger hood stripe, and Z07 performance package.
Ford Authority said the following in their blog post:
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.
On paper, the Z06 seems to be comparable numbers-wise to the existing Ford GT. The Chevy’s bespoke flat-plane crank 5.5-liter LT6 V8 produces 670 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque, while the Ford answers with a twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that turns out 660 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque. In the real world, however, the Z06 runs 0-to-60 in 2.6 seconds, a lot faster than the 3.0 seconds of the much higher priced GT.
We’ve heard in recent months yet another Ford Thunderbird revival might be in the works, and Ford Authority speculates that the Z06 might be serving as a benchmark for such a vehicle, “though it’s not likely this vehicle will feature a mid-engine layout like the ‘Vette.” Nevertheless, Ford Authority argues that a new Thunderbird “could certainly pose a threat to The Bow Tie’s sports car in terms of power and performance.”
A little competition might prove to be good for both brands, though if you’re like most Corvette enthusiasts, a Ford will never be seen in the same garage as their C8.
Back in 2021, Ford Authority also captured Ford engineers driving a Torch Red C8 Corvette Stingray.
Source:
FordAuthority.com
Related:
Ford Has Been Caught Benchmarking the Mid-Engine C8 Corvette
https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2020/03/03/scouting-report-porsche-911-gt2-rs/
Chevrolet is Going All-Out for the C8 Corvette Z06
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No BIGGIE here. They ALL look at and carefully examine their competition’s latest, greatest.
It could be interesting if Ford would resurrect the Thunderbird as a genuine performance sports car, not as that luxury plaything they tried back in 2002-2005, but as a true brutish sports car.
They could make a modern street version with one of their supercharged bad-ass engines, then offer a performance track version as their “Warbird” to go head-to-head with Corvette. Could be VERY cool! Could be very exciting to bring back that “Ford Vs Chevy” rivalry!
Hey Ford, CALL ME!
The last time Ford tried competing with Corvette it was a $500.000 V6 GT what a joke and they built just 1,350 cars over 6 years. That’s what Corvette makes in a week and at a little cheaper price.
Yeah but it would still just be a ford. I remember attending the road courses when they were running the GT in IMSA and they weren’t that great. And without doubt the worst exhaust note in racing!
Highly doubt Ford is “in possession” of Z06…simply not gonna happen for any reason.
IF YOUTUBERS LIKE AMELIA HARTFORD CAN GET ONE TO DAILY DRIVE AROUND, FORD CAN GET A HOLD OF ONE TO TEST ALSO
It was Bubba showing off a press car to his cousin Butch at the Ford plant.
Not possible no Z06s have been sold to the public yet. Only GM owned cars are on the road right now. How would someone from Ford be driving a GM captured fleet car, Not possible.
@ C1T0C8. The V6 GT was an Exercise on to its Own for endurance racing. Never intended to compete with market share of other brands of sports car for the Street. I’m not a fan of its engine, but I admire the aerodynamics and the curb weight: Exactly 400 LBS lighter than the C8 Z06. Think about that for a minute considering The GTV6 was 2017 vintage.. Whatever Ford is planning, i hope THEY keep the weight down and put a variant of their voodoo engine…
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